Totally OT - When is it time to let a pet go?

Wow such a hard decision.   I too have only pets (no kids)  and yes it is such a hard thing to do.  I agree with everyone else about the quality of life.   I also would take into effect, the dogs mood etc., we had a dog last until 18.   She was blind, had hearing loss and yes she had problems walking but let me tell you, she never complained. She always went to the bathroom through the doggie door no matter what the weather.  Dogs are so resilant and not like people.    Her tail was always up, she always wanted to play no matter what, and of course eat!!!!!!!!!  She was the first at the door barking when someone knocked.  She was a very cheerful girl right up until the end. 

One morning we woke up fed her and everything was normal.   Then she came to us, and you could tell she was telling us it was time!    She cuddled with us and we took her to the vet.  I said my goodbyes and she kissed me.  Held out her paw as if to say thanks.  

My husband went in cause I could not!!!!!!

In any event I truly truly believe they tell us when its time and you will know.  Again look at the tail mine was wagging right to the end even in the vet's office. 

we cremated her and her box is next to her favorite toy

Good luck to you!!!
ok now I am going to have a good cry !!!!!!

Professionally, as a certified petloss and bereavement counselor, I often help owner's grapple with their decision towards euthanasia, and I sit with them and their pets when they take their last breaths. It never is an easy thing for anyone.

Personally, we just euthanized my 16 year old in May. I know how hard it is to make the decision.
The main thing to keep in mind is if the pet has a quality of life. Animals will often still eat, but they may be in pain, they may be going to the bathroom on themselves or unable to hold it to get to the door.

If you feel she is in pain and thats the main thing, there are pain management options.

However, sometimes we come to the point where we have to decide if the pet is being kept alive for ourselves? Because we cant bare to let them go...

Euthanasia is the last selfless act we can give our beloved pets. A peaceful death is a gift.

If you need more information as far as evaluating quality of life, you can google it and find some articles. Also, if you need more resources in making the decision, you can go to the APLB website (assoc. for petloss and bereavement. )

Only you know when you and she are ready. It is hard but remember, as long as they are in our hearts they live forever.

If you have any questions or need anything feel free to PM me.

HUGS

It's gut-wrenching. I feel for you. Take comfort in the fact that you have had 10 years with her.

I make the decision, generally, when in my estimation the dog's pain cannot be resolved with medication to the point of 'comfort' while resting. Usually, that's also the point where the dog loses significant mobility, as well. Another factor I take into consideration is the dog's overall condition.  If they can't maintain a healthy weight, continually go off food, etc., it's generally 'time.'  My dogs and my breed, in general, is very healthy and long-lived.  We do 'maintenance' to help ensure they age well, though.

That doesn't change the fact I have a rapidly  aging population of dogs at my house -- you know that when you buy senior food in 40lb bags for 10lb dogs.   I have 5 generations in my line under one roof, right now.   I have faced this and will continue to face it every year not just with dogs I've bred, whelped in my bedroom raised from infancy, and who have lived their whole life with me but also the rescues we take in, etc.  It is never easy, but it can be the kindest act we as owners do for our pets.

There are pictures of one of my older dogs on her 13'th birthday in my profile.  Percy  is a Champion show-dog, Register of Merit, producing, but also she's my heart-beat.  There's literally a life-size painting of her in my family room (note my screen name, it is not un-earned). I love her like a child, but I also understand that she's a dog. She lives in the here and now -- she's not living in metaphysical dread of aging.  Right now, she's healthy and not feeling more than a few pangs of age.  At the point where her health declines, I will set my feelings aside and do what's right for her.  I'm pretty sure I'll have to go on a 72 hour psychatric hold when it's all said and done. 
 

 Ugh you made me cry.  My Obby (the 15 yr old) is also a champion though I decided to neuter and never bred him, he was a therapy dog and he was the last thing my father bought me before he died.  There are so many emotions balled up in that black bit off fur I just can't imagine him not being there.  But as he struggles to make it out the door, and forgets where he is.  I know it's time.  If he was in significant pain it'd really make the decision easy.  He isn't, it's his brain that seem to be giving out on him rather than his body.

