Putting a dog "to sleep"

[flyer85]

our mutt of 13 years is coming to the end of the line. He has had health issues for the last year but has been completely listless the last few days.

Sad to contemplate. He is really my wife's dog. We will take him to the vet this evening and see what he says but I have a feeling this might be it.

It is sad, we get quite attached to our critters. We have another dog that is my daughters and she will be quite lost if he isn't around anymore.

[dman]

I had to do it this time last year. We had a Yellow Labrador. It was by far the hardest thing that I'd dealt with in a really long time. I do not envy you, and I wish you the best. I was so close to this dog that I went to a funeral home and had him cremated and put in an urn. My wife decapaged it with pictures of him for me.

[dabvu2498]

I can empathize, Ricardo. I've had to make that same trip three times in my adult life. I keep getting more dogs and keep getting emotionally attached to them. I can't go in an animal shelter... the greyhound adoption agency I've done some volunteering for wants me to be a "foster" home, but I can't... Of course, I like dogs a lot more than I like most people.

Keep getting dogs. They're good for the soul.

Dman: we have a memorial garden in our back yard for our dogs where we scattered the ashes. The wife and I have never said this, but I think it's part of the reason neither one of us really wants to move, even though we could stand and afford the "upgrade."

Typing that out, I just realized what a freak I am... reality at last.

[Ltlabner]

Hey man, we can argue about baseball all day but it is this type of situation you are facing that is really the stuff of life.

I'm sorry to hear about the health issues of your pet and the pain you and your family is experiencing. It is very sad, especially if you become attached as you said.

There really are no easy answers but I wish you luck and the best.

[RANDY IN INDY]

One of the hardest things I have ever had to do.

[Red Leader]

I'm right there with you. We had our dog put to sleep 2 weeks ago this past Saturday. The house still feels empty when I come home from work. I wish I could just have 1 or 2 more days with him to let him know how much I appreciated his loyalty, his caring nature, and his understanding of my younger children pulling, tugging, and trying to ride him like a pony. He was also my wife's dog in college. She bought him 2 weeks before we started dating. I helped her raise him and was the one that would take him outside when there was 12" of snow on the ground at 6am in the dead of winter. He moved with us to our first apartment, our first house, and our current house and witnessed the birth of both of our children. He was and still is, part of the family. We all still miss him dearly. Best of luck to you and your dog, Ricardo. It's not an easy thing to go through. My prayers will be with you and your family.

[flyer85]

You can say a prayer for my wife. She'll be a basket case. She never "liked dogs" but she was the reason we got him. He has been her lap warmer for the last 13 years.

[SunDeck]

Sorry Ricardo,
I put my old boy down about six months ago, a fourteen year old Retriever. Tough business, my friend.

[Blimpie]

Sorry to hear that Ricardo. A bit of advice: Should that end up being the fate of your pet, you should be prepared to remove all things "doggy' from the house post-haste.

Bowls, chew toys, beds, brushes, etc...gather that stuff up really quickly so that your wife doesn't have the constant reminder.

[BuckWoody]

We had to put our 10-year old lab down in June and it just crushed us. He had bone cancer and we did all we could to get him through it but nothing worked. We knew his time was coming so the last couple of months we never passed up any opportunity we had to give him hugs and tell him what a good boy he was. We stayed with him until the very end. I've never done anything so difficult in my life.

My thoughts and prayers are with you and your wife, Ricardo. Know that you are doing what's best for your dog.

[MartyFan]

Originally Posted by Ricardo Cabesa

You can say a prayer for my wife. She'll be a basket case. She never "liked dogs" but she was the reason we got him. He has been her lap warmer for the last 13 years.

That was me to a T when we had to put one of our dogs down...I grew up never really thinking much about dogs, cats, etc...My wife is an absolute NUT about dogs...Russ was a retired racer and developed brain cancer...he was in bad shape and we had to determine if our continued efforts to keep him around was for us or for him...in the end I ended up A MESS...it was one of the toughest things in my life...I'll be praying for your wife and for you and your daughter.

[Johnny Footstool]

When a pet dies, I think it's best to get a new pet as soon as possible. It helps turn the sadness into something positive.

When my cat died a few years ago, my wife and I and our other cat were miserable for weeks before I finally decided we needed another cat. My wife resisted at first, but it turned out to be the best thing for us.

[flyer85]

Replacing my wife's dog may be complicated. My daughter's dog, a 5 year old Shiba Inu has an extreme dislike of other dogs, save one and he isn't going to be around anymore.

[Red Leader]

Originally Posted by Johnny Footstool

When a pet dies, I think it's best to get a new pet as soon as possible. It helps turn the sadness into something positive.

When my cat died a few years ago, my wife and I and our other cat were miserable for weeks before I finally decided we needed another cat. My wife resisted at first, but it turned out to be the best thing for us.

I've already began searching for a new dog through petfinder.com.

Any other sites that you guys would recommend for the Dayton / Cincinnati area?

Don't want to hi-jack the thread with that...you can PM me if you wish.

[bucksfan]

Originally Posted by Johnny Footstool

When a pet dies, I think it's best to get a new pet as soon as possible. It helps turn the sadness into something positive.

When my cat died a few years ago, my wife and I and our other cat were miserable for weeks before I finally decided we needed another cat. My wife resisted at first, but it turned out to be the best thing for us.

That's what we did too, Johnny. We had about 1 month of no dog time last spring and the house was as empty as a house with a 3 yr old girl could be.

My best wishes to you, your wife, and your dog, Ricardo. We experienced this last spring, and it was sudden as she was only 9 and in extremely good health (to our eyes). I did get all her stuff out of the house immediately - some up to the attic that I thought could logically be used again (more expensive stuff like feeding bowl stand, etc) and other stuff into big garbage bags and into the back of my truck. I was crying the whole time.