<p>Yes, I was in the room when the vet put our dog to sleep 6 years ago. </p>
<p>Here are a few excerpts I wrote in my journal:</p>
<p>Now he can frolic, and bark all he wants (Hawk didn’t bark, but IF he wants to, now he can!).</p>
<p>We were with him. We fed him a chocolate Hagen Dazs ice cream, and the vets bought him a steak sandwich. I held the ice cream bowl for him while he licked at it. As it got low I took a plastic spoon and fed him. He was so into the ice cream treat we heard him crack the spoon. I took it out of his mouth and it was still whole, but on the next scoop we noticed a third of the spoon’s bowl was gone. He’d swallowed it. At first I was aghast, but then we laughed, what are we worrying about? I offered him the sandwich & he snatched it out of my hand, and nearly swallowed it whole! He made us laugh (and cry) right to the end. We took turns feeding him treats they kept bringing, which he’s not been “allowed” to eat for years! He was one fed boy!</p>
<p>The vet waited a long time for us to be “ready”, came in, and dimmed the lights. It was very peaceful, and he was surrounded by love and care. He simply closed his eyes and went to sleep.</p>
<p>Needless to say there wasn’t a dry eye in the room. The vet had to excuse herself she was really losing it. She’s young. Maybe 30. And really adores Hawk. </p>
<p>We will all miss Hawk, but today he was having a “good” day, and that made it a wee bit easier, knowing he wasn’t having a no good, very bad day.</p>
<p>(Oh my, I have to excuse myself and find tissues)</p>
<p>That makes me feel a lot better about my own dog, actually. I couldn’t handle going with my parents to the vet, I was too distraught and my sister couldn’t stay home alone and I didn’t want her to have to go. But I didn’t envision it being that peaceful. Compared to dying “naturally” of serious health conditions, that really sounds so much better for them. I hope Max was relaxed.</p>
<p>Ugh, I think boyfriend is going to have to come over now. I need a hug. :(</p>
<p>TwistedxKiss - I have to admit, it was one of the most peaceful experiences of my life. I was petrified the whole time, right up until the vet lowered the lights. Then I just sat on the floor with my buddy and within seconds he was sleeping. Nothing like my (vivid) imagination had conjured. I am glad I was there because my imagination was wild.</p>
<p>That is such a relief it’s like a weight lifting off my shoulders. I’ve tried not to imagine what it was like when they did it, but considering how sick he was that really doesn’t seem so bad. I never imagined it would be so peaceful. It was definitely the right decision, and I feel like one of the cracks in my heart might have just gone away. <em>Sigh</em> it will get easier and easier with time.</p>
<p>I hope the OP doesn’t feel like we’ve hijacked the thread. This is the first time I’ve been able to talk about Max since it happened. He’d gotten so quiet before he passed, never really got out of bed, never barked anymore, that for the first several weeks it was easy to forget he wasn’t there and we’ve just… ignored it. I’m really glad we had this conversation. I think I needed it.</p>
<p>I’ve had dogs all my life. We lost on of our “babies” when he was three - kidney failure- it was heartbreaking. He was the first one I actually attended his death - I would tell you = do this. It is peaceful, it is heartbreaking. The only thing I regret is not being there with my other dogs. Please do this, you won’t regret it.</p>
<p>I’ve been in this situation a number of times with ailing pets–and in hindsight, I’ve always felt I waited too long. In each case I wished in retrospect that I’d simply arranged a brief, gentle, loving exit for my furry friend, with no more poking, prodding, vet visits or anxiety.</p>
<p>If you’re wondering if it’s time, it probably is.</p>
<p>Speak openly with your vet, express your concerns about pain and see where that conversation leads you.</p>
<p>I did want to add that not all dogs close their eyes and “go to sleep.” At the last minute our dog opened his eyes and his tongue drooped out of his mouth. I knew it was just the muscles relaxing and it didn’t bother any of us but I was surprised and do not want someone else to be surprised. </p>
<p>Our son, who was ten at the time, chose to be with us in the room when our dog was put to sleep but his grandparents sat in the waiting room incase he changed his mind. I recommend allowing children to decide for themselves, with a backup arrangement so that they can always leave the room with no problem.<br>
I wish you the very best as you walk this difficult road.</p>
<p>Twistedx, I went through almost the same thing. My dog was 15 (had her since I was 4) and while she was definitely old and slow, she was fine up until she had a stroke one night. I came home from work one night, and while I knew she was approaching her last days, I wasn’t ready for my parents to tell me it was her time. This stroke left her with half of her body paralyzed, and while she still had an appetite and could go to the bathroom, she had trouble doing so because she would just walk around in circles because she couldn’t move half of her body. It was very sad, and I did not attend her being put down, but I slept with her the night before my dad took her.</p>
