Euthanasia - your personal experiences

I hope this thread doesn't upset anyone, but I'm currently looking at ways to improve how we (as individuals and as a practice) deal with euthanasia.

I'd be very interested if anyone would share their experiences, good or bad.

Did you have what was going to happen fully explained?

Were you rushed in any way?

If it was a small animal, were you offered the option of him/her being sedated first (via gas)?

Were you given option post euthanasia re burial/cremation etc.

Any thoughts/opinions would be greatly appreciated. I believe that we can always learn and can always improve and it's only by asking people who have gone through this difficult time that we can learn what people like/don't like, appreciate etc.

Many thanks.

Not rushed ever.

I always try and do it at home. We use pepperami sticks if the dog can eat still---if it is struggling we dip sticks in pate. Usually they stop eating about half way through the stick.

Always asked about the body. Always given time with the body for us and for other animals to come to terms with it a little.

One traumatic one with Bertie the brain damaged rat who took a long while to die and all three of us were upset. Never been offered gas but never asked for it either. Try not to take smalls to the vet as they get so stressed. They often die quietly at home unless I feel they are in pain.

Have asked questions after which have always been answered. One dog took a long while but her heart was giving up so blood slow to take drug round. One dog screamed which was upsetting but apparently can happen and is involuntry. Have seen larger animals kick after death for a while.

rune

Not been through it myself, but I like Patricia McConnell's idea* of the dog being PTS in the home and being allowed to spend some time with the body to grieve.

*The Other End Of The Leash

Max 9 years ago not rushed at all. All done very nicely we choose the vets. Plenty of time afterwards to be left on our own then let out the back way of the surgery. We were offered cremation pick up and drop off which we opted for.

Ollie 4 weeks ago the experience was although very heartbreaking done exceptionally well. His neurologist from the vet school offered to do the deed for us. She does no believe the front leg vein way of euthanizing and took him off while we were put in very nice room to wait. He had his back leg shaved and a catheter put in. We were then taken to a room where he was waiting on a lovely big blanket with the vet nurse having cuddles they went off and left us for about 15 minutes with him then the nurse brought chicken, sausage and ham for him and also made sure he had plenty to drink.

The actual euthanisiuation (sp) was done behind us and we had Ollie all to oursleves at the front. Nadia broke down afterwards as he had become very special to her.

Although it is something we all dread and would choose not to do this in my opinion was done very nicely and was very comforting given the choice I would go for this option again the catheter in the back leg.

We were given option of cremation and pick up drop off again which we took this time also.

I am afraid I am very pragmatic about euthanasia.

1 review quality of dog's life (that is THAT particular dog, not ANY, or another example etc) as only YOU as the owner understand when the time is right.

2 If in doubt (because you are too close and often you see the dog you BOUGHT rather than the dog NOW) ask a good friend for their opinion.

3 I believe that when a dog has died all that is left is the container so I am happy to have a dog PTS at vet or at home and taken away.

4 I also believe that the best place to bury a dog is in your heart, they stay with you there forever.

5 On a practical note, death is inevitable, if you are lucky you can plan how it goes, if you are not you cannot, so speak to vet practice on practical bits, eg time of day, if there is a separate room, exit and how to pay, this helps a lot.

Personally speaking i`ve always been the one to request my animals to be PTS.. which is always validated by my vet.

All my small animals.. ferrets, rats, hamsters and gerbils, have always been taken to the surgery for this to happen. With the ferrets they injected straight into the kidney.. no sedation... but they were all so poorly at that time.. there was no physical reaction.

My dog i requested a home visit as my old lad hated the vets. They shaved a little hair from his front leg and injected into the vein.. he was gone in a second.They took him back to the vets surgery and made arrangements for a cremation company to pick him up.. then drop of his remains to me.. which they did.

If the circumstances allow.. i would again call the vet to my home.. if and when the time comes that this needs to happen, with my remaining 3 dogs.

We have always had our PTS at home, ours are buried in the garden.