To all who have lost or had to face this decision, I feel for you.
 I believe we all understand in out own ways. When we had to put down our yellow lab 6 years ago, he had developed pancreatic cancer,.
 My three boys wanted to be there, they were 11, 12, and 16 at the time. When they brought in the old boy he heard our voices and tried to stand up for us. My boys were able to say goodbye and be there when he passed. It was tough, but I feel it helped them.

http://www.petloss.com/rainbowbridge.htm

This poem I found after the fact helped with healing, but warning have tissues ready, even this tough 47 year old man can't contain emotions when reading this.

Charles

 I personally know your pain all too well. Having had to put to sleep several dogs over the years, some for the exact reasons you are experiencing. I have also worked in the veterinary field for over 20 years and watch people make this hard decision daily. It is NEVER easy. I had a lab that was 17 when I put her down. She was very arthritic in the hind end. She had a hard time getting her rear legs up from under her (if that makes sense). I would assist her in getting up then she would be ok while up( a little wobble, but managed). I have hardwood floors (an old dogs nightmare!) so I put non-skid carpets everywhere to aid in her walking. I also had my dog on Cosequin for her arthritis (helped alot). You can (if you haven't already) ask your vet about Metacam (non-steriodal anti-inflammatory drug) it will help relieve some of the inflammation and has pain relieving properties. Making sure your house isn't too cold helps too. Having said all of this, I waited until my dog had stopped eating and then (for me) I knew it was time and she was done. I feel ANY pet that is still eating and drinking doesn't feel that bad.  A lot of pets get put to sleep for the reason of arthritis so don't feel bad if it is time. Also, if she has the inabilitiy to get up and urinates/defficates on herself, then that may be a reason to not let her suffer. Your vet can also prescribe Tramadol for pain which can help her until you are ready so that she is comfortable.  Please feel free to message me =)

Take care,
Leslie

 Thank you all SO much for posting to me. The one thing I didn't mention is that she has pretty band kidney issues on top of it all and a pretty bad seizure disorder, so most meds are out for her b/c it will make one or the other of those things worse. She does not play at all anymore, and she rarely spends any time with us b/c it's too much work to get up and walk to where we are, she has collapsed more then once and she does suffer from some "confusion" as someone else mentioned. 

It's so hard, two years ago we had to put our beloved family dog down but it was the only thing to do for him and it was sudden (had a massive tumor on his spleen that ruptured and he was bleeding to death internally with no way to really fix him, and even if they did he would have required chemo and they only gave him about six months). He was fine one day and gone the next, so there was none of this agonizing over it. 

I am going to call the vet and talk to them, have a very frank discussion about it all and see what they say. It just breaks my heart to hear her yelp when she gets up the wrong way, or to watch her collapse and not be able to get up when she steps wrong on our kitchen floor. I want her to be able to keep her dignity, but I also don't want to take any time away from her. 

Gah. 

I just want to say I am so sorry you are dealing with this. I lost both my pets this year, our big alaskan Malamute got bone cancer and we had the choice to either amputate for a few months more of life, or maintain with pain meds. We chose the latter which kept him going the same amount of time as the amputation supposedly would have. He was also already 10 which is old for large-chested dogs. He did ok for a while on the meds but then one morning he was just not ok and we knew it was time. We called for an in-home euthaniasia which was so much better than having to drag him into the car to the vet for his last moments. He was also about 120 lbs so moving him would have been difficult.

Anyway you kind of just know. the previous year my cat had been diagnosed with kidney failure.. same thing, we maintained for a while and then all of a sudden he stopped eating, and drinking and we had to put him down. Don't wait too long, they do suffer and we owe it to them to treat them right.

We lost our other cat about a month ago, she was attacked by something and I found her already dead. It is so hard. It is a very difficult decision and I feel for you.

But with my two that got sick, it became obvious to us when it was time. Trust your gut and talk to your animals.

I am a Humane Officer for the SPCA and I really have no words for you because I see people just discard their pets away every day like they are nothing but garbage.

It at least gives me some hope that there are still people out there who do care.  I hope you find peace in whatever decision you make. 

 I can't even imagin doing a job like yours. I am a total sucker for animals, they become a part of the family here. We adopted a puppy about 8 months ago, but I was so heartbroken to leave her brother and mother behind in the shelter that I paid to have all of them fixed, vetted and moved to a rescue (they have all found wonderful homes!). So I made it my mission to raise enough money every month to do the same for at least ONE dog, some months I come up short but for the most part I have been able to do it every month for the last 8!  

I think anyone who would mistreat an animal has something really, really wrong with them.