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Did we make a good decision to euthanize our dog?
I feel like we made the right decision, yet then again, I have regret. Here was the situation:
Our English Springer Spaniel was a pretty healthy dog, but she started to decline rapidly around October.
She was well taken care of: always supplied with fresh water, food, and periodic checkups.
Before declining, she weighed around 36 lbs, mid December, she was 28lbs
On December 16, she stopped eating, and we slowly switched her to wet food. She liked it for a while, but on December 23rd, she stopped eating again.
I tried giving her cheese, she took it in her mouth, and spat it out. Later that night, she feel (she was trying to get a drink from the toilet. That was her first drink of water in more than 12 hours). She would get up, sniff in the air, and sit down, center room, and just stare (like she was confused).
Christmas Day, she fell again, and was looking very confused. She hadn't drank any water since the night she fell.
This is now close to 48 hours without good hydration.
My family all knew it was probably time. We were leaving town the night day and because she had a nervous personality already (because even when she was healthy, she would not normally eat when we left town).
We didn't want her to suffer. We would be gone for 5 days. We also didnt want our neighbor who was taking care of her to find her. She was 13 YO, and had arthritis.
She had a strange burst of energy right before we put her down, which made it even sadder.
Was it time? I have regret..
She stopped enjoying the things she used to love doing. She played with tennis balls all her life, and would find them in my friends house. She ignored tennis balls during her last week, like she could care less. I loved her so much, but like I said, was hardly eating or drinking. Since we were about to leave town for 5 days (Im sure she would continue to not eat) I assumed she would not make it until we returned home. I just hope we made the right decision..
It was a mutual family decision. I wanted her to live longer, but I didn't want to be selfish and keep her living when she was suffering. Like I said, she had not been drinking, and would probably not eat and drink when we left town. Im not sure how long a dog can live without water, but I'm positive 7 days without water is impossible. That's what drove my opinion to have it done. I did not want her to suffer and die alone while we were out of town (or have the neighbor find her).
8 Answers
- 5 years agoFavorite Answer
I feel from what you've said is yes, Sounds like your dog had a lot of mental issues and maybe a few (or more) Seizures, 13 years old is a very long time and your dog was a elder and as l long as you loved her and took care of her and made sure she knew you loved her then yes.
We put our dog down a while ago, She was 15 and she had cancer, An eye infection and couldn't walk very much. She was in so much pain but did not want to leave. We knew that the suffering was to great and any treatment would cause more bad then good and again she was FIFTEEN years (good years) old, She was loved and she loved us. She was so sweet. But she was in so much pain 24/7 so we put her down.
Euthanizing is painless and quick and calm. The dog is not in any pain when being euthanized.
I know losing a dog is a terrible and painful thing. You are not alone! I'm sorry. :( Good luck!
- GreyhoundAdopterLv 75 years ago
This is only a decision that could be made between your vet and yourself.
What did the vet determine was wrong with the dog? You don't mention what the vet said or what treatments you were doing with her. Hopefully you didn't just euthanize her because it was going to be inconvenient to have her cared for while you went on a vacation.
- ?Lv 65 years ago
A burst of energy doesn't negate all the issues you've said this dog had. It doesn't matter now if you made the right decision or not. The dog is dead and gone. Grieve and deal with your feelings.
- 5 years ago
If you made the descision yourself, it probably wasn't.
If your vet told you it had to be done however, or if it was even an option, then yes, it probably was.
No point on letting suffer for longer.
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- ?Lv 55 years ago
you are asking others to decide for you? maybe you should have consulted the board BEFORE she was put to death.
for the decision you made there are consequences, the dog is now dead and your vacation can continue...finding the dog dead because you wondered whether the dog could live without drinking water the five days the family was gone is shocking....what did the vet say?
- ~Missy~Lv 75 years ago
Does your vet say it was the right decision? No one here knows if there was a simple medical reason for her strange behavior or not.
- 5 years ago
No, I don't think you did...would your vet have not examined her before her death, instead of taking your word?
