Putting pets down?

[Redcap]

Not to be a sap but this is the saddest thread I have read. My pup is getting up there in age and I know I'm going to be in pretty bad shape when either I do it or the vet. Either way I will be there. So if I did the deed 9mm back of the head sufficient for a 90lb dog?

A 9mm to the back of the head where the spine connects to the skull and straight forward will do the trick.

 

[tlfreek]

If you really want to know. A .410 slug to the top of the neck at the base of the skull, usually while their eating a pound or two of hamburger.really quick and pain less.

wow. the shooting is the easy part is the collapse teh sigh teh staring at you the wow. you guys are way far tougher than me. dont get me wrong. If I was on a trip and the dog suffered some kind of massive trauma I could do it, but for old age and gradual declines in health - no way.

 

[jbuck]

If u do it right and sever the spinal cord. it is a drt situation.

 

[python287]

I have put several pets down. Never myself, but I made the decision for the vet to do it. My first was my first Lab "Murphy". She developed pancreatitis. I kept her at the vet for almost two weeks hoping she would pull thru, but in the end I went in one day and she could barely raise her head to greet me or wag her tail. I cursed myself for not having her put down sooner and ending her suffering and swore I would never do that again.

Forward several years. We got a new lab pup from a litter down south and after about six months I noticed the dog was really favoring her left hind leg. I thought she maybe just had strained it playing, but after a couple of days took her to the vet. She took X-rays and said it was the worst case of hip displaysia she had ever seen. She could operate, but the pup would likely be back in the same shape in a six mos. to a year and just get worse from there. I had her put down the next day.

Your dog probably got pancreatitis from chewing on bones - bones are not good for dogs and should never been fed to them.. No ham- or other fatty meats - we learned about this from our English Springer getting the disease- she recovered from it - but never again, Also don't use the cheap flea collars on your dogs - not safe..

 

[python287]

Take them to the vet - you could actually get prosecuted for Animal Abuse if it's done wrong or without any compassion for the animal. Pets give so much pleasure to you - they deserve better than some varmint..

I would never do that to my dogs ever - they give you so much love - don't they deserve love in return??

 

[spanky]

In high school my Psychology teacher told us about when he had to put his dog down (when the teacher was about 10 years old). He couldn't bear the thought of shooting his dog so he got a big cardboard box, cut a hole in it for his arm so he could pet his dog, and another hole to put the hose in that was connected to the exhaust pipe.

30 or 40 years later, telling the story to us he was still getting teary eyed talking about his dogs last few minutes falling asleep.

I've not had to put any dogs down, but I hate the thought. My Lab/Dalmation mix is 15 years old, deaf and has already beaten cancer once. I can't decide if I'm more likely to have to put her down or if she'll just outlive us all.

Under normal circumstances I would take my animal to the vet and stay with them, but if that's not an option for some reason, I'll do what needs to be done.

 

[marty8587]

I have alwats been the one in my family to take the animals to the vet to be put down. I guess it what you get for being the Man. The last 2 times I had to do it My son, now in his 20's insisted on going through it with me. It's just one more way the pets bring us together.

 

[bigmacattack]

This is officailly the saddest thread ever.

I know for a fact I could not pull the trigger if it came to putting one of my dogs down. (Unless she were suffering badly from trauma) Think of the mental anguish if your shot was off because the dog moved at the last second. That and not all of us live on farms and can just go shoot our dog in the head out back. I live in an apartment and im pretty sure i would get in trouble.

One of my german shorthairs was having trouble keeping food down so i took her to the vet. She was always my co-pilot and loved riding in the passenger seat of my truck with the window down. She had a great time on the way to the vet. When she got there she was nervous, but did ok. The doc looked her over and gave the prognosis of stomach cancer. (she was 13)

I had gone to the vet to get her some medicine but ended up putting her down instead. It was very peaceful and the doc gives her some sleeping drug to slowly knock her out, but immediatly leaves so you can have some time alone. Talking to her and looking into her eyes was very sad and i found myself crying like a baby for the first time in almost 10 years.

After she had drifted off, the doc came back with the blue liquid in the syringe and injected it. I held her as she passed. She just sighed heavily at the end and stopped breathing. The docter immediatly told me her heart had stopped and she was gone. Her name was Daisy.


As a side note, the trip cost me $160. That was including the office visit. The injection only cost 80. If you don't want to pay 80 bucks for a dear friend to go out in its sleep, then you have no business owning a dog in my opinion.

While this experiance sucked, i would rather relive it than the experiance of personally killing my dog myself. If that means i have no balls, so be it. Its my decision.

 

[CHLChris]

I sort of have a rough idea of a dollar limit I'd be willing to spend, max, on treating one of our pets for some major ailment.

But there is absolutely NO max in how much I would spend to put them down in as humane a manner as possible. I just put a certain amount of money away every month for pet care. It doesn't hurt much and then we always have a chunk of money for their care.