Luke our afghan who had a huge tumour in his chest was laying in the garden enjoying the sun, the vet put him down out there.

Our worst experience was when we had Caspar PTS it was early evening and our vets practise which had gone from being small and personal to a larger practise quoted from the Vets rules (can't remember the organisation) and refused to come out, we asked our farming neighbour which vet they use, the vet was very sympathetic and came out immediately, we have been with them ever since.

Fortunately we have had no bad experiences, luckily having worked in veterinary practices for over 21 years I know what takes place, how and why.
We've always been with ours at the time, I have had home PTS and in the clinic PTS, always been happy with how things have been handled and how tactful and sympathetic things have been done.

Ours are buried at home in the garden, but thats because of a personal choice with my own reasons.

When I've been lucky enough to know beforehand that it's imminent, then I'm always offered all the options about afterwards. When I've not been lucky enough to be in that position, I feel it might be beneficial to a lot of people to know all about things like this, either by leaflets in the surgery dotted about, or somehow or other, it's always best to be in the know at times like this when your whole world has crumbled and your brain is a mess. This is all part of dog ownership and has to be addressed no matter how distant you feel it might be.

I've always had my dogs pts at home, no matter what, and it's the only way we could deal with it, and thankfully, I've never been in a position where I've been in a vet's surgery to have this done with any of mine.

Yes, I like everything explained to me, and when the last lady vet called at our house one fateful night, armed with 3 massive syringes of whatever I had to ask her why there were so many Having already had the misfortune of being with the vet when I had half a ton of horse pts, I do know that he didn't have that many syringes ready She then explained the reasons, but I would have preferred her to have done that bit prior to getting them out if I'm honest. She did explain to me about the sedation and recommended it, to which I agreed. Other dogs didn't have that, they were suffering strokes, heart attacks, etc. That godawful smell too, there's nothing quite like that, it always brings it home to me.

My equine vet was extremely informative, but then he'd known me for 20 years and he knew what I'm like, so he explained everything in great detail beforehand, which I really appreciated. He even explained about the horse's eyes and what would happen, and how I was to leap out of the way at a certain point, for him to be able to gently lie my horse down gracefully, and it was all so beautiful, it really was, so much better than when I've had to watch my dogs, for me anyway.

Another thing that isn't explained beforehand are those massive sighs!!! They need to be explained, people in these situations panic (especially me!) and had I been informed beforehand, I would have dealt with them better, instead of having to ask why my dog was doing them!

It's always nice to have some kind words of comfort afterwards too. I greatly appreciated the words my vet offered when my dog finally went to sleep. The first thing she said was how lovely it was to see her eyes closed like that, and of course, I had to ask why? She then told me that it means she went gently and peacefully and was ready to go, and that was very comforting and good to know, so it was nice that she said that to me afterwards.

I once went with a friend into a vet's to have her much loved dog pts, and it was truly awful!!!! We laid her on the table with the blanket, and she started growling at the vet, so he told us that one of us should hold her muzzle and the other one was to hold her leg really tight! I've already done this before with a previous dog, so I opted for the leg, and I already knew how very important it was for me to keep that leg, tight and STILL, coz I would have been in grave danger had that needle come anywhere near me I only knew that because again, going back to the horse, the vet had explained all that to me, but this vet did NOT. Oh it was all so unemotional, so very clinical, and so very unlike the way I've always seen it here with my own animals This is all part of dog ownership, having to deal with the worst scenario imagineable, and the more information you have up front, can only help to lesten the trauma of it all.

I've only had one dog pts, the others have died naturally at home when their time came. My one experience was that it was as good as it could be given the circumstances. It was done at the surgery and we met the vet on site at 10pm. We were not rushed at all and I spoke to him and stroked his big head throughout. The vet was in no rush to get away and had a very sympathetic attitude. The dog was cremated and is coming with me when I go. All the others have died at home and been buried at home. I found neither way easier than the other tbh.
Wherever they rest, they are forever buried in my heart.