sick pet

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moira

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I’m not sure if this is the right forum for this or if the subject is inane but I need to talk to someone.

My dog is very ill and I probably need to have her put down but I can’t bring myself to make the decision. I pray all day that God will take this decision from me and let her go in her sleep some night. She has been my faithful pup for 9 1/2 years. I know she’s just a dog but I am so saddened by this. If she was gone I would deal with it but watching her deteriorate is so hard.
Anyway, if anyone reads this, thanks for listening.
 
Dear Jesus, please hear moira’s prayer for her faithful little friend. Please heal this little dog and bless this friendship between moira and her beloved pet. St. Francis, St. Roch, St. Joseph, Queen of the Holy Rosary please pray for moira’s four-legged companion.

Pepper and I will say a prayer for you this evening, moira.
 
moira said:
I’m not sure if this is the right forum for this or if the subject is inane but I need to talk to someone.

My dog is very ill and I probably need to have her put down but I can’t bring myself to make the decision. I pray all day that God will take this decision from me and let her go in her sleep some night. She has been my faithful pup for 9 1/2 years. I know she’s just a dog but I am so saddened by this. If she was gone I would deal with it but watching her deteriorate is so hard.
Anyway, if anyone reads this, thanks for listening.
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You DON"T have to put your dog down just because it is suffering. This dog has become your companion–a genuine loyal friend whom you LOVE. Sure, you CAN put your dog to sleep, but how would you FEEL if you did that to the poor animal?
 
moira said:
I’m not sure if this is the right forum for this or if the subject is inane but I need to talk to someone.

My dog is very ill and I probably need to have her put down but I can’t bring myself to make the decision. I pray all day that God will take this decision from me and let her go in her sleep some night. She has been my faithful pup for 9 1/2 years. I know she’s just a dog but I am so saddened by this. If she was gone I would deal with it but watching her deteriorate is so hard.
Anyway, if anyone reads this, thanks for listening.
Click to expand...
I will pray. I had to put my cat down in 2011 because he had severe kidney disease and was suffering. I had him for 13 and a half years and I am single so he was my baby. It was so hard but I had to do it for him. I think it is more humane to euthanize than to have a pet suffer.

What does your vet say? Mine told me to put him down.

While Frodo was sick, I called a pet loss hotline on a regular basis. The best one I found was staffed by vet students at Michigan State University. They supported me and sent me literature and listened to me.

It was so hard to lose Frodo–but this past December I adopted Jingles, a 6 month old kitten, and he is my new baby.

Gos bless you.
 
My heart goes out to you – I’ve been through this several times with various beloved dogs.

The last time I just knew I had to call the vet. My poor baby was so sad looking and had stopped enjoying his food. One day he just sat down and looked at me and I knew it was time.

I had the vet come to our house. I surrounded my dog with his favorite toys and blanket and laid on the floor with him while the vet put him to sleep. It was so very peacful and though I cried my heart out I knew my loal friend was no longer suffering and in pain.

I had his remains cremated and have them here with me.

If you can, see if you can find a vet who will come to your home.

It’s so hard to lose our dear animal companions. I will say a prayer to St. Francis for you.

A caring hug.

M
 
moira said:
I’m not sure if this is the right forum for this or if the subject is inane but I need to talk to someone.

My dog is very ill and I probably need to have her put down but I can’t bring myself to make the decision. I pray all day that God will take this decision from me and let her go in her sleep some night. She has been my faithful pup for 9 1/2 years. I know she’s just a dog but I am so saddened by this. If she was gone I would deal with it but watching her deteriorate is so hard.
Anyway, if anyone reads this, thanks for listening.
Click to expand...
Look into raw diet for dog. Many dogs has reversed chronic illness. (Avoid corn and some dog shouldn’t have more then 10% of protein in their diet, try to research). Corn should be given to animal, dogs cannot even digest that.

