Euthanasia

[Joz]

I had my kitty, Little Bit, euthanized yesterday. We named her that because when she was brought to us, she could fit in the palm of one's hand. She was 12. I am sad, I miss her.

And now for the bitching.

My son took her to the vet, I couldn't. His father paid for it because if it weren't for him, I wouldn't have the cat. (& I'm not working momentarily)
Do you know what this cost? One hundred sixty-five dollars. I was shocked.
I tho't this was suppose to be merciful.

 

[HGROKIT]

I had my kitty, Little Bit, euthanized yesterday. We named her that because when she was brought to us, she could fit in the palm of one's hand. She was 12. I am sad, I miss her.

And now for the bitching.

My son took her to the vet, I couldn't. His father paid for it because if it weren't for him, I wouldn't have the cat. (& I'm not working momentarily)
Do you know what this cost? One hundred sixty-five dollars. I was shocked.
I tho't this was suppose to be merciful.

merciful for whom?

Had my cat put down almost two years ago. He was abandoned as a kitten well before he was weaned. Had to hand bottle feed him. Had him eight years. His name was spot, after Data's cat. He was a very cool cat but suffered from numerous mouth leisions that were cancerous. Steroid shots kept them away, but eventually destroyed his kidneys. Cost to have him put down, $75.00. Cost of all his surgeries and vet care over his life, several thousand. Cost of memories provided, priceless.

Sprry for your loss Joz.

 

[Joz]

I was being smart.

But at a time when the stress & grief level is as such when one has to make the decision to do this for their beloved pet, I should think that vets would not take advantage of a situation/individual. It is a necessary evil.

In my years as a pet owner, (which are quite a few) I've come across some vets, whom I tho't, were mean. I have my doubts about them as I do some regular MD's. It's for the money.....not because they have compassion.

 

[Moi]

I was being smart.

But at a time when the stress & grief level is as such when one has to make the decision to do this for their beloved pet, I should think that vets would not take advantage of a situation/individual. It is a necessary evil.

In my years as a pet owner, (which are quite a few) I've come across some vets, whom I tho't, were mean. I have my doubts about them as I do some regular MD's. It's for the money.....not because they have compassion.

It might not be the vets...states/localities may have fees that they have to charge. I grew up in the south and went to a very agriculture oriented college...one in which the regional multi-state vet school was located and my friends that pursued animal husbandry or vet degrees were always telling me about the intrusion of the state/local requirements into this process.

P.S. Very sorry about your cat; never easy to lose a pet!

 

[Joz]

I won't argue that point. Once again the government intrudes.

But, according to my son, the vet offered various prices. That just happened to be the cheapest. That doesn't make sense to me, a shot is a shot. Maybe the other prices included a casket/ burial, I don't know. Really didn't want to know at the time.

And thanks to you & Hgrokit.

 

[pegwinn]

Best Friends cannot be replaced.
I sent this to the Mayor of Honolulu when Dozer was put to sleep.
I am sorry for your loss.
Dear Sir,

On Mothers Day of either 1994, 95, or 96 we adopted an old dog from the Honolulu humane society. At the time we thought he was about seven years old or so. He was very skinny and had been abused we believe. The ladies at the shelter were very concerned that we might not keep Dozer. You see he was older, seven years, and we were military. They were afraid that we might be forced to abandon him as we moved away. It took two interviews that day, but in the end the concerned ladies relented and Dozer came home with us.

Eventually our Hawaiian time ended and the Marines sent us to California, then to Texas, then back to California, and finally back to Texas to retire. Thru this time Dozer was with us. He never did put on any weight. Many vets visits later determined no real problem, he just wasn't the type to eat much. As our grade school kids entered high school and college Dozer began to show the signs of being elderly. He slept more, and was a bit short tempered (but not violent) with our cats.

This past summer, we found an abandoned lab/mix puppy wandering the streets and took her in. She didn't eat and threw up a lot. ON the second day we took her to the vet and he said she had parvo. We could not afford hospitalization so we took her home after receiving a subcutaneous iv of fluid. The issue was in doubt for three days. But Bella survived. Part of her survival was that Dozer didn't leave her alone. He hovered about her like a concerned parent.

After her recovery, Bella repaid Dozer's kindness by being the child he never had. They played and roughhoused outside and made sure the family cats knew who was in charge inside. With Dozer's advancing age, we think Bella's affections helped him in some way.

Two weeks ago, Dozer took a turn for the worse and we decided that it was time to let him rest. We think he was somewhere between 12 and 14 years old and had been with us at least half of his life. He was never alone from the time we got him until his time to sleep. He was an adored member of the family by me and my wife, and our three kids. Everyone cried that day. Even the animals acted different. It was obvious that a member of our family was missing.

I wanted to let the kind ladies at the humane society know that they did a good thing by looking after Dozer until we adopted him. I wanted to thank them for their concern and care. And I wanted to let them to know that, as the story ended, the trust they showed by letting him come home with us was not misplaced. I tried to find an email or web address but couldn't. Could you please forward this to the Humane Society located on Waialae ave? Thank you so much.

very respectfully,

MSgt Phil Gwinn USMC/Ret
KBay Marines 92-97

 

[Joz]

Well, there you went & did it. Now, I'm crying again.

I, too, am sorry for your loss. People who have never opened their hearts to an animal do not understand what it is like to have these pets, actually become part of the family. It is a true loss & genuine grief.

Bit was sometimes a bitch but she came thru when I needed her. Charlie was outside, but came by before Bit was taken. Charlie is the cat that my deceased son claimed from a litter. Charlie stayed with me all afternoon. He knew. In fact, Bit knew it was time. She wasn't well, was weak, and resigned herself to the fact.

