Family Pet

[Bowser]

I came home from work to find my old dog on the floor looking very sick.  Labored breathing, lethargic,  and groaning.  He hadn't eaten for several days.  I was thinking, well, this might be it.  I got on the floor beside him and gave him several strokes.  I was debating on whether to take him to the vet and have him put down, but decided to give him an opportunity to pull out of it.  After spending the night on the living room floor, he looks a bit more relaxed.  I noticed him looking at me while I ate my breakfast--I did try to give him some, but he didn't want any.  This morning I put down a little canned dog food, and he actually got up and had some.  I'm thinking there might be a possibility he will pull through, though, he has yet to go outside and relieve himself for at least 48 hours.

I hate it when my animals get sick and die.  It's always a miserable end.

[Secular Sanity]

My dog is in the same boat.  I’ve been adding a little can food to her dry food, too.  She’s starting to look a little more energetic.  She's actually my son's dog.  He’s a Marine and overseas in the Middle East.  I hope she doesn’t die before he gets home.

[Bowser]

He seems to have recovered.  Still a bit lethargic, but he is eating and a bit more active.  Maybe he got into something.  Not sure

[elte]

I'm hoping for his continued recovery.

[scheherazade]

Aging pets endure similar challenges to any other animal, including ourselves, as their physical attributes and senses begin to wane. As the good days become fewer than the challenging ones, it is up to us to make various decisions in regard to their care and well being.

A friend of mine had two cats, brothers, and one was painfully thin while the other was hugely overweight. The thin one was diagnosed as requiring thyroid medication daily and within months became a much more robust creature for a cat of 15 years. The heavy one went into decline a year later with kidney and urinary issues and the prognosis for him was not encouraging and so he was put to rest.

Dedication to daily medical needs and tough calls to be made with every case being different. I hope your old dog has many good days ahead of him, Bowser, and that when the time does come for intervention that you will be granted the will and ability to act accordingly.

[Yazata]

When I had a dog, if my dog wasn't eating and seemed to be in discomfort, I'd take them to the vet. It might not be anything serious, but I'd want to be sure and I'd feel like I owed them that. (I felt responsible for them, like children.)

My two earlier dogs eventually had to be 'euthanized' by the vet at ripe old ages for dogs. The first was suffering from liver failure, the second had a burst aneurism and had almost zero blood pressure (but was still conscious).

The worst part is how they look at you with that look of total trust, while you are deciding to kill them. I still feel guilty about it.

It's quick and painless, an injection of an overdose of barbiturates. I just hope that it will be that easy for me when I reach that point of no return.

[cosmictraveler]

"The worst part is how they look at you with that look of total trust, while you are deciding to kill them. I still feel guilty about it.

It's quick and painless, an injection of an overdose of barbiturates. I just hope that it will be that easy for me when I reach that point of no return."

The thing is that you are helping them end their suffering and not just killing them. Suffering is not a very  good thing for man nor beast for the agony you are getting won't stop until the end. So you are doing those animals one last very humane thing in their lives which if they could talk would say thanks. Being with them also creates a sphere of kindness and understanding both for you and the animal. So never ever think that your just killing them but only helping them end their suffering.

[Zinjanthropos]

My cat died this summer in similar fashion to Bowser's pooch. In the end, after witnessing moments where it look like the cat was rallying, the poor little guy's organs started shutting down plus it could no longer walk. Took it to the vet. Euthanasia and out $300.

[elte]

"The worst part is how they look at you with that look of total trust, while you are deciding to kill them. I still feel guilty about it.

It's quick and painless, an injection of an overdose of barbiturates. I just hope that it will be that easy for me when I reach that point of no return."

The thing is that you are helping them end their suffering and not just killing them. Suffering is not a very  good thing for man nor beast for the agony you are getting won't stop until the end. So you are doing those animals one last very humane thing in their lives which if they could talk would say thanks. Being with them also creates a sphere of kindness and understanding both for you and the animal. So never ever think that your just killing them but only helping them end their suffering.

The key I think is that they have no idea what is happening before and during.  That is how I would prefer to go, based on what I know now, and it would need to be quick and painless.

[Zinjanthropos]

Is it just me or are veterinarians overcharging or fleecing us big time? Another cat of mine had to be taken to the after hours clinic, a business that opens when all the other vets close for the day. She charged me $600 for the diagnosis, my cat's intestine was hanging out after a confrontation with a dog, and the euthanizing. Not to mention a premium because hers was the only animal hospital open during the off hours. I said to her, "if these are your everyday hours then how can they be off hours?" Didn't matter, I paid. Fortunately after I threatened to sue the dog's owner, it had escaped an enclosed pen, he paid my bill with no questions asked. Apparently my cat was not the only victim that night and the dog belonged to a nearby business that wanted to stay where they were and not upset nearby residents.