It' s been over a year

[Karen PT]

that Sasha has made it through...all starting off with a disc bulge in her neck- and ending up with a rare disease known as chlyothorax- now she is unable to reabsorb her proteins (from the secondary lymphangectasia) and she is swollen at least 2 times her size. Last night we came home and she was curled up on her pillow- shaking. She shook all night long- she wouldn't eat her treat (filled with medicine) - so she is really feeling bad. The question is where do we go from here? When do you know it is time? When do you know if she won't run and play anymore?
She is my first pet- I luv her soooo..... :(

[doxunzX3]

:pray: it is so hard when they are so sick and in pain. It is up to you to decide what her quality of life is. If it is time to take that final walk to the vets office or not. Only you can decide if she is in to much pain or if she isn't able to eat, drink, go potty, or have any kind of joy in life. Then you have to make the decison even though it is one of the hardest things to do for our pups. You will know in your heart that not only can you not watch them suffer but you want to give them peace and to be pain free.
If you are having trouble to make the decision on your own you might want your vets opinion. Sometimes just giving them drugs to withstand the pain isn't enough anymore.
My heart goes out to you! We have all gone through it with our beloved pets and know the pain involved. I will say a prayer for you and your Sasha :pray: sometimes when you look in there eyes they just say "I have had enough"

[lotsadox]

I'm so sorry about Sasha. I know this is one of the hardest things you'll ever have to do. You want to do what's best for them, but you don't want to deprive them of life. My judgement was usually when they didn't enjoy life anymore and were miserable. It was time. When Bandit was 16 and going into renal failure, I wondered if it was time. I was carrying her outside to potty. One day I sat her down on the grass and was standing there thinking about calling the vet when she sniffed the air, turned and looked at me and wagged her tail. I decided "Not yet". This is a very hard decision to make. If you trust your vet and feel you can really talk with him/her, I'd consult him/her. I'm fortunate to have gone to the same vet for over 15 years and I trust her and her judgement. She's been a great help to me in these situations. When Pebbles was so sick with liver problems, I asked her if she thought we should have her PTS, if she was going to be in pain. She said Pebbles wouldn't be in pain and that she thought I should just take her home and be with her. She told me I'd know when it was time. I did that and Pebbles died quietly a couple weeks later.

My heart goes out to you. Having lost 3 of my old dogs in the last 5 years, I sympathize with your situation. It's the hardest one you have to face. I have a 15 year old now that's starting to fail and I know that I"m going to be facing this again soon. My thoughts and prayers are with you. :hugs1: :hugs1: :hugs1: :hugs1:

Amazingly

[Juneysmom]

I would ask the vet if this was his/her dog, what would they do?

That's what I ask my vet about Cooler, and he was very blunt by telling me what type of pain was involved and what Cooler's prognosis was. He also said that while I had Cooler at home, that if he stopped playing, eating or drinking, then it would be time. The vet told me that at that time, Cooler would probably be gone within a month. As it was, when I changed Cooler's diet, he lived happily for another 7 months.

The last night that Cooler lived though, deep in my heart, I knew it was time. I even considered that maybe he would still be alright, but when I examined him, I realized that I couldn't let him continue this pain and possibly bleed to death.

When I got him to the vet, he too, was blunt and told me that it was time to let Cooler go. He said that he could try and stabilize Cooler, but the next crisis could be within a few days, and it would be far worse. I loved my Cooler too much to let him suffer, just because I didn't want to let him go. It is hard, oh so very hard. I still cry about it.

[dutchman]

Karen,

It's never an easy decision to make. Some vets will help guide you others feel it's a decision the owners should make on their own. Here is a link to a page at the Argus Institute at the CSU VTH that has some good general information http://www.argusinstitute.colostate.edu/coping.htm When I had to help Aggie on her way to the bridge it was obvious she wasn't going to make it. She had neurological complications from a multiple disk rupture and the following emergency surgery. Her body was failing her by the time we decided all treatments had been exhausted she was even having a difficult time breathing in an oxygen cabinet.

One thing to consider when/if you help them on their way to the bridge. IF you choose not to be in the rom when the injections is made you still should view the body after. It helps bring a closure and studies have shown that those who have a pet euthanized and don't choose to either be present durning the procedure or view the body afterwards lack a closure that is needed to help overcome their loss.

Keep us posted on how things are going use our shoulders to lean or cry on as needed. If the times comes and you make you decision but want to check with some of us who have faced the hard decision before you go in please post and we can tell you of our experiences and what if any thing we would do differently. Please also start thinking what you will do with Sasha once she is gone. The health laws in many areas prohibit backyard burials. If you can bring yourself to making such decisions before the big day comes it can help you prevent making a quick decision you might regret latter. For many cremation is a good choice since it then allows you more time to decide how to handle things but that doesn't mean it's the right choice for every one.