 

[krisy]

Well, there you went & did it. Now, I'm crying again.

I, too, am sorry for your loss. People who have never opened their hearts to an animal do not understand what it is like to have these pets, actually become part of the family. It is a true loss & genuine grief.

Bit was sometimes a bitch but she came thru when I needed her. Charlie was outside, but came by before Bit was taken. Charlie is the cat that my deceased son claimed from a litter. Charlie stayed with me all afternoon. He knew. In fact, Bit knew it was time. She wasn't well, was weak, and resigned herself to the fact.

I think animals,dogs and cats in particular can be the best healing therapy in the world. They are always there,never talk back and give you unconditional love. I am so sorry for your loss. Losing a pet can be so hard. Keep your chin up babe!

 

[Merlin1047]

My sincerest condolences and sympathy to all of you who lost a furry family member.

My wife and I have had one or two dogs throughout most of our 33 years of married life. Without exception, we loved every one and grieved at their loss. But one dog of all those who have been a part of our family was the most special of all. She was a miniature schnauzer whom I named Spook. After a bit of a rocky start, she and I developed a special bond. When I came home from work, she would meet me at the fence and launch herself straight up high enough to clear a four foot fence. As soon as I opened the gate she would jump up into my arms. I could ask her for a hug and she would put both front feet around my neck. She was obedient, although the very few spankings I gave her consisted of one mild swat on the rump. She was intelligent and fun loving.

At age six, our vet diagnosed her as having a heart murmur. Spook lived to be twelve years old before her heart could not sustain her any longer despite the diuretics and medication. Finally, I had to face the fact that it was cruel to keep her alive. I took her to our vet and he concurred that my decision was past due. He kept fidgeting and delaying and finally I figured out that he expected me to leave. I refused. I told him that Spook's last moments would not be with strangers. He administered shots. Spook laid her head down as I petted her and the light in her eyes went out. I felt her last heartbeat. To this day the memory still brings tears to my eyes.

Despite the grief of loss, I shall be forever grateful for the joy that little furry critter brought to my life. I still cherish her memory and I'm happy to have been priveliged to have been owned by her.

 

[Joz]

Thank you for the stories. As hard as they are to hear, I know they're even harder to relay.

A couple of the cats refuse to come inside, now. Psycho just sits in the doorway. Sarge, the old stray, is real spooked. I managed to get him thru the door today, but he wouldn't move his feet 'til I left him back out. Wish they could tell me.

When I had my very first cat euthanized one of the other cats had to be also, 6 weeks later. I think it affected him that badly. Maybe that's why the others are acting weird. Self preservation.

 

[Mother Moonie]

We had a poodle for almost 9 years named Teddy Bear. We had him since the day he was born. He was born with special needs and his mom didn't even want to nurse him, but we insisted. He turned out to be the sweetest dog we ever owned, even tho he had a lot of problems. We never gave him away because we never wanted anyone to mistreat or abuse him.

He started to have a lot of problems lately, and the vet said that it would be very expensive to treat. Plus, he was losing his ability to hold his bowels. So, we decided it was time. We did it last Friday... it was hard to do, but he is not suffering anymore... I really miss my Baby Bear...

I thought the sweetest thing last Saturday was when I watched Sandy's youngest son, who is 4, at my house. We had just lost our Grandmother about a month ago. He asked where Teddy Bear was, and I told him that he had died and gone to Heaven. He said, "Oh, Teddy Bear is Grandmother's dog now?" I said yes, he is. They are taking good care of each other...

 

[Joz]

We had a poodle for almost 9 years named Teddy Bear. .... We did it last Friday... it was hard to do, but he is not suffering anymore... I really miss my Baby Bear... They are taking good care of each other...

So sorry to hear about your Teddy Bear. As I said before, there are alot of people who don't understand that there is true grief & loss with a pet.

 

[Comrade]

Why is it that we Americans worry so much about the youth in Asia?

:happy2:

 

[Joz]

Why is it that we Americans worry so much about the youth in Asia?

:happy2:

Smart ass.

 

[Merlin1047]

Why is it that we Americans worry so much about the youth in Asia?

:happy2:

I'm embarrassed to admit that it took me a few moments of head scratching to figure this out.

Allow me to echo Joz's sentiments and add one of my own:


:teeth:

Actually, that was pretty good.

 

[manu1959]

this reminds my off all my pets as a child....i was never lucky enough to have a pet live long enough to be "put down"

my first collie i named lassie was fiercly protective of me and one day attacked my father for spanking me....he was "sold to a farmer"

my next two dogs were snoopy and schroder....the bullies in my neighborhhod made the mistake of picking on me one day .... they were both sold to the farmer as well

we moved on to cats....i recived to beautiful kittens .... i came home from vaction to find them slaughtered on the front porch by the neighborhood german shepherd

my son has goldfish

 

[sitarro]

Joz ,
I'm sorry for your loss , I too have gone through this many times . You should be comforted in knowing that what you did is the most unselfish and loving thing you can do for your friend . A dog knows when he is no longer a dog and a cat certainly knows it too , they just can't communicate that to us . It is also one of the hardest things I have ever done as I am sure it was for you.
Merlin , your skill with the use of words has been made evident again with your post . You helped me remember my love for all of my pet pals over the years and the huge amount of wonderful memories each were responsible for . I remembered birds , fish , turtles , dogs , cats , a white rabbit and even a number of frogs .My three Afghans were with me for over 14 years each , I had a cat that was sixteen when she was bit by a copperhead and died , I miss them all . Thanks bud .
Mother Moonie and pegwinn , great and heartwarming stories also, sorry for your losses.