I am putting my dog Coco(chocolate lab) down tomorrow. She is 14 and can hardly move from arthritis and is?

Question

going blind. She has been such a great dog, never sick and always happy. I cant stand to see her like this. I love her so much and am completely heartbroken. Everything she does or eats today is her last time doing it. Has anyone ever had to put a dog down? What is the procedure I can expect? How do you walk away and drive home? That is going to be so rough. Any advice or comments to help me through this would really be appreciated

Wow! Thank you all for your support and comforting words. I wrote a farewell to coco. Here it is:
Dear coco,

You have been the best dog and companion a person could have. The fondest memories are the memories of our runs and chasing rabbits in the open fields. The times just lounging and sleeping next to other even when the wife disapproved. The sacrifices I made for you were all worth it and I have no regrets. Only the wish to do it all over again. You are going to a better place tomorrow, a place that will free you of the pain you are suffering. You have held on like a trooper and never ever complained. I hope I gave you all the love you needed and wanted. You surely gave it to me. I wish you have a good trip to dog heaven and I hope one day we will meet again. You have no idea how much I love you and I will never forget you. You will always be a part of me. You will be missed my "coco girl" and thought of always. I love you

Answer 1

First of all I want to say I am so sorry & I know exactly how you feel. I just had to do the same on June 7 of this year. It is the worst thing I have ever had to do but I knew I owed it to her. It was my last act of love, respect & responsibilty to my girl I had a friend drive my vehicle to the vet while I rode in the back with her. I talked to her, told her how good she has always been, how much I loved her & how much I was going to miss her. In the office I did not put her on the cold metal table since she had never been on it before. She sat on the floor, I knealt down beside her, the vet came in & gave her a shot that only puts them to sleep,(like she was going to surgery). Before she fell to sleep I had spread out a blanket on the floor(that I had taken with me) & had her sit on the blaket while I sat down beside her. I rubbed her, petted her, kissed & hugged her while I spoke my last words of endearing love to her. When she went to sleep peacefully I layed her down & still showered her with love. The vet came back in, gave her another injection & she passed peacefully in just a few minutes. I did not walk away, I could not do that. I wrapped her in the blanket & they carried her out to my vehicle for our last ride home. She is now buried in my backyard. PLEASE stay with your dog during this proceedure. It will hurt something terrible(I will not lie to you), but you owe that last act of love to your dog. She would not leave your side so please do the same for her. Here is a couple sites that will be of interest to you http://www.ygrr.org/doginfo/death-coping.html ( please read the entire article) http://www.in-memory-of-pets.com and a beautiful poem for you http://rainbowsbridge.com/Poem.htm If you have any more questions please feel free to email me. EDIT(6-20): The farewell you wrote for Coco is very touching & I can tell it came straight from your heart. As I read it I had a lump in my throat & tears in my eyes. My prayers will be with you today & I hope you can find comfort by knowing this will be the best thing you can do for Coco out of love you have for her.

Answer 2

I have had to make that choice myself before, and I have also worked as a vet tech and had to watch others make that choice, and assist with the procedure.

That is one way in which we are very lucky with our pets; the laws do not force us to watch our loved ones suffer without being able to do anything about it. You walk away knowing that you did the best, most loving thing you could have done for your dog by letting it go, freeing it from the pain and the anxiety of not being able to do the things she wants to do any more.

What to expect: a tech will take you and your dog into an exam room, just like for any other procedure. When the vet comes in he will probably talk to you for a bit to make sure you understand what's happening and feel it's the right thing to do at this point. He may give the dog a quick exam if he hasn't seen it recently. He will then usually put an IV into your dog's front leg, and offer you the choice to hold your dog. If he doesn't use an IV, he will have a syringe and inject the anaesthetic into the vein of the front leg. Your dog will receive an overdose of anaesthetic. First it will very quickly fall asleep, as if it were being anesthetized for a surgery, and then as the dosage becomes too strong the breathing and heart will stop. It will happen within just a minute or two. From the dog's point of view, it goes to sleep (I have always opted to hold my dog, so that it goes to sleep more calmly and peacefully in the arms of the loving owner). At some point the deep anesthetized sleep becomes death, and the dog doesn't know or feel anything. Be prepared for some muscle spasms and twitching to occur, but this happens after the dog is already gone, they are just involuntary muscle spasms and contractions. Depending on the laws in your area, the vet may give you the option to take your dog home and bury it, or he can dispose of the body for you. I suggest that you ask to pay in advance, so that when it's over you can just leave quickly without having to stop and pay.

Best wishes, good luck, and I honestly believe that you are doing the best and most loving thing you can do for an old friend who can no longer have an acceptable "quality of life."

Answer 3

Oh, I'm so sorry for you and Coco. I don't think there's much of anything that can help you through it. I've always had the vet come to the house so the dog didn't go through the stress of being at the vet's office. But in either case, the procedure is the same and the dog in no way at all suffers. When you're ready, the vet will give Coco the first needle which will put her to sleep, then the second to stop the heart. It's very fast, totally painless for her.

The only thing that might help you is to remember all the years you had with her - don't focus on the one devastating day of her life - remember the hundreds of good times you had and that you're doing the right thing for her.

Answer 4

I work for a vet, and I've also had to put my own pets down. It's not an easy thing to do, but there comes a time when it's the RIGHT thing to do. Coco's been there for you for 14 years, and now she needs you to help end her suffering. You can expect to be given time alone with Coco in a room at your vets office. The Dr. may recommend some sedation first, especially if Coco seems to be stressed. You should be able to stay with Coco if you so choose. The vet will give her an injection (usually an overdose of anesthesia) and she will go to sleep. She will most likely take one last deep breath(almost like a huge sigh of relief). Some dogs may gasp or twitch their muscles, but it's only a reflex, they are already gone. The doctor will listen for any heartbeat, then it will be over. If you are able to, take a close friend or family member with you, not only to drive, but for moral support. And don't be afraid to cry...it's part of the grieving process and everyone will understand. I had to assist with two euthanasias today, and I listened to both families talk about their pet, and I cried with both families. Make sure you have someone you can talk to. It sounds to me like you love Coco very much, and you're doing what's best for her.

