Putting down a pet

[WhiteLies.]

I've had this dog for around six years now. Earlier this year, we found out that she has an extremely enlarged heart due to a valve not working properly. Her chest and abdomen fills up with fluids, and we take her in to the vet every week or so to get it drained off. This is fairly expensive for the amount of times we've had to bring her in, but money isn't the point here (my parents and I both love this dog more than we love each other, haha). They said that they can tell she's in misery, and they want to put her down so she won't have to suffer. They want it to be a "mutual family decision," and since they've made up their minds about it, they're leaving it up to me.

What should I do? Part of me is selfish and wants to keep her around as long as possible, but the other part doesn't want to see her in pain. This is really huge for me...

I'm pretty sure anal is NOT the answer in this case.

[oneswiftmotion]

she's in pain, so let her be in peace.

Oh, and your considering her a lot more if you let her go b/c she's in pain. If you care about her, do the right thing. It's not selfish at all and such a hard decision. Hope it goes well.

[WhiteLies.]

Thanks.

[Stephen4220]

:drew:

[boysdontcry17]

have you read old yeller

[vixsummer]

i had to put my dog to sleep this summer. it was the hardest thing i've ever done, and i was the one in my family begging to wait as long as we could. i know how terrible this is for you. he was so sick though, eventually even i knew it was just time. you'll never be okay with deciding to put her down, but you'll be able to make peace with it knowing that she's not suffering anymore.

good luck, and im so sorry.

[thetrueblood]

if only anal could fix heart problems.

sad world.

[Hamlet]

if only anal could fix heart problems.

sad world.

Oh damn... inappropriate, and hilarious.

[johnh5304]

Kill it, get another dog, life goes on...

[Brianfarg]

It's sad, but the best choice seems to be to do it. Sorry.

[notoaststereo]

my cat died a few days ago. i had her for as long as i can remember, but she was so sick. it was probably for the best. it's even sadder though because my other cat cries at night because she's alone.

[Rock]

I've had this dog for around six years now. Earlier this year, we found out that she has an extremely enlarged heart due to a valve not working properly. Her chest and abdomen fills up with fluids, and we take her in to the vet every week or so to get it drained off. This is fairly expensive for the amount of times we've had to bring her in, but money isn't the point here (my parents and I both love this dog more than we love each other, haha). They said that they can tell she's in misery, and they want to put her down so she won't have to suffer. They want it to be a "mutual family decision," and since they've made up their minds about it, they're leaving it up to me.

What should I do? Part of me is selfish and wants to keep her around as long as possible, but the other part doesn't want to see her in pain. This is really huge for me...

I'm pretty sure anal is NOT the answer in this case.
My family had to put our beloved Golden Retriever of 11 or 12 years down a few years ago. It was really sad. He was having a lot of trouble breathing and we decided (I agreed with the decision) that we'd rather have him put to sleep than for him to have to be that way. Obviously, his condition wasn't going to improve or anything. It's about doing what's best for your pet.

[lauren<3s music]

Trust me I completely understand. i had to put down one of my horses who i had rescued and nursed back to health. it will be awful, but you owe it to your animals to not extend their suffering. if she's in a lot of pain and there is nothing that can be done to alleviate that, then know you made the best possible choice for her. good luck and im sorry.

[brentkid]

I've had this dog for around six years now. Earlier this year, we found out that she has an extremely enlarged heart due to a valve not working properly. Her chest and abdomen fills up with fluids, and we take her in to the vet every week or so to get it drained off. This is fairly expensive for the amount of times we've had to bring her in, but money isn't the point here (my parents and I both love this dog more than we love each other, haha). They said that they can tell she's in misery, and they want to put her down so she won't have to suffer. They want it to be a "mutual family decision," and since they've made up their minds about it, they're leaving it up to me.

What should I do? Part of me is selfish and wants to keep her around as long as possible, but the other part doesn't want to see her in pain. This is really huge for me...

I'm pretty sure anal is NOT the answer in this case.
I'm really so sorry to hear that. My oldest cat is 10 and he has an enlarged heart. He's not in pain but he's lost a lot of weight and we don't know how much longer he'll be sticking around for.

Honestly, if my pet were in pain, regardless of how much I loved them, I wouldn't want them to live like that. It hurts, I had to put my dog down when I was 10. They're family. You just have to get through it as a family and realize she's in a lot of pain.

