911 - please help fast

its cases like this that make it seem like being a man is harder than being a woman.
people want to assume men dont have the same amount of emotions as women, but its not true. they just dont SHOW them the same way a woman does.
it was hard enough for me to tell the vet over the phone to go ahead and put my cat to sleep. my husband had to do it for me because i couldnt stop crying.

ORIGINAL: Sham85

Dunno if it helps any but a well placed bullet is actually considered to be the most humane and painless way to put down an animal.  I've talked to a few vet techs that watched the brain waves of animals being put down chemically.  While the body dies and the animal does not seem to react brain function spikes the same as if the animal were panicking.  Even though we cannot see it they appear to be aware they are dying when you use chemical means.  With a bullet the brain is instantly destroyed.  I know many people who say they would rather call the vet out to put their livestock down with a well aimed bullet than with chemical euthanasia.  It may be more traumatic to the people involved but it's better for the animal and when you live out in the middle of nowhere you have to be prepared for the possibility.

you know that makes sense!! i mean think about it. have you ever been sedated before surgery? i have been, three times in my life, and that heavy feeling in your chest when your breathing slows down, just before you pass out, is frightening! i imagine that animals feel that same heaviness as their body slowly shuts down.
its scary and sad to think that the supposedly most humane way by injection is probably the scariest and most uncomfortable for our beloved pets!
but you dont know how right you are when you said "well placed bullet".. if it ISNT well placed then you've possibly made matters worse..
i have had to put wild animals out of their misery before, but never a pet or anything domesticated. not sure i could do it... well.. if i HAD to i would. but i would feel like crud for doing it.

That is the trick.  A bolt gun like they use in slaughter houses does lessen mistakes a little compared to a regular gun with bullets but the person using the gun needs to know where to aim it and take their time to do it right.  Which is why in my horse health class the vet actually taught us where to put a gun and at what angle to humanely put down a severely injured horse.  Like I said in the middle of nowhere it's always a possibility you have to be prepared for and I nearly had to do it once when a horse escaped and got hit by a truck in the middle of the night.

My vet and I have talked of this extensively because in the past couple of years we've had to have two of our truly beloved 'old timers' put to sleep.  Dr B always advises people to give valium *first* before the euthanasia drug because vets have experienced (and this is why sometimes they don't like people to be 'with' their animal during this) that an animal can panick and struggle against the euthanasia drug which simply stops the heart.  A sedative like valium puts the dog to sleep first and then the euthanasia drug can be administered any time thereafter.
 
Now with Foxy, my oldest guy, I had talked about this for a long time with him.  I told him to 'tell me' when he was 'done' and I'd have Dr. B give him a shot to just let him sleep and THEN we'd send him over the Bridge to meet Muffin, et al.  Foxy had been sedated many times in his life (dentals, surgeries, etc. -- he was 19) and that didn't scare him at all. 
 
Dr. B had warned me that sometimes dogs vocalize, etc. when just given the euth drug.  It would have to be a scarey feeling with that alone.  And I think the circumstances often alter the whole thing.  The blessing is that this poor baby really didn't recover consciousness early.
 
 

Thank you all so much for being so kind. We really appreciate it.

ORIGINAL: calliecritturs

My vet and I have talked of this extensively because in the past couple of years we've had to have two of our truly beloved 'old timers' put to sleep.  Dr B always advises people to give valium *first* before the euthanasia drug because vets have experienced (and this is why sometimes they don't like people to be 'with' their animal during this) that an animal can panick and struggle against the euthanasia drug which simply stops the heart.  A sedative like valium puts the dog to sleep first and then the euthanasia drug can be administered any time thereafter.

I'm really glad that you and Sham addressed this issue. I had NO idea that even as the animal was slipping away that they could be panicking.[] I will never have an animal put to sleep again without giving them Valium first. Thank you so much for that info.

i agree Tamara, its probably something a LOT of people dont even realise when they think of "humanely" euthing a beloved pet.
i certainly would never have considered valium first!
i have only had to have one pet euthed by a vet, but the cat was already asleep so the vet could examine him and do x-rays.
thats the ONLY comfort i have about my decision to put him to sleep.

I am really very sorry to hear this. My heart breaks for you, your family, and the pups involved. You did what was best considering the situation, and though it was difficult, that little pup has found peace.

Run free.

We just got home a little while ago and I thought I'd check in.This is so sad,but you did the best you could and the dog is at peace.By the time I got done reading this,I was sick reading about all these horrible accidents.I hope I never have to go through what you just did,but again,you did the best you could.God bless you.

ORIGINAL: DumDog

i agree Tamara, its probably something a LOT of people dont even realise when they think of "humanely" euthing a beloved pet.
i certainly would never have considered valium first!
i have only had to have one pet euthed by a vet, but the cat was already asleep so the vet could examine him and do x-rays.
thats the ONLY comfort i have about my decision to put him to sleep.

