Have you had to put your pet down? Did you watch or turn away?

Question

And how did it affect you?

Answer 1

I am in the interesting position of having had foster animals that were so ill that they had to be put to sleep as well as my own animals, so I have had more than my share of animals put to sleep.

I have always held them and talked to them as they were put to sleep. Except in the case of some foster puppies that had parvo, the injection acts so quickly that you don't really have time to stress - the needle goes in, they drop straight away and a few breaths later they are gone.

The last animal that I saw put to sleep was a freinds assistance dog and I shed a few tears but had to stay strong for her so I had to wait to grieve until she had gone. The last animal that I had put to sleep was a cat and I had tears streaming down my face and was a write off for the rest of the day - because even though some people will say "it's just a dumb animal get over it" I had raised her since she was a few weeks old and she was very special to me.

Find your own way to grieve. If you are asking for curiousity's sake then I hope that my answer has satisfied that curiosity. If you are asking because you are in the position of having an animal put to sleep then I suggest that you ask the vet to come to your house if you can afford it, otherwise arrange for someone to drive you so that if you find it affects you more than you think that someone can take you home.

You may also want to think about what to do with the ashes. My brother keeps the ashes of his cat in a small wooden casket (specially made for pet cremations) while I have always had a memorial garden where the cats are buried and the dogs ashes are scattered.

Answer 2

I had to do so with a couple of my dogs. As bad as it hurt I stayed right there by their side, touching them, kissing them & telling them how much I loved them & how much I was going to miss them.
I had the stay, no matter how badly it hurt. They were my babies for years & would have done anything for me. They were always at my side so being with them till the end was the least I could do.
Of course ir hurt, but it would have affected me a lot worse if I were to take them in for the proceedure & turn my back on them. I wouldn't have been able to live with myself.

Answer 3

es, I has to put down my rat molly,
She had a tumer and we got it removed well a couple mths later 3 cme back and the vet said it would be a 50 percent chance she may make it or not so I did the humane thing and I watched and Wraped her in her blankey and burried her in the fuield
She was the best she played outside and she followed me around

Answer 4

I always hold my pet in my arms while it is being put down. I know they feel better (I try to save my tears for later so they won't be afraid) with me holding them; and for some reason, it comforts me to feel that sick, old body relax in my arms. It hurts like heck and I cry for about three days. When my sis's first dog had to be put down, I had one arm around the dog and one around my sis.

Answer 5

I had to put my cat down a few months ago. He was WAY too aggressive and was peeing around the house(not because of infection). Anyways. I stayed with him the whole time. Held him until he was asleep.

I was very sad. But knew he was in a better place. Where I'm sure he'd be happier. I'm glad I stayed with him while this procedure happened.

Answer 6

i had to put one of my dogs down he got hit by a car and he was suffering soo we had to put him down


it was the hardest thing ive ever had to do


i turned away i counldnt stay there
i cried all day i loved him sooo much but i went throght with it i got anotheer dog a few months after he died but still loved my dead dog.

Answer 7

It's hard, it's really hard to do when you love them, but sometimes there's no other option.

On both of mine I was there holding them. One had cardiomyopathy (thickened heart walls, could not pump blood) and one had renal failure. I didn't turn away, I had my hands on them the whole time to keep them calm.

Answer 8

we had to .i got sit next to a dead dog on the way home!