In the mean time, i pray for you to have discernment, guidance and peace. I pray for your dog to be comfortable and if this is ok with God, to grant her a miracle so she comes back to health. Amen
 
ChibiViolet said:
You DON"T have to put your dog down just because it is suffering. This dog has become your companion–a genuine loyal friend whom you LOVE. Sure, you CAN put your dog to sleep, but how would you FEEL if you did that to the poor animal?
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I’m not sure if this post is a joke, but if it’s real I very much disagree. I don’t regret euthanizing any pet, but I do regret that, out of pure selfishness, I once let a pet suffer for days before I made the appointment.
 
moira said:
I’m not sure if this is the right forum for this or if the subject is inane but I need to talk to someone.

My dog is very ill and I probably need to have her put down but I can’t bring myself to make the decision. I pray all day that God will take this decision from me and let her go in her sleep some night. She has been my faithful pup for 9 1/2 years. I know she’s just a dog but I am so saddened by this. If she was gone I would deal with it but watching her deteriorate is so hard.
Anyway, if anyone reads this, thanks for listening.
Click to expand...
I understand. She is part of your family and one of God’s creatures. I feel for you and am so sorry. I will pray that God heals her or takes her peacefully. If she is suffering and there is no hope, hold her and talk to her, tell her how much you love her while the vet puts her to sleep painlessly.

God bless.
 
Chantal25 said:
Look into raw diet for dog. Many dogs has reversed chronic illness. (Avoid corn and some dog shouldn’t have more then 10% of protein in their diet, try to research). Corn should be given to animal, dogs cannot even digest that.

In the mean time, i pray for you to have discernment, guidance and peace. I pray for your dog to be comfortable and if this is ok with God, to grant her a miracle so she comes back to health. Amen
Click to expand...
I meant CORN SHOULDN’T BE GIVEN to animal such dog and especially cat.
 
moira, I feel for you (both of you).

When time comes, you’ll know it. Explore new resources and see if you can ease her pain, but still keep her with you for some more time. I always say that my dog will show me when it’s time, and so far it has been the sad truth.
If you can, spend time with her before, and be with her till the end, even if it is hard for you - it’s harder for her, she will need you there. Then let yourself grieve.

You’ll be in my prayers. 😦
 
Thank you to all. I have taken her to the vet several times in the last two months. She has Cushings disease and is incontinent. My house is starting to smell bad She shakes all the time and can barely walk. She has continual UTI’s and has been on antibiotics for about two months. Sometimes she just urinates where she lays. The vet is trying to adjust her meds but it’s not helping.
I have started reading about natural foods and will ask the vet about it on our next trip in a week.
Thanks for the understanding. And Prayers. I guess I’m not the only animal lover out there.
 
moira said:
Thank you to all. I have taken her to the vet several times in the last two months. She has Cushings disease and is incontinent. My house is starting to smell bad She shakes all the time and can barely walk. She has continual UTI’s and has been on antibiotics for about two months. Sometimes she just urinates where she lays. The vet is trying to adjust her meds but it’s not helping.
I have started reading about natural foods and will ask the vet about it on our next trip in a week.
Thanks for the understanding. And Prayers. I guess I’m not the only animal lover out there.
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You are welcome, Moira.
 
My heart aches for you. I’ve had to do it three times. The best advice I can give you is constant communication with your vet. With my poodle (she had diabetes), and we were having a very hard time getting her insulin levels under control. I did ask the vet if it was time to give up, and she said no. Eventually they did level out, but I did tell the vet that I wanted her to tell me when she thought it was time because I knew sometimes it’s hard to look at it objectively when I was so emotional and the last thing I wanted to do was have my Mitzi suffer for selfish reasons – because I couldn’t see it was time to let her go. Eventually I did have to put her sleep because she went into heart failure so it was pretty obvious.

It was the hardest thing I had to do, but I had the peace of mind knowing that I had done everything I could and I could let her go without any regrets (by that I mean, no “what if I had done that? What if I had tried this?”). I think you’ll reach that point and you’ll know it.
 
I’m praying for you! I raise rats (as well as dogs) and they only live on average 2-3 years, at least the variety I get. I can’t help but love and enjoy my time with them so much. I’ve had to put down two so far. Making the desicion to do so was incrediably hard for each one. I’ve found it helps me if I remember that God entrusted these animals to me to care for and when I’ve done all I can to give them a good and healthy life, it is time for me to entrust them back to God. I might suffer emotionally, but since my animals gave me so much love and joy to brighten my life it is only right that I now sacrifice myself to give them peace.
 