And for their humane injections, if necessary. Never a firearm.

 

[NoOne]

I hate having to be the one in my family that has to take care of the pets at their end.

I guess I see it as one of those things that we do out of love for other people. My wife gets really traumatized by animal suffering, and she would do the chore if I refused to take the animal to the vet.

But, because I love her, I want to protect her from as much pain as I can. I think most of the guys here are like that. My taking the animal to the vet to be euthanized is sort of like taking a beating for my wife. I would rather I take the beating than have her need to suffer through it.

Sure it bothers me alot...but I try my best to hide it from her so that she doesn't feel guilt about the situation.

"A dog does not live as long as a man and this natural law is the font of many tears. If a boy and puppy might grow to manhood and doghood together, and together grow old, and so in due course die, full many a heartache might be avoided. But the world is not so ordered, and dogs will die and men will weep for them so long as there are dogs and men."
-Ben Ames William, Fraternity Village
(From Wingshooters Autumn)

 

[clearconscience]

Dang guys, I'm going to cry just thinking about this. I have a 3 year old great dane, black lab, pit/boxer mix we rescued from the pound. She's like my kid. She's my first dog other than when I was a kid. I think about it every once in a while knowing it's going to come and it rips me apart. I know when that day comes I'm going to be there the whole way. And it's going to absolutley destroy me. I'm going to be a blubbering mess for months. That dog is my whole world other than my wife.

I can't stand to hear people just say it's just a dog. I tell them well your kid is just a kid. You can make another one.

 

[NoOne]

I believe in staying with them to the end. It is terribly hard for me to do, but I try and think how hard it must be for them to go it alone, frightened, and without the person they did their best to love for their entire life... I understand completely how some people can't stand to be there. But I couldn't stand to make them go through it alone. My guilt over abandoning them would eat at me forever.

Of course it is hard...if it was easy anyone could do it.

 

[fredball]

My 11yr old German Shepherd Dog the one in my avatar passed over the Rainbow Bridge last night I'm a wreck I'm just Thankful he went in his sleep last night here at home instead of the vet's office scary place THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR ALL THE KIND WORDS IT HELPS WITH THE HEALING
WE WERE PLAYING ON BALL ON TUESDAY LIKE WE DID EVERYDAY AND WEDNESDAY MORNING HE WAS GONE .
VET SAID HE HAD A HEART ATTACK

 

[Alexx1401]

My 11yr old German Shepherd Dog the one in my avatar passed over the Rainbow Bridge last night I'm a wreck View attachment 400301 View attachment 400300 View attachment 400299 View attachment 400298 View attachment 400297 View attachment 400296 View attachment 400295 View attachment 400302

What a beautiful dog he was. So sorry for your loss. Both of ours are getting close and it's going to make me a wreck when I have to do it for them too. They just mean so much to us yet live such short lives.

 

[Certaindeaf]

My 11yr old German Shepherd Dog the one in my avatar passed over the Rainbow Bridge last night I'm a wreck View attachment 400301 View attachment 400300 View attachment 400299 View attachment 400298 View attachment 400297 View attachment 400296 View attachment 400295 View attachment 400302

Ouch. I know it hurts. Bad. That's the only bad things about dogs.. we love them so much. Hoping your grief will pass somehow.

 

[308]

Yeah they had something and she had young kids. Not too sure what though, didn't ask too many questions.

We had (6) 9-week old kittens recently come down with a horrible virus. (1) died and the rest were very close, then all of a sudden they started drinking water and taking bites of food again, have made a full recovery and are enjoying the good life.

 

[308]

If you really want to know. A .410 slug to the top of the neck at the base of the skull, usually while their eating a pound or two of hamburger.really quick and pain less.

That's some hard crap right there, but it does work when you have to do what you have to do.

 

[WAYNO]

Gosh darn we get so attached, and the mutual love is so tremendous.

I am so sorry,

 

[308]

My 11yr old German Shepherd Dog the one in my avatar passed over the Rainbow Bridge last night I'm a wreck View attachment 400301 View attachment 400300 View attachment 400299 View attachment 400298 View attachment 400297 View attachment 400296 View attachment 400295 View attachment 400302

Last night? Man...so sorry to hear that. The GSD is so intelligent and knowing when they look at us.

 

[teflon6string]

Condolences to all who lose pets. It's part of love.

I know a lot of pets HATE going to the vet, which can be a traumatic experience for some, even for a healthy checkup. Then even more so if they're no longer able to walk, get in and out of vehicles, control bodily functions, etc.

A buddy of mine had to put down his ancient doggie years ago, and I was surprised to learn the vet would come by and administer the shot at home on familiar turf (probably charging extra for the house call, but hey, it's for a friend). The long-suffering dog went to sleep forever and we transported him to the vet later. That was a sad task for sure, but we knew it was coming and it was handled with gentle respect.