Answer 5

Aw...I am so sorry to hear that. But you know it's the best for poor Coco. We had to put our dog down in December. We weren't even prepared for it but it happened. You go to the vet knowing you're doing the right thing. The vet will probably ask you if you want to be there when she's put down or not. We couldn't see our Titan put down so we waited in the lobby. Once the dog is put to sleep the vet will come get you and allow you to spend some time with your friend. The vet will also ask you if you want to take her home or not. And that's about the procedure. It's hard to deal with but eventually things get better. It'll hurt at first because it's so new but after awhile you realize you did the right thing, and she'll always love you!

Answer 6

I have been through what you are going through. My heart goes out to you. My dog was put down 15 yrs ago and I still get weepy eyed when I think about him. I still have his picture up.

In answer to your question though about what to expect..... When you take Coco in to the vet they will take her back into an exam room. They will let you have a few mins to say goodbye. They will probably advise you to not watch them do the procedure. I insisted on being in the room when my little guy was given the injection, I held him in my arms as they did it. He just fell asleep. I then wrapped him in his blanket and they had my friend drive the car around back so I didn't have to go back through the waiting room.

There is something available today that wasn't available 15 years ago, have you considered having Coco cremated? My sister did this with a pet skunk that she had raised from a baby, he died at the vet's office. I picked her up and on the way to take her home I stopped at the humane society and got the information she needed and permission for them to cremate a skunk. She took him home so her fiancee could say goodbye then they went together to drop him off for the cremation. She says that she would never have known if I hadn't told her. She is so glad she did it, if there is a pet cemetary or a crematory I would advise you to check into it. This will make you feel at least like you are doing something.

I hope this helps. My heart goes out to you.

Answer 7

I'm sorry you have to put down your friend. The hurt does get easier to handle over time, but you never completely forget them. Be aware, though, that the vet's office may send you a sympathy card after it's done unless you specifically request that they not do so. When I put down the first of two dogs, I was handling it okay. Within the week, I got a sympathy card from the vet and lost it all over again when I read "Please find comfort in knowing your decision was a loving one". When I had the second of the two put down, I specifically requested NO CARD!! It was hard enough making the decision, never mind opening up that wound all over again with the reminder a few days later.

You've got a couple choices to make. You can either stay while the vet performs the procedure or just drop her off and leave. You also have the choice if you want them to dispose of the remains or if you want them back. When I had 2 of my dogs put down, I let the vet dispose of the remains but I know someone who had their pet cremated and kept the remains. That's strictly a personal choice, though, and one only you can make.

Best of luck to you, and I'm sorry that you've had to make that choice when it comes to your friend.

Answer 8

I am so sorry to hear about Coco. I'm sure she's enjoyed a wonderful life with you. I just had to end my pet's suffering last week. i am heartbroken too. we stayed with her while the vet administered the drugs and kept telling her it was okay to let go and that we loved her and she would always be in our hearts. we took her home and then to the place where they would cremate her remains. it was difficult to say goodbye. I hope the memories will soon replace the sorrow with comfort for us both.

My dogs legacy is for me to spread the message asking owners not to overvaccinate their dogs. Once dogs are 6 or 7 years old, they don't need yearly shots bec their immune system has enough protection. in fact, the shots can do more harm than good, especially if the breed is predisposed to problems that are vaccine related. My dog was. Remember the good times. it helps.

Answer 9

Oh goodness, that is a terrible feeling. My little girl ( a peekapoo) got put to sleep about 2 years ago, it was the worst thing I have ever felt. I held her in my lap even after she was gone and just cried and cried. She was a ood girl, i had her for about the same time as you have had you dog. I'm sorry you have to go through such a painful process, it will get better, but it will be hard to go home and her not be there. I buried my pup in the back yard and planted alot of nice plants there. Those plants are growing strong and beautiful, I like to think it is my little doggies soul growing those plants. I'm sorry about your dog, and that was a very nice farewell note you wrote for her.

Answer 10

My heart truly goes out to you because this Friday I will be taking my 17 1/2 year old miniature poodle to the vet to be euthanized. My bf will be driving me there because I know I'll need his morale support during this ordeal. I haven't decided whether I'll be able to be with my dog during the actual euthanizing process but I will try to build up the courage.

Ginger is blind, senile, and has severe arthritis in her hindquarters. She has been pretty much incontinent for the last 6 months. Since my job requires me to be away from home about 12 hours a day, I have had to restrict her to the kitchen while I'm away. She used to pretty much have the run of the house but besides the potential for toileting accidents, it is no longer safe for Ginger. Once she got her neck twisted up in a lamp cord and almost strangled herself and several times she's got herself trapped behind furniture and couldn't figure out how to free herself. She used to enjoy taking long walks with me but her arthritis obviously prevents this,.

Needless to say, her quality of life is far from what it was. Intellectually I know I'll be doing what is best for Ginger, but emotionally it will still be painful. Part of me is praying that she dies peacefully in her sleep before Friday but that realistically won't happen.

SInce I am on vacation from work for a couple of weeks, I've decided that this would be the best time to say goodbye to Ginger. I can't imagine myself having to go to work the next day after such an ordeal. I also wanted to spend the last few days with her. I hope you also have allowed yourself some grieving time.

So I know some of what you are going through and hope you can stay strong and remember the good times with your beloved pet as I will try to do also. God Bless.