I had to put my 13-year-old dog down late last year. It was the hardest thing.

One thing my vet told me when I asked how I would know when it is time… she said think of the things your dog likes to do best. Maybe the top 5 things. If the dog can no longer do those things, it’s a pretty good indicator. My vet wouldn’t make that decision for me… most vets won’t for liability reasons.

Some other questions to ask are:

Is your dog stressed out due to the incontinence? And does it pose a further health risk (skin rashes, infections, etc).

Does your dog still enjoy “basic activities” such as eating? Is her appetite normal?

Does your dog enjoy human interaction? Is she still cognizant of who you are?

Can your dog move around without difficulty or pain?

Another thing a friend told me, is that no matter what you do, you will feel guilty over it. If the dog dies on her own, you will feel guilty for not putting her to sleep. If you put her to sleep, you will wonder if it was too soon.

I am sure you will do the right thing. I am also pretty sure you will question yourself afterwards. But know that you gave your dog a wonder, happy life and in death (when it comes to that), you also did what you knew to be the best for her.
 
Some more thoughts.

The pet support hotline at MSU sent me some literature including a pamphlet on how to know when it is time to euthanize a pet. That was helpful, but the most important thing was my vet’s counsel. Doc T said to keep fighting for Frodo, to keep bringing him in for treatment, and then one day she said that treatment would not help and I needed to let him go.

I was living with my parents when Frodo was so sick and my mom told me I owed Frodo a gentle death. I think she was right. I have heard that many pets who die a natural death do not die an easy one. She had had cats that she had to be put down.

Depending on the vet, you may be able to be present at euthanasia and to spend time with the pet before and after.

See if there is a vet school or animal shelter which offers an in person support group. Consider counseling for yourself to deal with the stress.

Genesis says that God gave mankind dominion over the animals. I take that to mean we are to take care of them as well.

When Frodo passed away, I was sad for myself and grieved for over a year. However, I was happy for him that he was no longer suffering.
 
mellowcalico said:
I had to put my 13-year-old dog down late last year. It was the hardest thing.

One thing my vet told me when I asked how I would know when it is time… she said think of the things your dog likes to do best. Maybe the top 5 things. If the dog can no longer do those things, it’s a pretty good indicator. My vet wouldn’t make that decision for me… most vets won’t for liability reasons.

Some other questions to ask are:

Is your dog stressed out due to the incontinence? And does it pose a further health risk (skin rashes, infections, etc).

Does your dog still enjoy “basic activities” such as eating? Is her appetite normal?

Does your dog enjoy human interaction? Is she still cognizant of who you are?

Can your dog move around without difficulty or pain?

Another thing a friend told me, is that no matter what you do, you will feel guilty over it. If the dog dies on her own, you will feel guilty for not putting her to sleep. If you put her to sleep, you will wonder if it was too soon.

I am sure you will do the right thing. I am also pretty sure you will question yourself afterwards. But know that you gave your dog a wonder, happy life and in death (when it comes to that), you also did what you knew to be the best for her.
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That’s what my vet said too. Pick top three things (chasing a ball, grooming, eating, going for walks…) and when the dog/cat can no longer do more than one of those things, it is time to let go. He also said that when there is incontinence, it’s a big sign that things are really not going well. No guilt and no regrets here. Animals are not people and putting them down is never inhumane, as long as it is done professionally and with good intentions.
 
The three top things she (Marnie, a beagle) likes to do is eat, sit at my feet to get pettted and bark at and chase cats sitting on the fence. She still likes to eat and sit with me. The other day Marnie saw a cat and she gave a little bark and started to run and I thought " good, she’s still got some life in her" but when she started to run her legs gave way and she fell which made me cry. The vet seems to think we can get the incontinence under control but I’m still washing a load of old towels everyday and washing my floors daily too.
I won’t put her down for my convenience but don’t know how much longer I can keep this up.
 
You know Moira, I am sorry that I didn’t think of it before. You can get diapers for your dog (they are made special for dogs). There are disposable and cloth. They sell them on Amazon. It might be a good alternative to all that towel and floor washing.

Go to Amazon and search for “disposable dog diapers.”
 
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