One more dog was gone...

[muchogra]

She was 19. We had her since birth. Her parents were gone a few years back. I know it's inevitable as all living things return to earth.

I regret not treating her too nicely in the past year.

For the past 1.5 years since we moved to CM, she had been blind and got a tumor on her neck that couldn't be operated on, lost the agility of all 4 legs, and barked when she wanted to pee or poo or wanted to get flipped over for lying sored on one side. I got bothered by her loud bark and sometimes yelled at her. Only my wife had the patience and the heart to answer to her needs 24/7.

She had very healthy barks and never really seemed in pain for she ate healthily when my wife fed her. Putting her to sleep was out of the question every time my daughter and I entered such a conversation with my wife.

Now, she's gone and I feel pretty bad for not treating her better She even licked my hand and leg when she was completely immobalized. That's hard to forget!

I wished she could be gone before. Now that she did, I feel miserable.

Never again would I do something that I will regret and feel sad afterward. One must sacrifice a little comfort and hold the temperament, even with animals, in order not to feel the consequence afterward!

We'll bury her in the yard this morning!

[Thighlander]

I had a similar deliema with a former girlfriend about her 15 yo cat with leukemia that she had picked up as a stray at Tahoe. A lose/lose situation, with a bad ending.

[northernjohn]

I had a similar deliema with a former girlfriend about her 15 yo cat with leukemia that she had picked up as a stray at Tahoe. A lose/lose situation, with a bad ending.

I had a friend who put his dog down when it was obvious that he was in pain and could not even stand up.

It was the hardest decision he ever had to make. It got to the point where he loved the dog so much that he could no longer stand to see the dog in such pain so he had him put down.

He then had him cremated and placed in a special box. I have a brother who did not put his cat down but also had him cremated and put in a special box he built himself.

It is never easy when one becomes attached to their pets.

My condolences.

[sustento]

Here's Max

[rhythmworx]

Look at this as a lesson.

There is a lot to be learnt from your impatience.

I'm not throwing stones....just suggesting you make some time to reflect on the experience.

[FolkGuitar]

Often, losing a pet is harder than losing a human friend.

Keep in mind that a good dog loves you no matter what you do. They are THAT loyal. Don't let your guilt beat you up. The dog would never hold it against you.

I'm very sorry for your loss.

[ocean268]

Please don't feel miserable. Yes, you and your family will endure some emotional stress over the loss of your beloved pet. It's a normal feeling after loosing a family dog. Nineteen years is a a very long life for a dog. Congrats to you and your family for providing a wonderful life to your family dog. Now, focus on all the positive memories. Don't focus on the negatives. Make sure you and your family comfort each other and stay strong as a family. Good Luck!

from my iPad in Cha-Am

[ARISTIDE]

Reading this topic almost hurt me. I know how you feel, I was in the similar situation. As I get older I have much more compassion toward animals and now I love dogs more than I did a few years ago.

One must sacrifice a little comfort and hold the temperament, even with animals,

Edited April 5, 2014 by ARISTIDE

[Ulysses G.]

I know how you feel. We had a stray dog that would stay in our shop during the daytime for many years. We fed her and got a doctor to come see here when she needed it. All the neighbors loved her and fed her too.She died a few months ago during the very cold spell that we had. The last couple of days before she died, I stepped on her twice as it was dark and she was in places that I did not expect. I started yelling and screaming, because I was startled. She did not bark or move. She just laid there. The last night, she left the shop and died in the middle of the night. I tried to get her to stay inside, because it was so chilly, but I think that she was so used to leaving at night that she felt that she was supposed to. It still really makes me feel bad that I stepped on her and yelled like that and that she died cold and alone. I try not to think about it

[Thailand]

Dogs and cats become integral parts of families. Much like our children in many cases.

It is unlikely that the majority will outlive their children but the majority will outlive their pets.If they have become part of the family

then the loss of one or more is often devastating.

Over the years we have had 5 of our "doggy children" leave us. We had to make the hardest decision ever for two of them to remove their pain and suffering, some time ago now but still bringing tears to my eyes as I write and I am not exactly a softie!

[NancyL]

For many of us, our first (and often only) experience in assisting a beloved family member at the end of life is with a pet. End-of-life is a natural part of life; we're all going to have to experience it and most won't be prepared. Tears are welling up in my eyes reading this thread; it seems many have learned valuable lessons from experiences with elderly animals. The lessons of patience, consideration, thinking about someone besides yourself and planning ahead for how to care for someone when they can't take care of their needs,

As a child, our family pet was a large collie dog who lived to be 16. In her final months, she was much like muchogra's dog. My parents came from an era that believed pets shouldn't stay in the house, but my father had built a heated and airconditioned garage for her when she was 12 years old (he claimed it was for his comfort to work on the cars) In her final months, Dad slept on a cot in the garage, so he could hear her whimper to help her get up to toilet and he came home at lunch to help her -- he didn't work close to home, either. As a callous, self-centered 16 year old, I didn't understand why Dad was devoting so much time to that old dog. Now I regret not paying more attention to her in her final years. She was born the same day as me and we grew up together. As a toddler, she watched over my brother and me just like Lassie, keeping us out of many potentially dangerous situations, but as a teenager I had little use for her. Regret for one's actions is something we learn from our pets, too.

Edited April 6, 2014 by NancyL

[Ulysses G.]

That is a great story. My father was in the military and tried to appear tough sometimes. He used to be very dismissive of our animals in front of us children, but when he didn't know that we were watching, he was very kind to them. We used to laugh about it behind his back.

