Putting your dog to sleep is one of the most painful decisions you’ll ever make, and you have every right to be emotional and even snippy. I really am glad you spoke your mind.

I wish you all the best at the vet – maybe it is something that can be adjusted? When you mentioned the shoulder/neck area, I thought of a chiropractic adjustment…but of course the problem is that you don’t want to experiment on your dog unless you’re reasonably sure the treatment will be effective!

I hope you let me know how things are going, and what you decided to do about Emmie.

All good things,
Laurie

I’m sorry I wasn’t able to respond as quickly as you would’ve liked, and hope you were able to find a site that can give you what you need.

One thing I’d consider is what the veterinarian who examined Emmie said. I know the other vet said she could recover fully, but he didn’t actually examine her in person. Theoretically, dogs can recover from many illnesses…but each individual dog’s illness is different, and requires a personal assessment.

I think it’s important to tease out the difference between keeping Emmie alive because you’re not ready to say good-bye, and keeping her alive because there’s a strong possibility that she’ll recover fully.

I totally get it, though. My dog Georgie is 3 years old, and it breaks my heart to think that she could be facing death in a year! But if she was in pain, I’d let her go. I don’t believe there is pain or suffering in death – I believe our animals go to Heaven and live a sweet afterlife.

I’m sorry I can’t be more helpful. I wish I could give you the answers you’re looking for — as quickly as you want them! All I can do is encourage you to trust your gut instincts, listen objectively to the vet’s advice, and above all trust your dog to tell you if she’s ready to leave our earth.

Blessings,
Laurie

I have heard from a co-worker whose husband is a retired vet that there is hope for a full recovery since she has come this far….and Lord knows I love this little girl. She is not ur typical chihuahua….even the vet says she has never seen a chi as loving and happy as my Emmie.

Am I cruel to keep trying? Am I wrong to think of having her put to sleep. I don’t want her to go …. I am not ready; I love her so much, but there is no guarantee that the pain will go away.

Please pray for my Emmie and for me….right now the pain meds have kicked in and I am going to let her out of her crate (lol….it’s more like a condo) for her to walk around and play with her ball. No running! Just a 2 foot roll for her to stop it and look up at me with those beautiful brown eyes asking me to roll her ball again.

I am so sorry that your veterinarian wants to do anything and everything to prolong your dog’s life! I knew a vet like that – he was our only option in a small town – and our community was very upset with him. All he cared about was surgeries, medications, treatments — he refused to let our pets die naturally, when they were ready. We – everyone in the community – had to travel to a different town to get proper veterinary care if we believed our animals were ready to go.

I encourage you to get a second opinion from another veterinarian.

More importantly, I urge you to trust your gut instincts!! I recently quoted a veterinarian who said that she thinks it’s terrible that pet owners make vets decide when it’s time to put their dogs or cats to sleep. She said we as pet owners know our pets far better than vets do, and we have a better sense of when it’s time for them to go.

That said, however, we pet owners don’t want to make the decision to end our pet’s life! It’s horrible to have to decide that it’s time for them to die.

But, that decision is often the kindest, most loving last thing we do for our pets. Putting an older dog through surgeries, meds, treatments — I think it’s a travesty. I believe there comes a time when it’s far better to say good-bye with peace and love, instead of prolonging life at all costs. But I believe in Heaven for pets, and that makes it easier for me to let them go.

My heart goes out to you, and I wish you didn’t have to make this decision. I wish your vet was more supportive.

I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers, and hope you’re able to make a decision that makes you feel better about your dog’s life. Please feel free to come back anytime, and update us.

Blessings,
Laurie

LisaFaye, I think you’re right — often when we write the facts and feelings about deciding to put our dogs down, we see the answer clearly.

I hope you’re doing well, and feel like you’ve made the right decision for your dog. But as Jeanette said, it’ll still be heartbreaking when we go home without our dogs

Doing the right thing isn’t easy.