Euthanasia and your pet

[Tyler]

Thanks all

[BeltlineFan]

There are also no-kill shelters in the city as an alternative to the humane society. My wife volunteers for AARCS and they are a good option if you're definitely looking to surrender your cat, they have a vet on staff so they'd probably figure out what is wrong with it before looking for someone to adopt it to. People are adopting lots of cats at the moment with the stay at home measures so now would actually be a really good time to surrender a cat to find a good new home.

On a related note, I have a temperamental cat who is also 10+. Our vet finally found out he is allergic to a mite that is found on all cats, so he's basically allergic to his own skin. He gets grumpy when it's dry outside and happier when it's humid.

[bigtmac19]

Usually a change in temperament in a cat that age is an indication of a health issue. The cat might be in pain.

[GordonBlue]

had to put one of our cats down (the black cat in the picture.)
happened on my birthday, too. It's never easy.

[Suzles]

So very sorry for your loss GordonBlue. Thank you for posting the picture. Looks like a real love bug. Take care

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[Erick Estrada]

Sorry to hear Gordon. I'm still getting over the passing of mine. It's weird to say but I probably spent more one on one time with my cat than even my wife over the last 18 years so it's a big adjustment as I'm so used to her being at my side in bed or sitting on the couch that there's this void.

[GordonBlue]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

Sorry to hear Gordon. I'm still getting over the passing of mine. It's weird to say but I probably spent more one on one time with my cat than even my wife over the last 18 years so it's a big adjustment as I'm so used to her being at my side in bed or sitting on the couch that there's this void.

I know what you mean. in the evening after my daughter goes to bed, the first thing he would always do was jump up on my lap, give me a few head butts and then lay down for a visit.
so odd to not have that. obviously my tuxedo cat really misses him too, and I think he's still looking around the house for him.

[bigtmac19]

So sorry for your loss. I love black cats. I miss my girl when I see pictures of them.

[CaptainYooh]

One of my two 14-yr old yorkie-poos had a heart murmur for a few years now, but managing well. It has gotten a lot worse suddenly two days ago, when he just stopped during a walk and didn't want to go any further. His breathing got really hard last night, so I took him to the hospital. Everything was so fast there. They took him from my arms at the door and then the vet called me explaining that my dog's lungs were full of liquid from congestive heart failure and that this disease would kill him in a few months anyway. So, my options were to keep the dog at the hospital for 2 days on medications and oxygen, so that his lungs can get cleared of liquid and the heart gets a little better. That's $3,000 to $4,000. Then, in a few days we can get a dog cardiologist do a cardiac ultrasound for $1,600 more to confirm the diagnosis. Then, if meds work, it would be about $200/month for pills. All that is assuming that he can manage on his own without oxygen going forward. But they can't assure that any of the above would work and they would need a large deposit to start... The other option was to euthanize him right away. Those two options, at 3 am with the vet waiting for me to choose... I called my wife and she started crying. We didn't even have a chance to say good-bye to him. So, I said go ahead and do what you can to save him. We'll worry about the money later... Didn't sleep at all, waiting for "that" call...

The vet called this morning saying that my dog is doing a little better and that he is alert and curious. Still too early to make any conclusions though, as they haven't taken him off oxygen yet. We are still freaking out that our little dog wouldn't be able to make it through this and that we would lose him and thousands of dollars to make it even more painful in these uncertain times. His brother is walking around the house and sniffing corners looking for him and looking at us.

If you have an experience going through something similar, please share...

[jayocal]

I had to put my best friend down yesterday afternoon. He was a 21 year cat named Bucca [BOO-KA.]

We have a vet come to our home and euthanize him on his bed. I wasn't strong enough to be home for this so I took my son to the park for an hour, before the vet arrived. My wife seems to be better equipped than me for these things although she is almost equally as devastated as me.

I've had Bucca pretty much my whole adult life. He's been with me through countless life experiences and has seen me grow into the person I am today.

His genes were second to none. The only time he has been to a vet was when he got neutered around a year old. He has never been sick other than the usual hairball and occasional puke.

He was an alpha male through and through. Although he was extremely kind to all humans, he always made sure he let other animals in his home know who's boss, big or small. Even to his final days!

He went deaf about 2-3 years ago but it didn't slow him down. Actually, I have a theory that he slept better while being deaf which possibly added some time to his health haha!

Unfortunately age catches up to us all and he started declining about 2 years ago. He got pretty skinny and you could tell he was a little stiff while walking. His routines and demeanor never changed though. He was the most consistent cat ever.

The vet told my wife that we picked the perfect time to make this decision for him. Although I know logically that we made the correct choice for him, it still doesn't help the excruciating pain that I feel right now. I don't even know if I can function properly at my job this week. I took today off.

I've had my eye on this thread for many years now but I could never bring myself to read it for more than a minute or two. Last night I read through a large percentage of it and it actually helped me cope with these runaway emotions.

I'd like to thank all that shared their experience in this thread in the past and I also hope that my sharing can help someone feel even a little better sometime in the future.

I'm going to leave some pictures of my best friend spanning 4 decades. (He was born in 1999.)

[bigtmac19]

I’m so very sorry for your loss. That is an amazing long life and of course you are devastated. You did the most loving thing for him. He was a beauty and knew he was loved.

[Suzles]

So very sorry for your loss. I loved the pictures you posted. Especially the old, wise face. He looked like he knew a LOT. Take time to grieve him as a family member. Talking about them always helps. Take care.

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[prarieboy]

Thanks for sharing your story. What a great long life you shared together.

I'm very sorry to hear about your loss. In time the pain will subside and you'll be left with nothing but memories of the great times you spent together.

[Otto-matic]

I'm so sorry to hear, its such a gut wrenching choice to make.

Its been close to 8 months for me and its still a raw emotion that rears its ugly face every now and then. If you ever need to reach out to someone and talk jayocal- my PM's are always open.

[WhiteTiger]

I'm sorry for your loss.

[Vena]

So sorry for you loss. My 19 year old cat passed in December. It was hard losing such a loyal friend.

Seeing pictures of Bucca brought a smile to my face. When Cleo passed, she was old, haggard, and cranky looking. Didn't matter to her. She was still the boss of everything.

I am so happy that Bucca had a great life.

[troutman]

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[habernac]

He's perfect, Jay. Tough to say goodbye, but what a terrifically long life he led!

[BloodFetish]

My condolences, Jay. Love the picture of the old guy on the back of the couch - that's a content cat if I've ever seen one.

I'm four years in with my two cats, and one day will be going through what you are now. I hope I can provide them as good a life as Bucca had.

[BowRiverBruinsRule]

My dog died yesterday. She was 16. The night before I knew she was having trouble. She has been in discomfort for a number of weeks but this was different, a lot of discomfort and crying. Then she became very peaceful and calm. The first time in many weeks. She was dyeing. She raised her head and looked me in the eye three times. Very searing. I carried her inside and laid her on her bed. I laid with her for an hour or so. I had to work at 5:00 am and when I got up she was still alive and in discomfort, but calm. I booked euthanasia for 9:30 am. I left work and came home and she had passed. Very sad. Now what. Took her to one of her walking spots. She had to wait in my car for an hour or two as I dug a grave. Luckily I had an an ax as lots of roots. Got down about four feet. I carried her from my car wrapped in one of her blankets. I put her in her final resting place with her blanket (she had no toys, she was weird that way). Said my good-byes. Kissed her. Threw the dirt I had dug out on her. Tough. Of course I brought a beer and sat on the ground and reminisced. She was a beast. Good thing is I have three other dogs. But, she was the one. Oh kissed the dirt as well. Good-bye K.