[circusman]

Not to sound harsh but it is wrong to keep a pet alive when it is past living a good life. You are selfish if you won't put it down.

[Ulysses G.]

Does that also apply to people? I wonder sometimes. There are a couple of old people in the neighborhood with alzheimer's disease who have not been able to do anything or take care of themselves for many, many years.

Having an animal that you love put to death would be a very difficult thing. I have considered it before, but the animal died before it was necessary.

Edited April 6, 2014 by Ulysses G.

[ARISTIDE]

Something that I will never understand, the animal can't speak and most the time don't want anyone to take it life regardless.

Not to sound harsh but it is wrong to keep a pet alive when it is past living a good life. You are selfish if you won't put it down.

[robertthebruce]

How Sad..

You gave her many many good years... she will always be in your heart..

I love animals, but when there time comes its so so heartbreaking...

All the best

Robert

[NancyL]

I think we all have to develop our own standards about when it's time to end the life of a pet. For me, it's when the pet stops eating. That can be a tricky criteria with cats and we've kept several elderly cats with poor kidney function alive for years by giving them subcutacious saline infusions twice weekly. Others would have given up, because the first sign of problem is that the cat stops eating.

Basically, you infuse about 300 ml of saline under the skin in the nape of the neck, the cat become rehydrated, the appetite perks up and the cat is normal for another 4 - 5 days. Surprisingly, elderly cats cooperate well with this, especially if it's done at home by two trusted, gentle people.

We had one cat on this regime for 5 years, she was blind, too. But, she found her way around our home without problem to her food and litter box, spent her days in her basket by the fire or in the sun by the windows, her evenings purring on my husband's lap and in general, seemed to be having a good life for a cat in her late teens/early twenties. But, we knew it was time to call the vet to the house (blessedly, he made house calls for the final vet visit) when she apparently lost her sense of smell and/or direction and wandered around the house bumping into things (including the dog, who never did like her) and stopped eating. The vet came to our home, she went quietly, without knowing anything was amiss. It was a Happy Ending.

Edited April 6, 2014 by NancyL

[Thighlander]

Not to sound harsh but it is wrong to keep a pet alive when it is past living a good life. You are selfish if you won't put it down.

and often it's people who don't take good care of themselves doing it. Kind of like the mommies, who love all the attention they get, when they have a very sick child or they have a baby....likely the biggest accomplishment of their lives.

[taotoo]

Not to sound harsh but it is wrong to keep a pet alive when it is past living a good life. You are selfish if you won't put it down.

and often it's people who don't take good care of themselves doing it. Kind of like the mommies, who love all the attention they get, when they have a very sick child or they have a baby....likely the biggest accomplishment of their lives.

In what way is it 'kind of like' that? Are you suggesting the OP is guilty of seeking attention or showing of his accomplishment? Confused.

[Thighlander]

I wouldn't know about his specific case, I was commenting about the other posters comment about selfish people keeping suffering animals alive, entirely too long. Seems like it is good company for the depression they are already afflicted with. Going all the way back to when I had to do collections for my Washington Post route; it seems like about 1 in 20 cat owners live in a home that doesn't smell bad, dog owners a little better due to the lack of liter box....the cat/dog obsessions are very costly and destructive, the cig smokers usually can't smell it, because their taste buds are so weak. The Thais are even more irresponsible.....it shows in their driving, too.

Edited April 6, 2014 by Thighlander

[beau thai]

Someone once told me that if you want to know who is your bestfriend, shut your wife/gf, and your dog in the trunk of your car and drive 5km.

See who is pleased to see you when you unlock the trunk....

[NancyL]

I think Hubby's cat and wife would have the same reaction to being locked in the trunk of his car and driven 5 km.

[John1012]

Not to sound harsh but it is wrong to keep a pet alive when it is past living a good life. You are selfish if you won't put it down.

Interesting take on euthanasia. I have 22 dogs left in my pack, I have not put any of them down, those that have died have died of natural causes. I help them through their pain and care for them when they are sick. One hopes that you adhere to your personal credo when you cease to have a 'good life', I doubt if you will be missed.

[fredge45]

Hoping that you make the opportunity to redeem your actions by adopting a wonderful friend from a shelter and giving that animal all of the love that you can.

Suggesting a visit to Care For Dogs. They are wonderful people and love their dogs.

[muchogra]

Thanks to all who have commented, given kind words, and especially those who have detailed their own experiences.

I realize it's a kind of selfish on my part to detail my personal encounter with my dog who was recently gone. Nevertheless, I believe that many posters and readers could understand that TV forum may be a venue to vent out joy, anger, as well as sorrow.

To some people, a dog is just an animal. True. But, to some, a living thing, particularly one who has been with you for
many many years, there's a bond and mutual compassion built between unless you are stone-cold who only looks at things from a materialistic point of view. My own BIL is one. The dogs and cats know too!

Lastly, to the one who may think we are selfish for just wanting to keep our dog breathing, I want to reiterate that never a moment we sensed her in tormented pain. She ate healthily and even bit my wife's hand a couple of times while feeding her. Her will to live was stronger than any human. It's only in the last few days before she was gone that she was eating less, but she wasn't moaning in pain.

What saddens me is that my wife told me she would probably not live too long and that she's like an old person who needed
help but couldn't speak except bark. She attended to her and was losing sleep herself, but I, on the contrary, did not do as
much as her and I even called her demonic for wearing us down. My wife told me she's the equivalent of a 92 years old person. I didn't think much then for her barking was so strong and healtthy. Now, I feel bad for being selfish to feel my privacy and peace was invaded!

[muchogra]

BTW, NancyL, your dad is a real man!