Vet nursing really sucks some days. - Page 4

Whew.....whew.....whew. I feel sad for everyone! Hopefully I won't be the only male commenting but if I am then so be it. Can hardly see the keyboard through all the tears. I had Chow Chows in between having GSDs and they were with me for 17 years. Started out in New Mexico, then Germany, all over Europe, then Michigan (home), then ended uo in Maryland. They went everywhere with me. I had to PTS Sasha, the female in '94, and when I took her in I could barely walk down the hallway while carrying her to the room,  while in the room I just had to ask everyone to leave. And while laying there with her, holding, hugging and caressing her I was crying silver dollar size teardrops! Just couldn't belive it was happening let alone it had to happen. And while I did and said everything I could to comfort her and make her as calm as I could I was worried that she might have thought that I was doing this to her and that made the teardrops fall more. After picking myself up over the next days my male, Ky-lin died two weeks later. I believe of a broken heart. From day one I never seperated the two and that was one of my faults. So nonetheless it was a bad two week period. Lots of sleeve wiping! 

I will always have dogs. But man , a real heart tugger they are. You can vent to me.............I have felt your pain.

alboe, sorry but you brought tears to my eyes,

Believe me I have seen the biggest of men reduced to a sobbing heaving mess when they have to do the deed but what can we say. " I truly hope that if it was ME in pain, no quality of life, not of a sane mind, reduced to a being that is only alive with no hope, don't know what I am doing I REALLY HOPE THAT MY HUSBAND OR KIDS WOULD HELP ME OUT OF THIS WORLD AS WE CAN HELP OUR DOGS WITH DIGNITY AND PEACE

Thanks, my thoughts are all the times the dog was hurt, or in the unknown, even growing up, growing out of puppy stage always looking for/to "master". Having pups for the first time, (or second) looking for/to "master". Sick, not feeling well, looking for/to "master".  Now to be realy bad sick, knowing that something isn't right, someting is very wrong. Being scared, unknown feelings really looking for/to "master". I know it's hard for the owners but what's your baby thinking?

After picking myself up over the next days my male, Ky-lin died two weeks later. I believe of a broken heart.


You know, from personal observation, I believe that's possible. A friend of mine had three huskies: mom and her two kids. They let her have one litter, then spayed her and rehomed the pups except for a male and female which they kept as pets. They also trained them to pull a sled. The two pups were kept together, while mom was in a separate kennel.

All three dogs were getting up there in years. One day, the female collapsed. She'd been very ill as a pup, and had never been as strong as the other dogs. The vet said her kidneys were shot, and she would have to be euthanized.

The dogs were in an outdoor kennel, and NOBODY within earshot of my friend's house slept well that night. Her brother howled and howled. The next day, HE collapsed. The vet's verdict was he'd suffered a heart attack, and, given his age, the kindest thing to do would be to euthanize him as well.

Fortunately, mom was okay with losing her kids, and lived for several more years....

Alboe -- Reading your post made me cry  -- I could feel your pain.

Dogshome -- Your sentence "I REALLY HOPE THAT MY HUSBAND OR KIDS WOULD HELP ME OUT OF THIS WORLD AS WE CAN HELP OUR DOGS WITH DIGNITY AND PEACE"  was comforting to hear.   Thank you.

Please accept my thanks for all you do dogshome9, & all the other vet techs here & elsewhere, excepting 1 in California that used to own a GSD now known as Courage.

It is so hard when it is your loved ones turn, & God bless you for having compassion for the unwanted. When my kitty started having seizures at 17 years of age, I held her as her body went limp. I don't know if she knew my heart was breaking, but I was there for her. Others, including my own son, could not be 'there'.
It's nothing to be ashamed of. If you have been there for your animals when they needed you, given them a good life, supported them responcibly & loved them all their lives, & when the time came made the difficult decision & placed them in competant hands to be delivered from their pain, injury, or suffering, then you have been a good 'master' or 'mistress'.

There but for the Grace of God go I........

jackie harris

Wow, there have been a lot of really good posts here. I too have been a vet tech (horse and small animal) for 25 years. I have seen a lot of stuff that owner's will throw out at you. 

Euthanasia is always a hard thing. When you are easing and old friend out of his/her pain, you can feel ok.  When you are  taking a dog in emotional turmoil (in the case of an unadoptable dog due to dog/cat or other animal or human aggression) out  of their turmoil, you can feel ok. Convenience euthanasia is really hard.

There has been one time that I have aggreed with it. Many years ago we had a very good client and a very good friend who was a fine horse person. She taught countless young riders in our area. She was diagnosed with inoperable colon cancer and she decided to have her old (20+ years) school horses euthanised prior to her own death. Dr. O (my husband) and I went out and euthanised Alpo, Pedigree, Red, Chase, Digs, Camo, Snappy and Fred all in one day. She had all of their graves already dug and they were put down beside them. She wanted to be sure her old friends were taken care of, because she knew she wasn't going to be there to take care of them. It wa a very sad day. It was a very sad day when she passed away herself, she was a fine person.

Twenty years ago, those elderly horses would have wound up as dog food, and she knew it. No way for an old friend to die, that's for sure!

I wonder if that's why she named two of them "Pedigree" and "Alpo"? Maybe they were rescues?