How Do You Cope With having Put Put You're Puppy Down?

Question

I Had To Put Mt Puppy Down Today Beacuse He had The Shunts Dease And I Couldent Aforrd The Money To Make Him Better Any Advice On How To Deal With It Menatly.?

Answer 1

Realize that it was for the best for the dog, for a life in pain is no life at all

Answer 2

Coping with the death of a pet is a difficult thing to do and it will take time. One of the best things that you can do is to try and focus on the fact that your dog is suffering and won't be suffering any longer. If you are religious, you can imagine him in a better place. As for the other things that you mentioned, keeping some ashes and spreading some seems like the best solution, that way you will always have a part of him with you. And it would probably be best if you are there when they put him down, even though it will be very emotional you should be there to comfort him. I hope this helped!

Answer 3

Hi 87Man. I'm sorry to hear you had to have your puppy put down. At least you were kind enough to take him to the vet in the first place, which is more than I can say for a lot of people asking questions on this site, so well done on that.
Grieving is really painful, and there is no way to speed it up, unfortunately. Firstly, it's important to realise that everything you feel is 'normal'. When you haven't been through grief much before, you tend to think that you should get over things more quickly or you shouldn't feel this way or that way. The truth is that grieving takes time, and you will go through many emotions along the way, and all of those are normal. The stages of grief are denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. If you google 'grief cycle', you will find more information on this. You might go back and forth through some of the stages more than once, but you'll get there in the end. I have been through a lot of grief in my life due to deaths of pets and loved ones, and I know that at first it feels as though you will never be happy again, but you will. It takes time though.
Hope that helps.

Answer 4

Everyone is different. Some people might completely FORGET about the dog while others will try to remember the good times.
When my parents had to put down their dog (last year), my father took it pretty hard. Every morning, he and the dog would sit outside while my father had his coffee and he would pet the dog, groom the dog, throw a ball and so forth. So when they had to put her down, he would still go outside every morning with her leash and just reminisce (spelling?) about the good times. He also found a favourite picture of the dog and framed it along with a nice letter from the vets office. By doing all of this, he doesn't feel bad about putting her down.
I, also grew up with the dog until I moved out, so I decided to write up a little poem ( you can find good poems online about pets) and put a picture of her above the poem and have it on my fridge. I have two dogs and love them very much, but everytime I go to my fridge, I see the picture and it makes me feel better.

Don't forget, every person is different in how they deal with things. Its a very tough thing to go through. Some people don't think of dogs as family, but once you own a pet and lose them, you realize just HOW involved they were in your daily life. The littlest things and habits will remind you. Thats the hardest part. Your pup has crossed the rainbow to heaven and is happy now with all the kibble she/he can eat and all the bones! No leashes, no rules!! Its a doggy world and they will always be your best friend.

I hope this helps.

Perhaps in time, you may even get a new pup. This may also help.

Answer 5

So sorry to hear about your loss - but I think you have done the right thing in the end for your puppy. From my research there is only a 50-85% success rate after surgery and 50% of the dogs affected are unable to accomodate normal blood flow, thus more shunts form.

Don't feel guilty - your puppy had served its time on this earth and it was time for it to move on. I lost my dog to liver cancer a year ago in January and I still get upset at times. You form a connection with the animal and they become your flesh and blood.

Take your time, and deal with it in a way which you feel is healthy - if another dog is the way, get another dog, if keeping busy is the way - try that. In the end, you can only help yourself and take on advice.

I hope you feel better soon.

Answer 6

I am so sorry to hear that you have lost your pup. From what I have heard, this is a devastating condition that even with surgical intervention, there is a high probability that within a few years the dog can become ill again, and that is if it survived the surgery, being just a puppy.
You were faced with a very difficult situation. It's easy to say what I'd do when I am not faced with the same. Here's a site where you might find some comfort connecting with others that specifically deal with the grief of losing a pet:
http://rainbowsbridge.com/Poem.htm
So very sorry for your loss!

Answer 7

You have my condolances on your puppy. You have a right to feel sad. I've never had to put a dog down but I may have to one day and the thought almost brings me to tears. Take comfort in the fact that he did not have to suffer a long illness and that he had a good life while he was here. When the time is right you can move on and get a new puppy. You may also want to search online and see if there are boards devoted to this topic. I'm sure other people out there can sympathize.

Answer 8

I had to go through this experience when my puppy had parvo and the vet refused to treat her (which she later got in trouble for as the puppy could haveeasily recovered it was found out).

It is an awful experience. i spent 2 days crying feeling like i had let the puppy down. I still get sad 2 years on. what makes me feel better is that in the short period of time i had her i gave her a better home (she came from a shelter) and all the love she wanted. Basically it will just take time. But keep reminding yourself that you gave that puppy love, which it might not have otherwise recieved. He may have only been here a short while, but you gave him a better life than if he had gone to someone else.

Answer 9

Sorry to hear about your loss. It's really hard. I had to put down my 6-month old kitty because he had kidney failure. The vet said that it was something he was born with, and that even if I'd had enough money to try to save him, it was not likely he'd ever be well, and would spend the rest of his life suffering. So I chose to put my precious pet to sleep. It was terrible and I cried for days, but it really will get easier. If your pet had a disease which would have killed him or caused him pain, think about how terrible it would have been for him to keep suffering. That was the only thing I could tell myself that helped. Some people do well with getting another pet right away, and some definitely do NOT want to do that... it is up to the person, everyone's different... But it is normal to grieve, just give yourself time. The pain may not ever go away but it will get easier to deal with. Sorry again.

Answer 10

It is always hard when this happens. Everyone is different. What I found helped me was to have some pictures and to write to some people about him. But time is truely the only best healer of grief. Here is a poem that I relly liked. I hope it helps.
Rainbow Bridge

Just this side of Heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge. When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor;those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing: they each miss someone very special, someone who was left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent; his eager body begins to quiver. Suddenly, he breaks from the group, flying over the green grass, faster and faster. You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into those trusting eyes, so long gone from your life, but never absent from your heart. Then you cross the Rainbow Bridge together...

Author Unknown

Answer 11

I’m had a lot of animals. The best thing to go is go out and get another. You might not feel like it, but having something new to love will help. It really works. Try adopting a new puppy from the pound, that way both of you get a good deal. You get something to help your grieving, and the puppy gets a home. Sorry for you loss.