thanks for posting that... I remember seeing that here and I could never read it without crying. But now that I am at this point it makes perfect sense and understand it deeper now.

Feel your pain. Put our 16 year old girl down not long ago. Better to not see them suffer. I probably waited too long which I have some regrets. Know you're doing the right thing, focus on all the good memories, and take comfort that they'll be in Peace and lived a good life they only have you to thank for.

Thank you for sharing your experience with me. I am sorry you had to go through that. I have been struggling with the thought of should I fight it but I would rather have Ripley pass in my arms in the home she loves than go to bed every night worried I might have to make a visit to an emergency vet in the middle of the night.

Thank you for encouraging me and letting me know I am doing the right thing

Very sorry to hear this. Pets are family, and it's an indescribable level of hurt when we have to say goodbye to them.

I may be in the minority here, but I find the grief of losing our dogs more difficult to work through than the grief from when our human loved ones pass.

Ghost of Bisbee said:

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Very sorry to hear this. Pets are family, and it's an indescribable level of hurt when we have to say goodbye to them.

I may be in the minority here, but I find the grief of losing our dogs more difficult to work through than the grief from when our human loved ones pass.

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I believe this very much. I think the pain comes from the fact we have to make choices for them. I have lost family members and friends who chose to go into hospice so I know they went out on their own terms. After each one of these losses we all got together and had a funeral and spent time sharing stories about them and we could all lean on each other.

With pets its just your immediate family and you second guess every decision you have ever made. I am thinking "maybe if we did this medication instead of that" or "what if I asked the vet to run this test 6 months ago" or "why didn't I go to the vet when I noticed [xyz]".

Comparing that to a human death, I remember meeting people my age at my mom's funeral who were crying about her death because she was their mentor at work. I had never even heard my mom talk about these people and she was that important to their life! It really made me feel like the suffering was shared and wasn't just my loss and honestly helped me a lot.

Really sorry to hear this. Write down all the good memories. All your favorite things. Helps commit them to memory. You will get over this, but remembering the good will help moving on from the hurt.

Thank you for the kind words...

I have hundreds of photos of her on my google photo account and my wife has equally as many on her apple account. I plan to buy a photo album and have a bunch printed out and put them in chronologic order and write down when/where/etc next to each one so when I feel alone I can flip through that and remember all the good times.

permabull said:

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My precious little Ripley is scheduled for an in-home euthanasia for tomorrow at 5pm. She is just of 9 years old but I only had her for 7. I know I am doing the humane thing as she suffers from multiple endocrine diseases that has severely impacted her quality of life and we can tell her kidney functions are quickly deteriorating.

She was my first dog I had where I was the primary caregiver so I am feeling waves and waves of emotions I have never had to deal with. If you have a dog, please give them an extra little treat today to honor Ripley. It would me a lot to me if you did.

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Good for you for doing it in-home. I know it's way more expensive, but so worth it. In 2019, our Golden Retriever suffered a ruptured tumor on the lining of her heart, spent the night in a strange, unfamiliar 24-hour dog ER, then died within about 20 seconds of us getting to her side at the vet the next day. Being handed her crate, collar, and leash as we left the building through a side door so the other pet owners didn't see us really soured us.

In November 2022, we went with the in-home option for our beloved Regal Beagle, who lived to be 16 and was on pain meds for several years, but his body was giving out. The last day was odd in certain stretches and made us really doubt our decision a lot, but being there to hold and love him made a huge difference and felt like the kind of commitment that lets a dog leave this earth knowing without a doubt in their minds that they are loved.

thank you for sharing your experience with me, its extremely helpful in shaping my decision

Hang in there. It's hard. We're all thinking of you, and know you are doing the right thing.

Keeping you my thoughts, I know it's a gut wrenching call even when you're absolutely sure it's time. We sadly had to make that decision yesterday for our good boy who was about the same age as your Ripley. Needless to say it's been a pretty rough Mother's Day over here.

I hope that you are able to make the most out of the time you have left with your good girl, full of treats and pets and scratches behind the ears, and most of all, love! You'll be in my thoughts.

This is saddening to me because I know the feeling so well. The memories of fun times and silly things Ripley did will remain with you. Ripley was has been truly blessed to be your pup!

Thank you brother, I am so sorry you had to go through this as well. I wouldn't wish it on anyone.

The Chicken Ranch said:

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Hang in there. It's hard. We're all thinking of you, and know you are doing the right thing.

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I appreciate it. Really feeling the Aggie family love today

Dice said:

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This is saddening to me because I know the feeling so well. The memories of fun times and silly things Ripley did will remain with you. Ripley was has been truly blessed to be your pup!

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Thanks man... she had a so so day today but is getting a little pep this evening (it probably helped we came home with take out from Gloria's) so she is still making some fun memories for us. I don't plan to leave the house until after the procedure tomorrow so it was a perfect final greeting for us from her.

