question when a dog is put to sleep don't they suppose to go right away?

[lvmypets]

Ever Since Cuddles Died Friday From Having To Be Put Down I Can Not Get It Out Of My Mind How His Death Was. It Was Terrible. He Died A Terrible Death. It Was Like He Was Gasping For A Breath Then His Little Body Would Streatch Out Has Far Has It Could. I Was In Shock I Could Not Move On The Second Time I Cried Out To The Vet I Said My God He Is In Pain She Said No It Is Just Spasm From His Diafram. I Don't Beleive It For One Minute. I Don't Understand Why She Did Not Give Him Another Injection So He Could Had Went On. What I Seen I Can Not Get It Out Of My Mind. When His Partner Esther Had To Be Put Down Due To Cancer She Went Right To Sleep. It Was A Diffrent Vet That Minster The Medication. I Am So Upset Over This. At Night I Can't Sleep I Lay In Bed Crying. I Cry Through The Day. When I See The Head Vet I Am Going To Ask Him And I Am Going To Tell Him I Was Not Happy At All With The Way My Baby Was Let To Die.

[loveallfurryfriends]

I am so so sorry. I wish I knew the answer. There is nothing that I can say to make you feel better, but my thoughts are with you. <<<HUGS>>>

[Freedom]

I am so sorry. I think talking to the vet in charge is a good idea.

[pitc9]

My Aunt had to put her 14 year old Lab mix Sheba, down a year ago and it was not peaceful. Once the drug was injected she started crying and whimpering.
She had to leave the room; she could still hear her in the lobby, so she had to leave the vets office.

In Sheba's case, she was full of tumors and had bad circulation, making it difficult for the drug to take effect instantly.
More times than not it is instant.

I'm so sorry you had to go through that.
Even if his passing seemed not to be peaceful, please take comfort in knowing that he is now at peace.

[chocolatepuppy]

I'm sorry for your loss of Cuddles. I've been with two of my dogs when they were PTS. The first time it took a while and they had to inject a bit more but he went peacefully. My other dog it wasn't quite as pleasant but I feel she was sort of 'out of it' by that time. It must have been very hard for you to have to have it end that way. Thank goodness though we can end our pets suffering.
In time, hopefully that unpleasant memory will fade and you will more often think of Cuddles when she was young and healthy.

[Catlady711]

I'm sorry that you not only lost your furbaby but that the experience was so much more upsetting by not being peaceful. Your vet should have explained to you what to expect before the procedure was done. I'm very sad that you had to go through this.

As a vet assistant I've had the unfortunate duty to assist with too many euthanasias and most do go quite peacefully.

Where I work we never require that the owners be present once the papers are signed and for many people being there is far more upsetting than just remembering their pet the way it was. If they choose not to stay, no one thinks of them as 'abandoning' their pet and I always cuddle and talk to the pet right up until they are gone, and have cried over them.

However for those that do chose to stay we always go over with them possible things that can happen so they are prepared for things such as you experienced.

The medicine used for euthanasia is basically an overdose of anethsetic. The pet only feels the initial prick of the needle and maybe just a short millisecond of the drug going in the vein. Normally if the procedure goes well the pet simply goes to sleep before the injection is even finished and they peacefully pass away.

Animals with poor circulation, or very ill often take a few minutes for the drug to sedate the animal and another minute or two for them to pass away. I have also noticed that highly aggressive animals appear to struggle against the drug and would appear to the owners to be suffering, however even then they are basically 'out of it' and are not in pain.

I don't know about every vet but where I work the dose for euthanasia is usually several times more than needed to do the job to reduce the possibility of further injections which usually disturb the owners greatly. If the pet has poor circulation additional injections won't actually make them pass any faster as the body just isn't circulating the drug properly.

Pets sometimes do 'gasp' however at that point they are brain dead however the muscles and sometimes the heart have not stopped reacting yet but they are not in pain. This can frequently be very upsetting to the owners which is another reason why we always discuss these things with them before we start and always understand when owners choose not to be in the room or even the building when it's done.

I couldn't be in the building when Dusty was PTS in July because I know how she is with drawing blood and I didn't want to remember her struggling. One of my co-workers, that Dusty particularly liked, held her for me and said that for once Dusty didn't struggle and did pass peacefully.

It's upsetting enough that you have to make the decision to have your beloved pet PTS, but when things don't go smoothly it is twice as upsetting. It might help if you set up a time when you can talk to the vet personally about this. She might be able to help reassure you. You also might want to visit some sites on the web that deal with the loss of your pet for some additional support. I found this site to be very helpful when I lost Dusty.

http://www.petloss.com/

Again I am sorry for your loss and the experience you had to go through. Your pet is not suffering now and is romping playfully at the Rainbow Bridge with my Dusty. My condolences to you and your family.