Siouxie

Understood, but couldn't they have asked the vet to come to the dog if the dog was physically unable to be taken?

I appreciate you did what you thought was the right thing to do under the circumstances, it just seems a little barbaric knowing the dog must have been aware of what was going on.

It can't have been easy for you, regardless.

caretaker

Not too bad, it needed doing and I'm not the one missing her - when I had to have my sister's cat put down a month ago in the Okanagan I was choked for a couple of weeks, but this isn't too bad.

Linguo1988

Agreed!

Almost Canadian

How many dogs are able to appreciate that they are going to be shot?

Why is it more "humane" to euthanize via injection by a vet rather that shoot an animal dead?

Novocastrian

Do you think palliative care physicians should shoot the terminally ill through the head rather than up their morphine dose to fatal levels?

Siouxie

Duh - by the gun in someone's hands pointing at it's head?

It's more humane because they just fall asleep and die rather than getting a bullet through their brain.

AllyS

I learned fairly recently that my paternal grandfather had been euthanized at his request by his family doctor. That happened 40 yrs ago now.

Almost Canadian

Is that permitted anywhere in the "civilized" world?

Are they any less dead?

I attended one of my dogs' deaths, the vet broke the needle which administered the substance after about 25% of it had been administered, and then struggled like hell to get another needle into the appropriate vein on another leg. The first amount of drug wasn't enough to either knock him out or put him to sleep, but was enough to cause him huge respiratory problems.

He fought like mad to live but it took him some considerable time to "fall asleep". Given the option, I would have put a bullet into his brain had I been able to do so while he was struggling to live.

Novocastrian

Let's get back to dogs, shall we? We have another thread for people with guns pointed at animals.

I still miss Geordie.

BTW, the cost of using a vet for putting pets to sleep came up tangentially earlier. I don't know what it cost for us (the OH put it on a credit card, which I pay off each month without really checking), but I was pleased when I got back from France that the vet we used had donated part of his fees (again I don't know how much) to the Guelph University Department of Animal Care.

There was a nice letter from the latter sympathizing for our loss and thanking us (?) for the donation in the pile of mail upon our return.

Nice touch.

scootb

A sad loss,I am on my 5th Border Collie now,had 3 as I grew up,then another when I left the parents,then when the kids rabbit died 3 years ago that gave me the excuse to get another Border Collie who we brought with us to Alberta.
My dog is more excited to see me after work than my 3 kids are!

caretaker

Sorry Novocastrian, I know you do so I've erased the long tirade I just spent a half hour writing. It would have been wasted anyway, even in all caps.

Novocastrian

ALL CAPS IS UNACCEPTABLE!!!!!

Cheers.

caretaker

If you want to know who loves you more, your dog or your wife, just lock them both in the trunk of the car for a few hours then open it up and you'll see who's glad to see you!

Novocastrian

acer rose

Crap. That happened sooner than we thought. Much sooner. Metastatic cancer. Bad form to bring reopen old threads and quote self but hoping to find something to soothe the soul here. Really feeling like crap.