Hard Decisions, coping with the loss of a pet.

Forums: Pets And Garden, Loss Of A Pet, Veterinary Decisions, Putting A Pet Down
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It's a sad day. After 14 years of love and friendship from my beagle, Elvis, I had to take him to the vet to put him down.

Of course, I'm second guessing my decision, that's only natural. But, I think I made the loving decision. He was having trouble breathing, he could only walk for about a few steps at a time, he was going blind and had lost interest in eating (any beagle owners out there know how bad that is). He was in quite a bit of pain, but now is at rest.
I think it was the right choice, I really don't think that, at this age, he would have made it through any of the procedures they were offering, never mind have bounced back from them. I'm comfortable with this,..sad but comfortable.

I'm just wondering about the vet, I understand the "life at all costs", "do no harm" attitudes, and usually agree with them, but they found masses all through the dogs body, infections in his blood, failing kidneys and had to put him on oxygen.

I thought it strange that putting him to sleep was never mentioned. I mean they had the gaul to suggest tests (not treatments) that would have amounted to $5000.00 for the weekend. This would be just to find out what the masses were, and do some blood work.

We agreed that he would never regain sight, or full use of his legs,..the kidneys were going and he'd probably need the oxygen til he died naturally. So I made my decision based on the fact that even if he made it through the tests, he would never have a decent quality of life and would always be in pain. And please don't get me wrong, if I thought there was any chance, I'd have signed over the deed to the house if I had to.

Vetrinary care is expensive, and I have no problem paying for it, but where does a vet get off trying to get you to pay for batteries and batteries of expensive tests for an animal who is very apparently dying.
I had to tell the vet that I wanted my dog put to sleep, and the reply was "that it's ok, alot of people who can't afford the treatments do that."

I felt a bit insulted (I could afford the treatments), but was a bit to emotional about the situation to respond. My dog, who I'd raised from eight weeks to fourteen years old was dying, and I had chosen to make it as painless as possible for him.

I guess what I 'm wondering is if anyone else has experienced this kind of "lets make some money" feeling from a vet?
I'm really interested to know, this is not the first time I've come accross this myself.

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Tough break Jerry. You speak of the vet with more kindness than I would have.

I ahve a friend who is experiencing this with her cat. The cat's passing stones and because it's a very exotic and expensive cat the vets stick it to her and she does "anything for my baby".

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Ohhhhh, Jerry. I know how much you love Elvis.

I think you did what you knew you had to do for him. I also know that you would have done anything if you thought you could have brought back a decent life for him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

I don't have any experience with the over-treating vet, but I do know our littleMsK has.

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Thanks Craven!

I dunno about the cat, if it were going to pull through the treatments, I'd probably have them done. It's like having a child, you do as much as you can for them.

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Thanks ehBeth!!

I sure will miss him, and now Beullah (my Basset Hound), keeps on making me sad, cause she keeps on looking for him. Well, I guess we all will for a while.

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I understand your actions and how you feel. It's sad to lose a pet; much like losing a family member.

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So sorry to hear about Elvis, Jerry Sad

A few years ago I rescued a horse whom had been with me as a child and we later found had ended up abused and malnourished. He arrived in bad shape and his condition had deteriorated beyond recovery in just a few days - he had foundered in both fronts, the bone was detatching from his left back, his teeth had so badly overgrown he couldnt eat - thus was skin and bones....the vet arrived and suggested a myriad of tests and sending him to the local uni...I had trusted this vet many a time previous but immediately realized my error in judgement. When I informed him I wanted his life to end peacefully he said " Well if you'd prefer the easy route out that's fine ". I was horrified by this. Informing the owner of all available options should be made clear but pushing for unnecessary tests and potentially prolonging suffering for some extra cash is a disgrace to their profession.

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Oh, Jerry, I feel for you, but I know you did the right thing, and so does Elvis:)

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Yeah, I did have a similar, but lesser experience. I lost Kitten to kidney failure a few years back. My thought was that he had advanced gum disease, which was causing a weight loss due to pain while eating. I took him to the nearest vet for teeth cleaning and immunizations, which they did. They also tested for kidney function. Now, any vet worth his salt would have recognized the symptoms with enough certainty to advise against the cleaning and shots.

A couple of weeks later, I did have to have him put to sleep - elsewhere.

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Jerry
Jerry, you haven't lost Elvis, you've only traded his presence for wonderful memories to cherish forever. You put Elvis' best interests ahead of your own feelings of loss. That is true unconditional love.

If only humans would treat desperately sick humans with the same humanity that we give our beloved pets.

BumbleBeeBoogie

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That is so very true, BBB.

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Good decision, I am sure, Jerry!!!!