<p>I had honestly never dealt with death before this, besides some very old relatives passing peacefully, so that might have been why it was hard for me to come to terms with it at first. I had to leave my house the next day to avoid getting too emotional about it, and helped my friend move into his new apartment. </p>
<p>The only time I’ve ever cried during a movie was during My Dog Skip with Frankie Muniz, because his dog that he grew up with ends up dying while he went off to college, and his dog missed him a lot. I cried because I knew the exact same thing would happen to me.</p>
<p>I’m glad I was at home when she passed, as it was 3 days before I left for school for my sophomore year. Every time I left to go somewhere, she would always sleep in the suitcase I laid out because it smelled like me. She loved our whole family, but she loved me the most, coming to sit on my lap, following me, and sleeping with me over everyone else. She’ll always be the favorite dog I’ve ever had because I grew up alongside her, and she’s been with me through so much. RIP Sunny.</p>
<p>We knew when it was “time” and called the vet to bring Dolly in to them. I asked if we could call them when we arrived and come out to the car since Dolly always got anxious inside the vet’s office. The vet and assistant came out to the car and she peacefully passed in the car in which she loved to ride. Since we bury our pets at home and although hard to do, my son and I dug her grave beforehand which made things so much easier when we got home.</p>
<p>Our beautiful Viszla named Tucker died in 2005 from cancer at age 5; sudden onset, 3 1/2 weeks from symptomatic to death.</p>
<p>We debated whether to put him down after his diagnosis, and followed the advice of “you’ll know when it’s time.” So we enjoyed his last few weeks. The morning of his death he was really slow to get up and go outside, and kept looking up at us in what we thought was a different manner. He didn’t eat, took a sip of water, but clearly had made some adjustment to his situation. Later that AM he laid down and died peacefully. So his last gift to us was sparing us from the difficulty of taking him to the vet’s for the final time. </p>
<p>So hang in there; either you will know or your pet will know.</p>
<p>We lost our wonderful yellow lab to cancer a few years ago. She had been through one surgery and it came back. I absolutely knew when it was time to take her to the vet for the last time. I came into the kitchen where she slept on her dog bed and as she struggled to her feet, I saw nothing in her eyes. When I rubbed her head there was no tail wag. It was like she was already gone.</p>
<p>We had two elderly cats who died a few years ago.
They had been with our family for over twenty years- one cat had been on sub-q fluids and I had to take her to the vet to have her helped to rest.
While we were all able to be present for that- we still were not able to deal with her burial right away, so I put her in the freezer until we could finish her box and prepare the memorial.
The other kitty,died outside, I had heard her in the night, but I thought she was in the house. However, I dont think she was in pain- she also had to go into the freezer until my oldest daughter came home from college.</p>
<p>I think it is getting pretty close for our lab- she seems pretty lethargic, although she still eats fairly well ( but she is getting more and more picky- we had been giving her fresh dog food that she enjoyed, but now she says " I never liked that- you made me eat it* so it is back to canned- it is smellier )and likes to roll in her grass. ( I ripped up all our sod a while ago, however one neighbor takes better care of her grass than all the other neighbors put together! and that is where she likes to throw herself down and roll to and fro. )</p>
<p>We actually brought our dear canine friend to the vet today. We brought her to her favorite park last night, and she just stood there frightened – not at all like the night before. For the first time this morning before we called, I could see she was uncomfortable and scared, so the timing was definitely not too soon. I decided if I had to choose a deed, I’d rather feel like an executioner than a torturer! I hoped I was doing the loving thing, and had not waited too long. </p>
<p>Very very hard. She slept soundly through the night, and I do feel it was better than to see her get worse, or have an emergency crisis. My only regret is that we didn’t have someone come to the home. A different vet at the clinic said she would be willing, but she was not on duty today, and I was concerned to wait through the weekend. We previously discussed going to the office in case there were any problems, but as a result she was agitated and fought everything. I need to concentrate on all the good times. I know it will just take time.
Thanks for all the advice and empathy posted!!!</p>
and that is where she likes to throw herself down and roll to and fro. )</p>