That sucks, Meth. As hard as it is to have to put down an animal we love, I imagine none of us would give up owning pets to avoid that pain. They're worth it.
My condolences.
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That sucks, Meth. As hard as it is to have to put down an animal we love, I imagine none of us would give up owning pets to avoid that pain. They're worth it.
My condolences.
You did the right thing. One of my dogs had a stroke several years back and she couldn't really walk afterwards. Her attempts at walking were almost dragging her back half around. I found her laying in her own piss on the floor a couple times and could tell she thought she would be in trouble for going in the house, but she just didn't have control anymore. It always sucks, but sometimes you've just got to do what's best for them.Quote:
Originally Posted by Methais
"how were her bowel movements?"
Shitty.
That's what I keep trying to tell myself but I can't shake the guilt. He technically could walk at least most of the time, it was just a struggle for him, and sooner or later he would usually end up sitting down/lying down/falling over and he could almost never get to his feet on his own after this started. There were times I'd come home and he pissed/shit himself too, not because he didn't have control over it, but because he couldn't get to his feet. He got a lot of baths this year. There would also be times when I'd come home and he was on the floor struggling to get to his feet for who knows how long. It was heartbreaking because I was powerless to fix it other than picking him up and making him comfortable again. Always seemed like no matter how bad it got for him, if I picked him up and held him for a while he would tilt his head back and relax all peaceful like as if nothing was ever wrong, then usually fall asleep after a few minutes.Quote:
Originally Posted by subzero
If I didn't keep him up in the evenings, he would usually be up most/all of the night, which kept me up too, since he's eventually start whining/yelping for me to come help him because he wanted to walk around. It was a lot of really high maintenance stuff, but I would do it all over again in a heartbeat.
I just can't help but wonder if one of those dog wheelchairs would have restored some quality of life for him, because his only real issue was mobility.
He was a mess when I picked him up off the road almost exactly 3 years ago. Whoever his previous owner was either abused or more likely neglected him. He didn't seem malnourished, but his teeth were a wreck and he'd startle very easily but didn't act scared or anything, just kinda had this lost and confused look. The vet ended up removing 9 of his teeth because they were just rotting away, and lost 2 canines over the past year or 2. It never seemed to bother him though, he still ate like normal, just a bit slow, so i really have no idea what kind of life he had before I got him but it didn't seem like it was a good one. The vet estimated he was at least 10 or so when I first picked him up. I could tell he had back problems then too by the way he walked, but he could still run and hop around and stuff, it didn't get bad until earlier this year.
He probably would have died long before yesterday and had a shitty rest of his life if I hadn't picked him up. I keep trying to remind myself of that but nothing at all seems to help with the guilt, still questioning if there was more I could have done for him before making that decision.
The fact that he wasn't sick is what kills me the most. If he had some terminal illness or something it would have been a lot easier to swallow, and I've felt beyond horrible since yesterday. At least when my basset hound died last year, as hard as that was on me, it just happened and I didn't have to make the choice to put her to sleep.
Despite everything I just listed about his problems, I still feel like I jumped the gun.
Mexicans.
CDC Inspections.
House nearby with dogs had meatballs laced with rat poison thrown over their fence. The dogs survived because they didn't eat all of it.
Fucking sick assholes in the world.
Sorry man, that just sucks. Had to go through it twice with my Labs because I wasn't dumb enough the first time to not go through it again! I read your story and immediate remembered how I felt. And, of course, right as I had finally made the decision to put them down it seemed like they had made miraculous recoveries and were jumping around like they were puppies. I KNOW in the end it was for the best. Neither could move and had hip-dysplasia(sp) among a bunch of the things you listed above and the others posted. Plus, they were into their teens which varies for lab-sized dogs as far as length goes. Still, hardest and most questioned decision I have had in my life. Even my divorce was easier to get through question-wise.Quote:
Originally Posted by Methais
You did the right thing. End of Line. :)
Active shooter in California, reports of up to 20 victims.
Starting to lose track of who's who, there have been so many of them in the last few years.Quote:
Originally Posted by Fallen