What's your opinion on... euthanasia

[Corinna]

This indeed a hard question but as one of the few who had to make this decstion not to long a go with my Merlin Man. I really do beleive its better to pick the day and make it a good one . That way if possible its a good memory. The day I picked for Merlin(cancer) was a sunny ,very light breeze fairly warm spring day.He got a nice car ride and trip to the bank for a bone and last time visit the drive through gal. The vet has horses and a nice yard with trees , so we sat under the trees watching the horses and just hanging out relaxing. The vet and asst. both just sat for a couple minutes with us talking to and about Merlin , then just started petting his front leg and slipped the needle in . I don't think he even knew it happened . He just slipped in to my lap and was seamingly asleep. Since he had to go it was the best way I could have planned for him.
He was facing all kinds of drugs and horrible things , I didn't think he deserved all that pain just for me to try to hang on to him for my selfishness.
I really miss him espesally since he was my alert dog for my diabetes and he was only 8 years old.
I guess my opinion is if you can choose and plan it do so. It makes for a much better memory for you. I had him creamated and footprint made. Hubby is working on a nive little box for them so I can still have him around.

[finn's mom]

I had him creamated and footprint made. Hubby is working on a nive little box for them so I can still have him around.

That's so awesome. I had Bruno cremated and I have his urn with his photo on it. It's just a little wooden box, but, I love it. The footprint is a good idea, too.

[pitc9]

Corina.... omg... I can't stop crying after reading your post.....

I really don't know what I would do. I hope they would let me know... somehow. I'm depressed all the time and think about/worry about death and I always cry to my dogs and I ask them all the time to pleeeease let me know when you want to go. I know they hear me, I just hope they follow through!
Right now as I sit here and have two heathly dogs at home.... I can say that If I were faced with that decision to make I would like to do it on a good day. But once/if the situtation come to be... I don't know.

[pnance]

This is a hard question, which I'm not sure of the answer. I'm guessing I'll be facing it with Bear in the next few years. I'd like to say I'd do it on a good day but I'm not sure I can. I think I'd always wonder if he still had some good days left. I've never had to decide when it's time, Sandy my RB terrier took the decision out of my hands. He collapsed one night on our deck. After a trip to the emergency vet and then our own vet he passed away the next night from heart failure. The vet had recommended giving him 24 hours to see if he responded to treatment, but I knew the next day I'd have to make that decision. I like to think he knew how hard it would be for me to do it and he decided to save me that pain.

[beeniesmom]

I am reading these posts and crying.
I don't know what I would do...
I've never had to make such a decision.
My poodle Dee Dee died in her sleep 2 yrs ago when she was 15 yrs old.
I hope you and Nanook have countless wonderful days together.

[anna_66]

I honestly can say that as long as they were having good days and not in pain I would wait for a bad day.

With Angus he was getting worse, but by no means was he ready to go before he did. I just got up one day and his leg and foot was swolen. The vet did everything she could but his poor body just couldn't fight the infection so we made the decision to let him go. It was a bad day, but that boy was so happy to see us when we got there that morning. We just petted him and talked to him and he slowly faded away.

[ParNone]

Maddie had a lot of health problems and I had people tell me I should put her to sleep, because she was blind. But my thought was as long as she was running to greet me, when I got home and puppy play bowing to me, it wasn't her time. I've got pictures of her playing with her stuffed mouse, the week she died, so I didn't feel it was time for her yet, even though she had Cancer.

She took the decision out of my hands though. Maybe she knew it would be too hard for me. I got home really late from work that night. She waited for me. I think she knew I'd have been crazed, if I'd come home to find her dead. So she held on, so that she could die in my arms, with me telling her I loved her.

With Murph now 15, I'm having to look for signs again and dreading finding any. I was getting worried about him, since his hearing and eyesight are bad now. But we got a new dog next door and Murph's got a new lease on life. He's almost puppy-like in his zeal to run up and down the fenceline, marking every post and hurling curse words at the dog next door. So alls right with the world now.

I don't think I'd take him on a good day though. Unless he's suffering, if he still has good days, then I feel like he's still meant to be with me.

Par...

[Glacier]

It's an extraordinarily difficult decision to make and the line is different for everyone. I expect that soon I will have to make that call for Preacher. My personal deciding factor is always "Can Preacher still be Preacher?" In his case, when he stops wanting to eat and he can't referree the young dogs' games anymore, it will be time. Those are the two things he still loves to do even with all his other problems.

In situations where I have the choice, my vet will come to my house. They will die at home in familiar, comfortable surroundings. I have all my pets cremated. I have a shelf in my bedroom with their urns on it along with pictures and other little mementos. I wear a small portion of Hoodoo's ashes in a pendant. When I die, their ashes are to mixed with mine and scattered in a special spot. I also make memorial stones for them all and am building a special garden for those.

[cali]

I am not into euthinizing, but it really depends, for example, I am not going to give a million medications so my dog can live a longer mediocer life, nor would I prevent my dog from doing something they loved for the sake of them living longer, I would much rather my dogs passed on while doing something they loved. I remeber what one person said, her dog had heart murmer and the vet told her not to let the dog run and keep her calm so she will live longer, the response? "I would rather my dog died while running through a feild then force her to live longer not allowed to do what she loved" this fits my veiw perfectly, I want my dogs to die naturally while doing something they enjoyed, then forcing them to be calm, while shoveng meds down their throats, and eventually taking them to the vet to be killed. there ARE some cases when its inhumane to not put then down, but I dont belive there are very many truly genuine cases of this.

[K9soul]

there ARE some cases when its inhumane to not put then down, but I dont belive there are very many truly genuine cases of this.

I disagree. I think there are MANY genuine cases of this, and you are making quite a broad (and I think hurtful) assumption by saying this. There are MANY dogs that suddenly have severe cancer show up or a sudden severe infection that leaves the dog in pain, with internal bleeding or unable to eat or function at all. Certainly the dog is in no shape at that point to go run in a field. I'd say the heart murmur situation you mentioned is the rarer case and I'd much, much rather my dogs went naturally somehow than having to take them in. I think after you've experienced some losses, you may better understand how it often really is. Mine were content and living life to the best of their ability to function until their strokes. I wasn't going to hook up IVs and revive their failing bodies so they could lay there alive but disabled or paralyzed. I also wasn't going to leave them lay there lingering when they might hold on for a few hours or even another day getting further dehydrated and drawing out their death.

I think most often, rather than your heart murmur scenario, animals have a slow decline as they age. The decline gets further and further along until either they contract an illness or have a stroke such as in my case, that takes the decision out of the owner's hands really, or reaches a point that "how much is enough?" becomes the question.

[wolfie]

Hopefully I won't have to think about it for a long long time. We've only had birds, hamsters, and fish before, who all died at home. I hope our girls live long healthy lives.