I have noticed more and more vets doing this "heroic" stuff with animals. I have had friends with animals kept alive for a short, horrid time, at huge expense. I can only think of it as a money-making thing.

If I have had regrets about animals of mine, it has been acting later, rather than sooner.

Jerry - you were able to do for your beloved companion more than we are allowed to do for our suffering human loved ones.

Any fabulous Elvis stories to share?

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I'm so sorry to hear of your loss Jerry. You did the right thing for Elvis. I had a cat for 15 years who had a tumor that was too far gone for them to do anything, so making the choice to put her to sleep was one of the hardest things I ever had to do. At first I had feelings of guilt, but then I remembered how much she was suffering and finally stopped questioning myself. My heart truly goes out to you Jerry. (((HUG)))

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{{{{{{{{{Jerry}}}}}}}}}

I think you chose compassion for Elvis.

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Hi All!

edgarblythe- Thanks, it has been hard, but I think I was kind of expecting it, he'd never fully recovered from a surgery last winter.

wenchilina- Nice to meet you! Yes, that's exactly what I'm talking about. I'm sorry that you had to go through that with your horse. I suppose that part of it is fear of malpractice litigation, but c'mon !
I'd like my doctor to tell me if there's no hope, I'd expect that from my vet too.

Misti- Thanks!! Boy have I missed you (and Rae), sorry I haven't been around much!!

Roger- Sorry about your cat,..these are exactly the things I'm talking about. I wonder what we can really do about this??

BumbleBeeBoogie- Thanks, and I agree whole-heartedly!

Deb- Thanks! I do have one funny story about Elvis.

When he was a puppy, I was re-doing my kitchen. I'd left a tube of green artist's oil paint on the counter, which the cat knocked on to the floor cause Elvis wanted it (They were quite a team). Anyway, it was Halloween day, and I was working the lunch shift at the restaurant.
I get a frantic call from my roommate (nice guy, but absolutely clueless around the house), he was very upset, Elvis had chewed through the tube of paint, tracked it all over the house, and eaten most of it. My roommate had made the mistake of trying to wash off oil paint with water, and ended up "painting" the entire beagle green. By the time I got to him, he was mint green from head to toe, he stayed that way for a month (pooped green for a while too) But all of the "trick or treaters" that came to my door that halloween, were convinced that I'd dressed elvis up in costume. Laughing

Montana-Thanks!! I really do feel better now!

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Thanks Sofia!!

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Lord! A green beagle! More!

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Jerry you did absolutely the right thing and your vet was terrible - for goodness sake change your vet.

I had a bad experience with the first vet i went to with my cat years ago - i quickly changed and the one i go to now is realistic and good. They give the options. When Timmy was ill at the end of his life with kidney failure he needed blood tests that would cost £80 - they were very honest that these would probably only prove that he was terminal but that there was a slim chance that it could be a thyroid problem. No pressure at all. I had the tests, which sadly proved he was terminal and the thryoid was fine. i was given fair information and a choice.

With the kittens I am raising now they warned me clearly that there was nothing definite about being able to raise them but that they had a good chance (fingers crossed, all well so far, getting stronger and naughtier every day)

I loved the story of the green paint! what a pair of characters. Very Happy

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I travel quite a long way to go to my vet - sadly he is quite old, and not working much any more...sigh. He is straight and compassionate - and loves cats.

Why did you call Elvis Elvis, Jerry?

He weren't nuthin' but a hound dog?

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I'm sorry to hear about Elvis there Jerry. Losing a pet can be very painful.

I know a few other people that have run into similar issues with vets in this area lately. I'm not sure how wide-spread the problem is but...

I friend of mine found a growth on her dogs lower lip. They took teh dog to the vet and there were several tests run all proving inconclusive. The Vet suspected bone cancer in the jaw anyway and suggested surgery to remove the front half of the dog's lower jaw (which was done) to the tune of $3,000. When they brought the dog back for a check-up with the vet the next week it was suggested that the dog be sent to a vetinary oncology kennel for a month so she could undergo radiation treatments. The total cost for the radiation treatments was pegged in the $5,000 range and then they had kennel fees of $80/day on top of that. All of this on an assumption that the dog had cancer - they still don't know for sure!

My friend was stunned at the costs and refused the radiation treatments deciding that if the problems recurr she will have the dog put down. Her feelings on the vet casual comments about the procedures and the cost of them pretty much match yours. Many of them seem to have lost touch with reality.

In my own case I always look for a vet that still deals with farm animals (many of them in greater Boston don't! They only deal with pets.). Maybe it's just a perception on my part but they seem to have a better grasp on the realities of dealing with letting a sick animal go.

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Hard Decisions, coping with the loss of a pet.

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