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Pet Question


kikibaugh

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Can I ask what is wrong with your pet?

When you know in your heart that the animal is suffering....or will not get better and is in pain..

Please don't keep it alive just for you...many do, and it's not fair to the animal to suffer just to stay with you...and they do try to stay alive for their human...

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I think if you are asking then you kind of know it is time.  We had this happen in our home in January. Even thouhg I did not want to give him up i knew in my heart that he was suffering and we could not keep him here just to avoid the heart ache.  Yes it still hurts to this day for us but he is not hurting and we will see each other again.

 

Good luck and God Bless

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Guest zackrspv

It was most assuredly not an easy decision for us to put our little one down.  We did all we could; took her to the vet, ran the tests, etc. But, in the end, they couldn't save her, the infection in her eye was too much.  She had no chance at retaining it, and the infection had spread too far.  They said they could have taken the eyes, and we could have had her still for many years; but, what type of life would that have left her with.  Not worth it for her.  She was already in so much pain, always curled up, and moaning.  We opted to put her to sleep, and I let her fall asleep in my arms.  Wasn't easy, but was the most humane thing we could do.

 

I agree, if, at this point, you have to ask, chances are you already know.

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She is a 13 year old Akita. Sometimes she seems ok, but she will stop eating sometimes for days, the vet diagnosed her with cancer a year ago. She is having a lot of accidents, and goes for hours where she will hide and I can't find her.

 

I'm just not sure. She doesn't act like she is in pain or suffering but she can't talk so I don't know :(

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We went through this 5 years ago with my 16 YO shih tzu.  My husband told me she would let us know when it is time and she did.  One day she look at me with very sad eyes and her tail was down, her look told us it was time, she was tired and her pain was getting worse.  It was one of the hardest things I ever did but I did not want her to suffer anymore.  She always gave us joy so we wanted to give her peace at the end.

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I asked our Vet that same question, and he told me the same, "she'll let you know"......  She was diagnosed with Cancer at the age of 10, lived 5 more years....  When she started having trouble with her walks and having accidents plus she had quit eating for the most part....  She gave us that look that said "I've had enough".......  One of the hardest things we've ever done, but it is the most humane thing for them.....  The Vet came out to the car and gave her the shot and she went to sleep in my arms......    That would have been Shelbea, but with Abigail, she got sick and went down hill within weeks, we waited a couple of days too long, she ended up having a stroke and seizure then dying at home...  Was one of the most horrible things to witness....  My heart broke...   She suffered....  We were going to take her to the Vet the next day to have her "go to sleep" .  If you think she's miserable then she probably is....  Good luck with your decision......  Thoughts are with you.... :(

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Pets will hide when they are getting ready to pass away. This is an instinct from the pack as not bring vulnerability to the pack in the wild. I think it is also time to put a dog down when you muster enough selflessness to say, "I will see you on Rainbow Bridge someday but right now I love you enough to let you go."

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We recently had to put our bloodhound down. Was the hardest decision ever, but I know we did the right thing. She was only 7 years old and had bone cancer. There were the options of taking her leg off and chemo with no guarantee that it would work, but we could not stand to watch her go from a playful ball fetching dog to a sad, sick dog with very little mobility. The look in her eyes told us that it was her time to go. We will always miss her so much but she did not deserve to suffer.

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I had to put my dog down when he looked at me with those eyes.  He was 16 and I knew this was the best thing I could do so he didn't suffer any longer.  Cried for a long time but still glad I made the choice.  Keeping you in my prayers.

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God made us the keepers of the earth and it's creatures, to use, to nurture and to protect. Youcan help your friend in a way that we humans can't be helped. You can provide an end to his pain and gave him back to God. Most animals don't get that kind of love. They are made to suffer horribly.

 

We miss our Zeke who passed away last winter from Lymphoma. I still check the dark hallway when I leave a room because he was always there in the dark waiting for me and I fell over him frequently, but what a life we had together! One of my best memories of him was a good spell he had before he got too bad to go outside by himself. He had such long flowing fur. He had gone to the woods behind the house and came meandering back up through the yard, fur flying in the breeze, a smile on his face looking up to the sun, so pleased with his life. Now he gets to do it every day of the rest of existence. How could I deny that to him when he was in pain, lying at the top of the stairs waiting for me, too weak to climb them any more?

 

You will know when your pet is not going to enjoy another day when they stop smiling.

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I appreciate all the input very much. The reason I am unsure is because some days she is still the way she has been for years. Running around the house and playing with my kids. They are 8 and 2 and I have no idea how to explain this to them.

 

But the other days she is usually hiding out under the covers in my bed, not coming out for hours. The accidents have only been a few times a week, usually when she is asleep. She is an Akita, so they shed like crazy in spring and fall. She is shedding but it's not growing back. So she has these bald patches behind her ears and on her back and butt.

 

I am just afraid of making a decision prematurely. She still seems to have good, happy days. So we are going to head to the vet and see what they say. Maybe there are some meds that can make her bad days more comfortable and let her enjoy the holidays with her family?

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If they can make her comfortable, you wouldn't want the kids to have that heartache around the holidays.  I know when my kids were young, our dog had a massive heart attack and died in our living room two days before Christmas.  That was not a good holiday that year.  See what the vet says.

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When you decide the time is right you will want to explain it to them in age appropriate ways. The two year old will not understand it as well as the eight year old. rainbowbridge.com offers the opportunity to create a memorial page and upload photos. I think involving the 8 year old with that project would be great. He/She would not have the attention span to do the whole process but they can chose a photo and see other dogs who crossed over to the rainbow bridge. Again, all in age appropriateness. Also, they will take their cues from you as to how to feel. While it is okay to be somber for awhile, it is also okay to be accepting that they are playing, happy and healthy until we see them again.

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