[popdisaster00]

Yeah dude, I must echo what everyone else has said. Putting her down would be the right thing to do. I had to put my dog down 2 years ago...3 days after christmas. It was terrible man, but I promise you that it's for the better. I cried for a few days and the house was really quiet, but after a while you get over it, you realize it was for the best and if it didn't happen then, it would happen some other way some other time. It's life man, but I'm so sorry to hear it.

[odelay]

It's for the best. If you love the dog, you wouldn't want it in misery.
My dog was put down about 9 weeks ago. Even though my family and I loved that dog, it was obvious she couldn't live life like the way she was (She was blind, deaf, and diabetic. The blindness was the tipping point).
Even though it's going to hurt being without him/her, at least you'll have comfort in knowing they're not in pain anymore. That's what got me through the loss.

[PadraicPrincess]

I've had this dog for around six years now. Earlier this year, we found out that she has an extremely enlarged heart due to a valve not working properly. Her chest and abdomen fills up with fluids, and we take her in to the vet every week or so to get it drained off. This is fairly expensive for the amount of times we've had to bring her in, but money isn't the point here (my parents and I both love this dog more than we love each other, haha). They said that they can tell she's in misery, and they want to put her down so she won't have to suffer. They want it to be a "mutual family decision," and since they've made up their minds about it, they're leaving it up to me.

What should I do? Part of me is selfish and wants to keep her around as long as possible, but the other part doesn't want to see her in pain. This is really huge for me...

I'm pretty sure anal is NOT the answer in this case.

Yeah I put my dog down 2 summers ago because she had cancer and she couldn't stand anymore. It was one of the saddest, hardest things I have ever had to do, but I'm glad I did. I advise you to do it in a remote outdoor area, or one of the dog's favorite places so they are calm. If you can, get the vet to make a house call. Best wishes.

[WhiteLies.]

We finally decided to put her down yesterday. We could all tell that she was in real misery and couldn't get oxygen at that point (she started doing this horrible raspy panting during the night), so we went to an emergency vet clinic so they could give the injection.

This is her, if anyone cares.
http://a761.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/25/l_c621951652e20194d7b400382c245d40. jpg

[sdbrown]

Ugh, I'm getting teary just looking at that picture. I'm very sorry she passed but I think it's better you didn't force her to live in pain. It's so not fair- dogs should get a free pass for immortality.

[Hamlet]

It's like that part in I Am Legend. Damn.

[FF4889]

There's nothing worse than taking a pet to the vet and coming home without it. Other than taking your dog to the vet and coming home without it to see the Patriots win yet another fucking Superbowl. This has been my life story TWICE now, I fear for my pets lives when the Superbowl rolls around.

[jesjes]

WhiteLies, sorry to hear,,, i only joined the forum today so im a bit late but i think you made the right choice, seeing as she was in pain.
the picture is gorgeous, she looks so pretty.

i dunno, if anyones reading this, but some vets do house calls, where they come to your house instead of you taking your pet there. that might be easier on your pet, espcially for an old pet - if he/she is too old/arthritic to get in the car etc...

[Rock]

WhiteLies, sorry to hear,,, i only joined the forum today so im a bit late but i think you made the right choice, seeing as she was in pain.
the picture is gorgeous, she looks so pretty.

i dunno, if anyones reading this, but some vets do house calls, where they come to your house instead of you taking your pet there. that might be easier on your pet, espcially for an old pet - if he/she is too old/arthritic to get in the car etc...
Oh, you were only 3 months and 23 days late. You were pretty close.

[JimGray]

It sucks a bunch.

/thread

[Tyler Revolution]

I had a cat for 16 years, that we just had to put down about 5 or 6 months ago. About 4 years ago it became diabetic and we had to start giving it shots 2 times a day, but he was fine. Then about 6 months before we had to put him down he got a lump under his mouth. The vet said he might have an infection in his teeth and gave us some meds to give him. It never got better and it kept growing, and it turns out he had a tumor. Before too long he couldn't eat or drink very well. I wanted to do anything to keep him around, but really it wasn't fair to him, so we had him put down. It's awful, but it's better for the animal.

[Tyler Revolution]

Damn, didn't realize this was an older thread.