Euthanasia gone bad - Page 2

I am so sorry for anyone who has had a bad experience with Euthanizing they pet.  When it was time for my first GSD to go to the Bridge at 13 1/2 years, I made arrangements for the Vet to come to my house.  My boy and I had a wonderful last day, the Vet came I went outside to sign the papers and have a bit of a cry.  The Vet asked me If I could do this without upsetting my dog, I said yep just give me this minute.  We went inside, I goy my guy comfortable on his couch he layed on all day.  The Vet gave him a major sediation shot.  We switched legs, so he could have a fresh vein, my guy was sleeping by then, gave the final shot, talked to him and held him for 5 mins.

A year and a half later it was time to let my horse go.  My horse Vet came out and she was kind of a wreck.  I asked her what was wrong and she told me she did a favor for a friend and Euthanized her dog and it went horribly horribly bad.  So she was really afraid of causing our Pixie to be stressed.  We talked about options and opted for enough sediation to almost kill her before giving the final shot.  Thankfully all went well for Pixie, my hubby and the Vet.  I couldn't be there as Pixie and I would sometimes have a bad time and I didn't want to stress her.

 

I'm so sorry this happened to you. I felt sick to my stomach just reading it. This was not YOUR fault. You did what you could for your beloved pet. We've all made mistakes that we blame ourselves for, but this could not have been foreseen by you.

You have given good advice that I will remember when the time comes, thank you for that. I have an 18 yr old cat that I have been sure has been on her way our for the past 5 years, but she still surprises us. I keep hoping that I'll come home one day and find her passed away, curled up by the fireplace... sorry for the melodrama.

Are there vets who will come to your home to do the euth? I think that would be best for me.

Hugs to you, seaecho.

Just a small FYI.  It is also useful to let the vet know if you are familiar at all with how your dog processes anesthetics as that can play a huge role in the process.  I had a bitch who was a very fast processor. For example for her hip xrays they had to give her twic the dose for her size just to get her under and she was out of it almost before they could finish the xray. When the end time came thank goodness I had a vet who would come to your house. We did the sedation route, she softlly snored off and then he put in the other drug - and she snored louded. 2nd dose - and she snored peacefully on. Giving her time, we sat there with me next to her having a discussion about the phenmona(sp). This vet said when he was younger and would hear stories about animals "resistant" to anesthesia or "fast Processor' etc he always thought the vet giving it was an incompetent fool and obviously missed the vein or somehow screwed up - until he ran into a young colt one day. They had to temporarily put him under for something - gave him the shot and the horse stands there looking at him. After awhile goes back to the truck for another shot - same result. Third time decides to try different drug - meanwhile horses owner who was a nurse watching all this says - at what point will he just drop dead(wh/ was NOT their goal).  Finally the 3rd shot got him under just long enough for them to do what needed to be done. After that my vet said he learned to listen to his clients.  With my bitch initially the 3rd dose just seemed to be more of the same good snooze forcing us to contemplate other measures - which I was adamant NOT to use (needle straight into the heart). Again thank god the vet was willing to be patient and take his time and not be in a hurry to get someplace else and eventually we achieved a dose that worked.  The ironic thing is her mom and her son were very very slow processors of sedation and anesthiasia. Took a long time to work and even longer(days) to wear off.

Seaecho sorry for the experience and bad memory. She knew you were there and I'm sure that comforted her.

Seaecho, What a horrific experience for you, I am so sorry you are tormented by the visions of a day that should NOT have been terrifying for you or your pet.... What State do you live in ??? Most states completely STOPPED using the Cardio Arrest and Respiratory Arrest drugs Years ago, I know in Oregon the ONLY legal drug for Euth is SP. Much kinder and has NO effect on Heart or Lungs, It renders the animal unconscious and they just drift away... It does not "stop" the heart or resp. it just allows everything to "go to sleep" The animal is completely UNaware of what is happening, I have even seen the REM sleep in some animals. It's a tough decision you made to let your old girl go before she came to suffer, I admire you for making the decisions you did keeping your dog in the forefront... Please don't beat yourself up over this, I also commend you for you have done a good thing here by letting others know to "Request" anestesia BEFORE euthanasia....

I want to thank everyone so much for your words of comfort. And you know something -- it really DID help me to read your comments, and have some "shoulders" to cry on, especially people who care so deeply for pets, and understand my pain at seeing my dog in pain and distress right at the time when I most wanted her to know nothing but peace, tranqility and safety, knowing I was at her side. Echo, I am in California. I am not sure of the drug that was used, as I was majorly stressed at just having to do this, and I know I should have asked, but I simply was not in a clear state of mind. The main problem, I think, is that they had trouble keeping a vein, as she was a very strong dog, even in old age, and kept jerking. I did not help much to keep her still, as I was frankly just not able to. I was ready to run out of that room, and very nearly did that, had my husband not been there, holding and petting Penny's head, talking to her and trying to comfort her. Poor guy, he'd never been present at a euth, and assuming it would go easily as most do, I had not warned him of any possible complications. To say it was distressing to him would be an understatement. I could not believe his strength, as he loved that dog with all his heart. But he stayed there and stuck it out with her even when things went wrong, and I have to give him an enormous amount of credit for that. I would have been even worse off with the memories if I HAD run out of the room. I had to be strong for her, as my husband was. And no, policemom, it isn't different for cats. Most euths on both cats and dogs go smoothly. My Penny just happened to be one of the unlucky ones. The compassion I see here on this board in this situation is phenomenal, and despite controversy on some other subjects, this just goes to show that we DO all have the one most important thing in common - our eternal love for our pets. And that keeps us united. We are all unique, with our sometimes vastly different opinions, but every one of us is the same when it comes to our beloved animals. So we are not so very different after all! Thank you everyone, for your understanding. Non pet lovers just don't get our passion. But I knew I could come here for comfort. I have checked into the brainsync tapes as recommended by a PM, and thank you for the suggestion! I am definitely going to buy one or two. And please. . . when it comes time for your beloved, faithful friend to leave this earth, don't forget this thread! Do everything you can to ensure its done the right way. Your pet will be eternally grateful.