I've only had to put 3 animals to sleep, my Persian cat, a hampster and a hedgehog. My Persian, Blitzen was REALLY sick with heart and liver disease (among other congenital issues), so he was in a lot of pain and very near the end already. He was my best friend.... my heart and soul even. I held him really close and petted him while he was put to sleep. Even after it was done I couldn't bring myself to leave the room. (Part of the tragedy is that he was just a few weeks away from only his 2nd birthday) I just petted his fur and tucked him in with a towel. I finally had to leave and it just about killed me to leave him there. [] I had him cremated so that I can take me with him wherever I go. That was 2003 and I'm crying as I write this post because is brought back so many memories. [] Anyway, I'm sorry to have hijacked the thread.

Oh gosh, I am just getting to this thread now, but am so sorry for you and your family. Sending big hugs!

Thank you so much everyone. 
 
As for the euth, my vet has always put my pets out completely before pushing the meds to stop the heart.  The very first dog I ever had did it that way - said it was so much easier on them.  He was outrageously over-priced, and worth every single penny. 
 
When the money became an issue and I had to have my next put down, I spoke with my new vet first and insisted he do it the same way.  After putting that one down my vet switched to doing it the same way for every single pet he did. 
 
Unfortunately before my husband and I began dating he had a cat that had cancer for some time.  When the treatments no longer worked he had to have it put down.  He then had an elderly bassett that ate a rock and he had to have emergency surgery.  By the time they got her home, within a couple days it was obvious she wasn't going to pull through and he had to have her put down.  His vet didn't do the euth the same way.  He said both of his had very violent seizures during the process and he was totally traumatized.  Within a year of dating I had to have my mastiff put down.  He was so upset and didn't want to have to be witness to something so terrifying again, but he went to support me.  He was shocked at the difference and how peacefully she went.  It's given him a totally new outlook on euthanasia.  As hard as it is to lose one, he can't imagine going the route his previous vet took. 
 
Anyway, hubby is still having a rough time.  He's bonded very tightly to the female puppy we have, the other puppy's sister we believe.  He refuses to let her out of his sight, even keeping her in bed with him and the chis, and the rat terrier and my cocker.  It's quite the full bed while I'm at work.  I keep reminding him that she is going to a new home as soon as she's spayed and housebroken and he needs to keep that in mind.  He falls so in love with all animals so quickly. Even the ones that he tries to care for without falling in love with he has a hard time adopting out.  The GP we just adopted out went to a phenomenal home that was beyond perfect for him and hubby nearly cried all the way home.  I've never met such a huge guy that was all macho - testosterone overload and such a softie on the inside.  The man continues to amaze me daily.
 
As for the little puppy we have, Penny, she's doing better.  She's finally playing again and harassing all the other dogs, much to their dismay!  She's still afraid to be outside.  Our house sits a good distance from the road, but when I took her out this AM she freaked when the tractor went by to mow the grass on the sides of the road.  She was jumping and pulling on the leash really hard.  Had to sit on the patio and put her in my lap to settle her down.  Took a few minutes but she did eventually relax.    It'll take some time I'm sure, but she'll be okay.  She's so adorable and playful and cute.  I just know we'll get her through it and she's going to find a perfect home and be completely spoiled. 
 
Again everyone, thank you so much for being there in the middle of the night when I needed someone.  I know everyone here has families, careers, and pets of their own, not to mention life-crisises that everyone goes through from time to time.  That you would give that all up, even if only for a few minutes, to be there for us truly meant so much.  Little Freddy will be terribly missed.  But I'm so glad I pulled him from the road that day.  Had he not run in front of me I never would have seen Penny and they both probably would have wound up casualties on a 4 lane highway all alone, never knowing what it feels like to have a person hold you and love you and give you fresh food and water daily.  That alone brings me some comfort. 

Sorry to be late posting this - it broke my heart completely when I read what happened - that little boy was adorable and I could not get his face out of my head.  I can't imagine how hard it was on all of you. 
 
I'm glad the little girl pup is doing better - try to focus on the life you are giving her instead of the one so abruptly lost.
 
Wishing you comfort and peace for the dear little puppy boy.

ORIGINAL: Dog_ma
One of the hardest acts of love and compassion is ending an animal's suffering through death.

 
Well said...so true.
 
I am so sorry for the tragic situation you and your family endured.  You did the right thing, as hard as it was.  I completely understand.  My husband and I had to end the suffering of a cat a few years back.  This stray cat (who we named SkinnyCat) decided that she fell in love with my husband...and the feeling was mutual.  For about a week,  he would feed her and we were considering taking her in and integrating her with the other 3.
 
Until, one day our labrador got a hold of her.  He walked right by our bay window proudly displaying his catch.  OMG, my heart sunk.  We immediately ran outside, made the dog drop the cat then kenneled the dogs.  He didn't kill the cat, but it was obvious there was no hope for her.
 
After much thought and discussion, we decided to get the gun.  My husband did the deed, but it was the hardest thing he has ever done in his life.  He was affected deeply.  To this day, I commit to him (silently) that if we ever find ourselves in that kind of situation, I will do it.  It tore me up inside knowing how it affected him.  Like I said before, he fell in love with the cat.  I should have done it for him.  I will next time. 
 
My heart goes out to you and your husband.  Time heals.