My wife's dog passed out last week and my wife was inconsolable while I tried to get her back up. Found out she has a collapsing trachea that gives her issues breathing sometimes. Her liver enzymes were up as well on the blood work. She's 14, but still active. Runs around, walks, appetite still there and she seems generally very happy. But now my wife is really worried and stressing over her.

Have no plans to do anything currently since her quality of life still seems good, but I'm worried about my wife and how she'll handle it when the time comes.

Just pray we can give her the best life possible till it comes

I trust you will be with her until the very end?

Your know when it is time, and you're doing the right thing. It's always hard because you're never sure you're right with the time and it's final, but it's the best end to giving them a good and happy life. We lost one of ours a few weeks ago, and you have my sympathies. Enjoy the time you have and think on good memories.

permabull said:

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My precious little Ripley is scheduled for an in-home euthanasia for tomorrow at 5pm. She is just of 9 years old but I only had her for 7. I know I am doing the humane thing as she suffers from multiple endocrine diseases that has severely impacted her quality of life and we can tell her kidney functions are quickly deteriorating.

She was my first dog I had where I was the primary caregiver so I am feeling waves and waves of emotions I have never had to deal with. If you have a dog, please give them an extra little treat today to honor Ripley. It would me a lot to me if you did.

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4 treats lined up for my fur babies, in honor of Ripley.

I'm sorry to hear about Ripley. Your decision to have the vet come to the house is a good one. We did that for the first time just a couple years ago... and it was very peaceful (and only an extra $100).

Hang in there. I'll be thinking of you today.

I'm so sorry, man. Losing a dog you love is like losing a part of yourself. I'm sure Ripley was so lucky to have you to share her life with. And when she goes, you'll be the last thing she'll see and smell and know you're there, and she can think one more time of how lucky she is. Thanks for being a great dog owner.

I'm so sorry, Perma. It's one of the hardest losses to go through because they solely depend on us. Ripley had no doubt of your love for her. When I go home for lunch today, my Doberman, Ziva will definitely be getting an extra treat in her honor. And a little extra play time too.

I sat on the porch and shared a sandwich on our dog's last day. We never gave her people food but figured why not. Broke down horribly in that moment. So sorry you and your pup have to go through this. Gonna be a tough day.

permabull said:

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Thank you to everyone for your support. I am very much in a state of grief and knowing there are others thinking about us means more than I ever thought possible. Ripley is resting comfortably but I can tell her condition is still declining from day to day so I'll be keeping the 5pm appointment. I was so blessed to have one final weekend with her and I still have a few more hours to tell her how much I love her.

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Don't feel the need to post here until you feel like it.

The thing that kept us going was the fact that if we didn't pick a time, we were going to run the risk of Regal really suffering, or collapsing when no one was home, or having his tumor burst in the middle of the night. He was the best Beagle boy you'd ever want to know, and there was no way we could let him suffer like that. When it's over, especially after you get some sleep, I suspect you feel a lot more peace and know it was the best gift you could give an old friend at the end of the road.

permabull said:

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Tanker123 said:

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I trust you will be with her until the very end?

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Yes, we left the house for last time and are now going to be here until after the procedure.

We are watching Aliens now, need to remind her of the bad ass I named her after.

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Good man. I watched a poignant video of a vet who spoke about dog owners who refused to accompany their dogs when they take their last breath. He said that's when the dogs need their owner the most. That made a lot of sense.

I have white huskies and consider them the embodiment of love and can't imagine life without them. I am sorry for your loss.

Tanker123 said:

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permabull said:

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Tanker123 said:

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I trust you will be with her until the very end?

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Yes, we left the house for last time and are now going to be here until after the procedure.

We are watching Aliens now, need to remind her of the bad ass I named her after.

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Good man. I watched a poignant video of a vet who spoke about dog owners who refused to accompany their dogs when they take their last breath. He said that's when the dogs need their owner the most. That made a lot of sense.

I have white huskies and consider them the embodiment of love and can't imagine life without them. I am sorry for your loss.

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I read JP 3.0 Joint Operations for fun.

Thinking about you, Perma.

I am really sorry to hear about your pup. It truly is one of the hardest things we ever have to do. I also send that graphic that Maroon shared when someone goes through this (mostly on FB). I cannot ever read it without crying.

Just know you are doing the right thing even though it is hard. Hang in there.

Very sorry to hear about your loss. We used one of the in home euthanasia services that I will forever be grateful for. I was able to spend 13 years with my best friend from Brentwood in college station all the way to my career in San Antonio. I can not recommend a service or company more than I can Lap of Love. The vet was beyond compassionate and caring and spent well over almost 2 hours with us. Prayers sent!