Good luck and like I said please keep us informed.

[Orchid Crazy]

I think it is a decision only you can decide. With me, it comes down to quality of life. Our animals depend on us and trust us to take care of them. They can't tell us their hurts, they can't tell us "hey mom, please let me go", we have the unfortunate hard task at times of deciding that. I have had lots of animals in my life and have put down 4 of the cats I have been owned by. I have never regretted it. It does make me sad and the loss was terrible. One of my cats was my best friend though some of the toughest times of my life and to say goodbye to her was heartwrenching. I never viewed the bodies, never collected the ashes, for me that would, I believe, be the memories I would take with me. For me, I chose to say my goodbyes at home and trust in my vet who I had known for years. I knew the technicians very well who were with my babies and trust that they knew they were loved as they closed their eyes. These same techs were with 2 of my cats when they went through week long treatments for kidney failure. They held them and took care of them at that point and again at a time when they also needed a loving hand. I trusted them to do something I could not. The one tech who held my Chester through his kidney treatment, sat us wiht him nights so he would be held while in the hospital, also held him while he went to sleep and then talked to me after about it. It was hard on her, I don't think I could have dealt with it.

With Phred, our last cat to leave us, she had mamory cancer. She had been hubby's cat when I met him, it was his decision when she went, but she had started to have nosebleeds, spots that wouldn't heal and we knew it was time. He took her, he held her, but he will not to this day speak of that day. I think that although he wanted to be with her, it was one of the hardest thing he had to do up to that time and it wasn't easy for him. It isn't an easy memory to have of her.

The only pet we ever had that I regret not putting down sooner was the first dog I owned. She was a great part of our family, spoiled rotten by my parents. She came down with bladder cancer and they couldn't do it. She had no quality of life at the end, in my opinion, she was no longer allowed to freely roam their house, she wore diapers because she bled. Her mind wasn't the same, I just didn't feel she was happy. It broke my heart but they couldn't say goodbye. I have never felt it was fair to Sarah, after she was so good to us for so many years, that we allowed her dignity to fall by the wayside because we couldn't say goodbye.

Only you can say, only you know Sasha. If she could speak to you, what do you think she would say? I guess I feel like you are leaning in one direction but afraid to make the step. Maybe I am wrong. It isn't an easy step to take, but sometimes we have to do the right thing and the right thing isn't always the easiest. Prayers go out to Sasha and also to you!

[TessieMom]

I am so sorry. It has been just about a year since Stinker left me. She made the decision before I had to, but I did talk to my vets about it all the time and was ready if I ever saw that she was suffering. Take care and know that we are here for you.

[Patt]

This is a very difficult time for you and I know how you feel. The only thing I can suggest is for you to take Sasha to her vet to see if there is something more you can do for her. My vet always tells me the most important thing to remember is the "quality of life". I usually let my vet make the decision as to when it is time for them to go to the bridge. Please know that my thoughts are with you and Sasha. :pray: :pray:

http://www.avma.org/careforanimals/animatedjourneys/goodbyefriend/goodbye.asp

[Kim H.]

I remember you posting about Sasha when she was first diagnosed... and I had just recently wondered how she was doing. It is a hard decision to make, to let them go. But please, don't feel like there is a concrete "right" or "wrong" time to help them along. Certainly, if the dog is in pain that cannot be alleviated... if it is unable to eat... if it doesn't recognize you... if you believe it is living more for your benefit than its own - those are good indicators. Of course your vet can be very helpful in telling you about other therapies and the dog's general prognosis. But ultimately, no one knows the "right" time. You have to remember that if you choose to help your dog to go, you are doing it out of love... and there is no way you can "fail" this test - no matter what "time" it is. The passing (injection) is not a painful experience for the dog, and she knows you love her.

As for viewing/keeping remains, I did not do this with my last boy when he died (on his own, while they were trying to resuscitate him) at the vet's. I said goodbye to my cocker in 1992 and left before the injection (although my mom stayed with her). Like Sandy said, I wanted my last memories to be of them alive... and I didn't want Shelly to be alarmed/scared when she was injected if she saw me upset. But I agree with Tom, many need more closure. Please check out his link for the Argus Institute (very helpful) and discuss your personal feeling with your vet re: being present, remains, etc.

Our thoughts are with you at this difficult time.

Kim

[Mark]

You've had a lot of good advice, we just wanted to ad our sincere prayers to the others. We are all right here for you.

[SirOliversMom]

A very difficult decision to have to make. You love her best and you are the only one able to make the right decision. Best of luck to you :hugs1: