Dog Owners Facing Difficult Euthanasia Decisions

“I lost my heart and soul dog three weeks ago. She was only 8, and it was completely without warning. Her labs were perfect, but a middle of the night trip to the ER vet for vomiting turned into a discovery of what was likely stomach cancer and an abdomen turning septic from stress ulceration. I had to put her down that same night when I fully expected her to just need cerenia and fluids. I don’t know if I’ll ever be the same again. I’m an assistant working through PF, and a lot of my focus has b”

“Yesterday was an emotional rollercoaster. My 12-year-old Standard Poodle has been extremely sick with worsening kidney values, a WBC of 33,000, severe diarrhea, lethargy, and loss of appetite. This had been on-going for about 5 days with trips to and from the vet everyday. Yesterday morning, he was so ill that the vet canceled his scheduled ultrasound and recommended euthanasia. We brought him home to say our goodbyes before his 2:30 appointment. Then, out of nowhere, he started eating, walking”

“I made the decision to euthanize my soul dog, Mia, 3 months ago today. As I think a lot of people could relate to, I struggle with intense guilt surrounding that decision. It didn't go at all as I imagined and I struggle with feeling like I made the decision too quickly. I know that no one can tell me with any certainty whether I made the right decision at the right time, but I'm hoping to get some honest, professional opinions so that I can have a more honest and objective view of what”

“Looking for some advice on a euth that is sending me down a dark hole. TLDR; our neighbor euthanized one of his dogs today who was epileptic. I had an epileptic pet that didn’t make it. I felt like I got to say goodbye through him Long story of this my own dog died over a year ago at less than 3 of epilepsy he was never controlled and his euthanasia was traumatic and he was seizing and not in his mind when it was done. Our neighbors epileptic dog started seizures a year after my dogs diagnosis a”

“My soul dog has been gone for 36 hours and I feel like I’m breathing through a straw. He would’ve been 11 in February and was diagnosed on Aug 20th with hemangiosarcoma after a splenectomy that ruptured and was stage 2. He did not show any signs of metastasis at that time from a CT. We met with the vet and the surgery and oncologist and they all shared that chemo wouldn’t save him in the long run. He doesn’t love the vet and had a sensitive GI track so we decided not to put him through any suffe”

“I lost my 15-year-old Lab mix this past Wednesday and I honestly cannot wrap my head around it. I keep blaming myself and wondering if I missed something or made the wrong decision. He had bad back legs and was on Librela, ketamine, and gabapentin. 9/18: He had his yearly vet visit, vaccines, and bloodwork. Everything came back pretty much normal. Over the few weeks before this, I had noticed he was losing weight and wasn’t eating as much, but I didn’t think much of it because he had always been”

“Her literal entire life story is the reason we’re struggling with this decision, so any positive advice will be appreciated. This is long, but context is super important so bear with me. I’ve got a roughly 8-9 year old GSP/ hound mix. She is spayed, she is a RESCUE. My husband and I went camping Memorial Day weekend, In may of 2023. Our dog showed up to our campsite, we tried finding her owners at the lake but never did. We took her home, posted her all over social media, only to rapidly learn t”

“I’m desperate for some advice here. It’s been one of the most emotionally draining weeks of my life and I’m struggling to make a decision about whether I need to put my dog down or pursue further treatment without a clear diagnosis. I’ll try my best to summarize it even though it’s a long and complicated situation, and I truly appreciate anyone who takes the time to read this and share their thoughts. My 11 year old, hound mix has been having issues with his nose all summer. It started with a fo”

“It’s the unfortunate time of every pet owner’s life where an end of life decision has to be made for our aging terrier. We have a 3yr old who adores our dog. What advice do you have to the days before the procedure and after? submitted by /u/skinnydg [link] [comments]”

“I can’t really get into everything without risking doxxing myself but we are facing having to make the impossible choice of saying goodbye to our dog aggressive 12.5 year old dog. She has arthritis, is nearly completely blind and partially deaf but is otherwise in good health. Our kiddo ran into her and she turned and went after her. She is a large dog. I had to pull them apart and my child fell and hit their head. It was very scary. I know this is unacceptable, and it’s unlike her. My line has”

“I made the decision to euthanize my soul dog, Mia, about 2 months ago. As I think a lot of people could relate to I struggle with intense guilt surrounding that decision. It didn't go at all as I imagined and I struggle with feeling like I made the decision too quickly. I know that no one can tell me with any certainty whether I made the right decision at the right time, but I'm hoping to get some honest, professional opinions so that I can have a more honest and objective view of what h”

“My dog is a 14yo Great Pyrenees mix and I'm struggling to make the decision. She's the first dog I've had on my own. My childhood dog died in his sleep so I feel like I was sort of hoping that she would pass peacefully like that but now I'm worried I am going to let her suffer. She has severe osteoarthritis and is struggling more and more to get off the ground, but has no other health issues. The good: She still mostly eats her food, and gets up to go on her very short walks whic”

“She is a 9 1/2 year old golden/lab/poodle mix. I am absolutly heartbroken. She was fine up until a week ago when she suddenly started panting and couldn't lay down. We took her to the vet and they removed 1 liter of bloody fluid from her chest. After a CT scan they found a mass in her heart. The vet said there is nothing that can be done and the fluid will most likely come back in a few weeks. Wondering if it is worth it at that point to drain the fluid again? I am so distraught that i basic”

“I would really love for a vet to be so kind and help me process the recent passing of my Samoyed. He got an infection in a salivary gland and went septic. From what the critical care team told us, this is rare. I am really struggling with this. We had a perfectly healthy 7.5 year old dog who got this freak illness and now he’s gone. I just want to hear he didn’t experience much discomfort when his body finally started to give out. His o2 slowly dropped.. we went and visited him and while he was”

“Hi all, My sweet baby passed away this past Tuesday, from lung cancer and pneumonia. It all happened very suddenly, she was diagnosed about two weeks before she passed. I’m completely heartbroken. I’d really like to get a nice imprint necklace with her nose on it, so I can keep a piece of her with me always. I really don’t know the first thing about jewelry or where to look, so I wanted to ask if any of y’all know of reputable jewelers who can do imprint jewelry, from photos. The internet is a b”

“It’s been 10 months since I had to put my Bambi down , I still wonder if that made the wrong assessment and I the wrong call and not rushing to the other hospital il try keep it brief it all happen without 24 hours she was screaming in pain and by night she had become paralyzed on back legs only one of them were working very little and reacting to pressure a little. The night vet said she highly recommended to give her peace and that she doesn’t think a positive outcome would happen with a opera”

“my family’s 14 year old dog was euthanized two days ago. the day of, he had collapsed and was unable to stand/walk. we rushed him into the vets where they did diagnostics. on x ray, they found what appeared to be a mass - a large one, but they weren’t sure. he was anemic and becoming paler every minute. he had fluid in his abdomen. due to all of this, they suspected he had a mass bleeding in his abdomen, but couldn’t be 100% sure. i’m an LVT. i knew what his chances were even with surgery. we ma”

submitted by /u/mehereathome68 [link] [comments]

“Yes, it’s as bad as it sounds. My 9 year old golden retriever was not fixed because we have had her line in my family for generations, and none of them could tolerate being put under anesthesia. She was very healthy for her age, if you saw her you would think she’s 4 or 5. We brought her to the vet for an emergency that turned out to be closed pyometra. During the appointment the vet was pushing on her swollen belly so hard, drew blood 2 times because they messed it up the first time, and physic”

“hello, still going through the grips of grief and having a hard time coming to terms with everything that happened. my Moxi passed August 1st (large bernedoodle, turned 8 in march) so coming up on the one month mark. She had a month of not eating, nothing was showing up in any of her x-rays, blood work, other checkups. Vet wanted to do surgery to inspect her stomach and see if she swallowed something when he found a large tumor blocking her lower intestine, we sped over to the practice and the v”

“My 11 year old French bulldog had a seizure last Sunday, bloodwork was normal. Slightly low wbc, slightly elevated kidney markers- vet thought this could be the start of kidney disease. He then stopped eating, and his stomach was bloated. Xray confirmed he had ascites. I had 500ml drained from his abdomen. Today he will not eat at all, not even his favourite treats. I’m considering euthanasia today. But I will always wonder if I should have done more, or if I’m doing the right thing. submi”

“I am having trouble gaining insight on my dogs prognosis even with my medical knowledge and by saying trouble with the prognosis I am struggling making a choice of euthanasia. My girl is a 9 yo American staffordshire terrier with a history of heartworms at age 2 prior to me getting her s/p treatment. Last October she was diagnosed with T zone lymphoma with mouth nodules (uncommon indolent type but due to tongue lesions oncologist was concerned she would stop eating at some point). Completed 3 ro”

“Hello, I have OCD and I’m struggling with a lot of guilt and intrusive thoughts after my dog’s death. I would really appreciate your professional opinion. My 13-year-old dog had been in the terminal stage of illness for about 15 days. She had ascites and a tumor near her spleen. During the last 5 days she was unable to move, stopped eating, and on her last day she also refused water. The vet had told us she was nearing the end of her life. I tried to give her some water using a 5 ml syringe, pla”

“My family dog has a severe reproductive infection. Her uterus is swollen and the vet said that unless they spay her they’re not sure if she’ll survive. The problem is they aren’t sure about spaying her because one she’s got a heart mur mur and two were pretty sure she’s pretty old. We’ve had her 8 years and she lived on the streets before we got her. We tried multiple times to get her spayed but she had two big health issues pop up that required two surgeries she had to recover from before they”

“I had a 12 year old dog and a 5 year old dog. Recently we decided to put the older one down because she was having multiple seizures and wouldn't get up even when we put a leash on her. But recently my younger dog has been acting depressed. She will constantly cuddle up against us and wont do anything too active. She used to love playing fetch but now she doesn't want to. She doesn't even like getting pets sometimes. Even if we pull out treats she just slowly grabs them when usually”

“As I was preparing for a family road trip with our 2 year old and 2 month old, I noticed my 7 year old dog Berry was breathing slowly. The look in her eyes I knew in my heart something was wrong. Unfortunately that was the last day I saw her, as going to the hospital found she had an aggressive cancer and the mass ruptured leading to organ failure. The unexpected grief I felt (especially postpartum) I think left me in an irrational state because my brain decided getting a puppy to fill the void”

“Ruffy is my soul dog and I have been in turmoil over his health for nearly a year now. I don’t know what to do anymore. He had ventral slot surgery about 4 months ago for IVDD. He hadn’t been able to walk without falling over. Post surgery he was doing so well. He was on gabapentin, carprofen, amantadine. He also has a collapsing trachea so Cerenia for that. A few months later, he began to degrade again. Laying down during walks. No longer wanted his post-walk treat. Always laying down. Looking”

“I am devastated. Not even 2 months ago we made the decision to euthanize our oldest girl who was only 12 due to heart issues that were causing severe respiratory distress and episodes of fainting. At first, I thought she’d just had a seizure but her vet informed me that fainting could look sort of like seizures in cats. We did a proBNP and I don’t know what her result was, but it was elevated. We also did an ultrasound and they said there was fluid and enlargement of her heart. We tried to wait/”

“Hi guys. My dog passed away from parvo kanina. 💔 I honestly feel so heartbroken because I know I did everything I could for him—vet care, medicines, injectables para mas mabilis umepekto, dextrose, and most of all, so much love and sleepless nights just to watch over him. Sobrang alaga niya. I never left him alone. He battled parvo for four days. Pang-4th day sana niya ngayon. Malakas pa siya madaling-araw, kaya hindi ko talaga inexpect na ganito kabilis. Within just 30 minutes, bigla siyang na”

“Hi everyone, I don’t know if I’m looking for words of solidarity, comfort, or advice or maybe I’m just here to vent, but yesterday I had to put my 11 year-old pup to sleep. He began slightly limping in June, which we attributed to his arthritis and his doctor was in agreement and we decided not to do scans then, but instead treat the pain with arthritis supplements and pain medicine. But last week his limp became significantly worse in a matter of days, and what seemed like overnight he stopped”

“Lilac came into our lives when she was just mere 1 or 2 days old, orphaned, probably abandoned by mother or relocated by someone. She was left at the shelter with her umbilical cord intact, they tried to latch her to another lactating mother but her kids too old now, she bit her. I know that such kids without mothers do not survive at all. But I thought I could do it. I really believed. She was doing so well. I researched everything, I reached out to atleast 20 different rescuers and fosters for”

“Hey vets. First I want to say thank you for your time and I hope this is okay to post. I’m not entirely sure if it’s possible to really answer this question, I’m kind of looking for peace of mind if it is possible. Also just a warning for anyone who might want to scroll by, I will be discussing dog in respiratory distress before we said goodbye to him. I had a 12 year old Rough Collie that had pretty bad arthritis. We knew that we would have to say goodbye to him soon. However, he developed panc”

“My wife and I have made the difficult decision to put our reactive dog to rest. We have a month until the BE appointment, but every day feels like I'm working on borrowed time. But I need to do this for my sake as much as my dog's. A pre-eulogy, if you will, to help me cope and give her the best life possible for the remaining time we have left together. We named her Daisy, but we should have named her Rose -- she is pretty but with thorns. When we adopted her from the shelter 7 years ag”

“Last Thursday I had to make the difficult decision to put my 3 year old golden retriever/German shepherd dog down. I had 4 dogs before I came across her at a local rescue. She was only 8 months old when I decided I would like a puppy because all of my other dogs are well above the age of 8. I love all my dogs and they are like children to me because me and my wife cannot have children. All of my dogs have gotten out of the play and learn stage, all of them sweet as can be and just kinda set in t”

“Hi all, I could really use some advice on my dog. I am considering moving forward with behavioral euthanasia with guidance from my vet. Please dont judge as this has been an emotional journey for about 10 years with my dog. To start, my dog is a 10 year old amstaff/pit mix. I adopted her when she was 11 months old and we have been best friends ever since bringing her home. Soon after adopting her, I and my family noticed high reactiveness towards people passing us on the street and destruction o”

“I’m not sure if asking this subreddit is the best for asking for advice, but we put our 2 year-old English bulldog down 15 weeks ago and it’s like the more days that go by, the more things I accomplish, the more milestones I pass and new chapters I begin, I feel like I’m choosing to leave her behind. Summer coming to an end isn’t helping. Like time moving is pushing her down further…from our connection, from knowing she did exist and she was here and we shared a life together. I kind of don’t wa”

“Hello. My family made the decision to euthanize our sweet senior Shihtzu Macy a few days ago, and I am struggling with the situation. I was hoping to get some insight from all of you as to what your decision would have been, and if you have any words of advice. Macy was 14 and had a myriad of health issues - SARDS (fully blind and minimal sense of smell), irritable bowel syndrome, elevated liver enzymes, suspected cushings disease and seperation anxiety. These were all managed fairly well the la”

“I just put down my dog about two weeks ago and am trying to begin the healing process. She was 15 and we gave her a lot of love and a safe life when she came into our home. Her name was Luna, and I would like to get a small plant to name after her and take care off. I have some other plants and I was hoping to align with the naming convention. I have a string of pearls named Pearl, two leopard plants named Leopold and Leo, and a spider plant named Arachnae. I was hoping for a smaller potted plan”

“Hello, my 10 year old dog got diagnosed with cancer at his leg a couple weeks ago. He already had an emergency episode with internal bleeding in that same leg a month and a half ago but they couldn't find any mass back then and they treated him as much as they could with high doses of cortisone (and other meds i dont remember now) for the bleeding to stop cause he was gonna die out of anemia. They couldn't figure out what caused it but he has an underlying condition (leishmania) so they”

“Our 13 year old dog isn’t doing well, and I think it’s time to say goodbye. I’ve had this dog since she was a puppy. On top of the grief, I feel immense guilt because I haven’t been able to shake my pet aversion since having my baby. She is the best dog, and I wish I could have shown her more love in her last few months. She deserved that. I just don’t want to deal with any of this right now. I don’t want to be a wreck in front of my baby, and I’m nervous about how I’m going to handle it.”

“Hello, I'm struggling with the decision to BE my 6 year old dog, who I'll call Star for this post. I'm just looking for advice for people who have been through something similar, or words of encouragement. His appointment is on September 3rd, and I feel like I'll never feel okay again. A few days I wrote out a whole timeline of events, to help myself see the bigger picture, and I'll attach it below. I really appreciate anyone who takes the time to read this. That has been the”

“We have a 4 year old mutt that we rescued as an 8wk old puppy. Since day one he has had issues with hook worm and terrible skin conditions due to his environment as a puppy. We worked so much with him and when he was 1 he was attacked at the dog park. Since that day forward something in him changed and he was reactive with every dog he met other than our cocker spaniel. We continued to work and do our best to make him comfortable without having interactions with other dogs. That was until about”

“This is an extremely hard post for me to write. I have an almost 9 year old corgi. I’ve had him since he was 12 weeks old and have raised him the best I absolutely could. He is such a good boy 99% of the time, but that 1% he turns into the devil and it’s so scary. He has a history of many bites.. I can’t even recall how many because it’s happened so many times all different levels. My husband and I have learned to live with him over the years in our own home, but as he’s getting older it seems t”

“I thought maybe fellow techs could help me look at this situation with more clarity. I live with my parents and my grandma but my parents are out of town right now. Yesterday morning, I woke up to my grandma screaming bloody murder for me. I ran upstairs and found my senior dog floating in the pool… I was still a bit discombobulated. But I dove in and got her out and started CPR. It’s a little hazy here… My grandma was shrieking at the top of her lungs and my other dog was going insane. I was ve”

“I have scheduled a euthanasia appointment for my 19 year old dog she has been with me through everything. Lately she hasn’t been eating as much can’t really see or hear, she doesn’t have control of her bladder anymore also pretty sure she has dementia. I know it’s time I would just like some reassurance that I am doing the right thing for her. I’m scared of the guilt I’m going to carry afterwards, or if I put her down too early but I know it’s time. submitted by /u/Effective_Plant531”

“Hopefully I’m doing this right. Thank you to anyone who takes the time to read this. Long story short: my Pyr/Anatolian Shepard mix died this week. He was only 6.5 years, neutered at a year, had no known diseases/health issues, but he was a big dog at 195lbs. It happened quickly. He was acting a little lethargic right before I left the house, breathing a little quickly but he had just been playing around the backyard so I didn’t think too much of it. (I brought him inside to an air conditioned h”

“Hello, my dog recently passed away. The ultrasound revealed a tumor in her bladder, but we couldn’t confirm if it was cancer. I’m feeling really guilty, thinking maybe it could have been surgically removed months ago. Is there someone I can show it to? submitted by /u/ktabernate98 [link] [comments]”

“We just found out our almost 9 month old puppy tore his CCL and will need TPLO surgery. I’m feeling very down and discouraged about the whole situation. The thing I’m most worried about is a young puppy—with limitless energy—calming down enough for the lengthy recovery process. Please share your recovery stories. How did you keep your doggo calm for the strict rest period? How did you cope mentally and emotionally? Help. submitted by /u/business_nonya [link] [comments]”

“I have a situation with my senior dog and I’m having a very hard time finding a solution. Here is what is going on Osa is a 10 year old female Rottweiler who has been my companion since she was 4 months old. She is a very sweet and very loving dog who loves to be with her people. A few years ago around 2021 she was diagnosed with a genetic disorder that has caused her to go slowly blind. She now is completely blind but that hasn’t stopped her from loving life. In 2022 we had our first son, when”

“I have a reactive/aggressive dog with a very troubled past that is now 9 years old. He is 40lbs, so big enough to do some damage. I posted a few weeks ago about him nearly killing a feral kitten in our backyard. He has always been difficult to manage, but last week he attacked my partner over resource guarding and broke skin. We've been to a behaviorist in the past and she admitted he was a tough case. We follow the protocol she set out for us and it helps, although minimally and it doesn&#3”

“This past May, I took in a senior dog for a loved one who passed away. We knew he had a history with an external mass on his stomach. A fine needle aspiration was done and came back inconclusive. When we tried to take another sample, too much blood came out for it to be tested. He has underlying liver disease and a mild heart murmur, so he's not a great candidate for anesthesia. We decided surgery was too risky, and chose instead to keep him comfortable — whatever the mass turned out to be —”

“TW: Behavioral Euthanasia and bite history I am writing in a state of what I can only describe as anguish as I grapple with the concept of BE for my beloved little bulldog. He was anxious from the moment I picked him up from the breeder, to an extent that I have never seen dogs be anxious. As a puppy he would urinate out of fear, cower and shake at nothing. I didn't think much of it at first as he was the youngest puppy I had ever taken home and didn't realize that this was abnormal. I r”

“I had my dog put to sleep today after two months of declining health. I feel terrible about it and am second guessing my decision. I feel like I should have tried harder or given him more time to see if he got better. He was a 12 year old black lab mix. He had mild mobility issues for a couple of years mainly with getting up and down. ​He was on 90 mg of Galliprant daily for arthritis and that really seemed to help. At the end of May, he fell down while we were on a walk and his back legs gave o”

“The flare is "Sad" but it's more like literal trauma. I cannot forgive myself for making the mistake we all advise owners not to. To have allowed my own dog to pass at home. A year ago: We found hemangio sarc Thursday. We went to the park Friday he walked longer than I have seen him walk in the last two years. We wanted to go again Saturday. My vet was coming over to euthanize him on Sunday. I should have known to do it early when he struggled at the dog park. I knew he was uncomfo”

“My wife and I adopted a bonded pair from the shelter four years ago. About a month ago we got the news that our little girl (9) had cancer. She passed away on Monday. We are all devastated. We noticed something wasn’t right with her when she stopped eating as much and general disinterest in food. At this time our boy (11 and her bonded pair) started the same eating habits and have stayed after her passing. We had him to the vet on Tuesday with a clean bill of health. But he’s started eating gras”

“Hi all, just wondering what your guys’ thoughts are on owners who do not want to be present for their pets’ euthanasia. I personally know I would not be able to leave my pet without me to pass, as I know that most of the time they are scared and confused without their families, and I believe it’s my duty to help them pass with love. But however, I realize not everyone has the capacity to stay with that, and it’s not always uncaring people who are just dumping their pets off at the clinic to be e”

“hi all, just looking for some advice on euthanasia for my pup. this might be lengthy, or it might not be, im going to try to provide as much info as possible that i feel is necessary! so, my dog just turned 12. 2 years ago she had a hind leg amputation due to an injury she sustained before she was in my care. i think its important to note because her mobility has always been a bit rough, but after the amputation, she ended up running more and getting up on furniture better than when she had 4 le”

“TW: pet loss My soul dog of ten years died this morning in my arms. From his first symptom to his last breath was only 17 hours. He suffered from a ruptured abdominal mass that we did not know was there. Up until then, he was seemingly completely healthy. We had just gone in for a well visit in November and he was fine. Just Saturday he was playing his heart out at the park and swimming in the creek. He was about 13 years old. Prior to my son being born, he was my entire world. My life revolved”

“Edit #2 Thank you all for the kind words. Unfortunately we made the decision to let him go. After making it through the Cath he coded in the ICU. They gave him more epi than is standard and it wasn't doing anything. I couldn't put him through any more suffering. I am a later in life career change nurse. Just passed the NCLEX at the end of May. Haven't even started my new job yet. My husband had an inferior STEMI this evening. I'm actually in the ICU waiting room while he is in th”