# How can I put my dog down at home?



## ma23peas (Aug 12, 2008)

First, we have tried everything, 6 vet visits (2 separate clinics in the past 4 weeks)...we think it started out from a brown recluse bite that instead of leading to necrotic tissue entered her blood stream and attacked her organs and nervous system. She is 15.5 years old and usually weighs about 50 pounds, I think she's down to 40 or less at this point. We took her back to the vet last Friday and she was having an "attack"...the blood work showed her hematocrit was 9%....he said she could go in a few hours. His best guess is that she has some sort of cancer or damage from the spider bite that is causing internal bleeding and there's nothing we can do for her, she's too weak/old for surgery and he suggested we put her down. She rebounded over the weekend and actually could stand again and ate some good home cooking, wouldn't touch her dog food...(nutramax)...but today we can tell by her gums/coloring (pale almost white) that she's having an attack...she hasn't urinated since 6am this morning (it's now 8pm) she's drinking a lot but I'm afraid it's her body's attempt to do something...I carried her outside to see if she could pee but she just collapsed...we have a bowl of water next to her and she's drinking it all up..other than her weakness she is not in pain..but I just don't want to put her to sleep in a vet's office, we'd like for her to pass at home and I've never had to do this. The doctor gave me a prescription of tramadol and said, there's no need to worry about dosing, just give her as many as I want...I think he was hinting that this would ease her out...but I know professionally he can't make that claim and I wondered if anyone here knew anything about tramadol and if it might help her....he said with anemia as bad as hers that she will struggle for air in the end and it will be a bad scene...part of me just wants her to rest...

Believe me, we've done the world for her and she's been the world to us...she's saved us on several occasions...she was attacked by a doberman while my 10 year old son was walking her on a leash, she tore all her ligaments and required a TPLO procedure ($2500) and we succeeded in taking the owners to court to pay for it...then we were on a walking trail and 3 wild dogs (one bull mastiff and 2 chows) attacked her...she fended them off at age 13 and required 192 stitches/shunts/you name it, it was horrible...she's hung on and I just can't see her suffer....any tips? 

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## Mdawn (Mar 3, 2007)

I'm so sorry for what you are going through. 

Have you asked your vet about making a home visit to put her to sleep? I have done this before in the past and my vet was happy to do it. I was of the same mind that you are: I wanted my dog to pass at home and not in a strange vets office where he'd be scared and out of sorts. I wanted it to be as peaceful as possible. In the end, my dog passed on his own when the vet was in route to my house to put him to sleep. 

It is one option that you could try.

Again, I'm so sorry that you are going through this. She sounds like she is a great dog.


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## RRM_Mom08 (May 5, 2008)

I suggest if you want to put her to sleep to go to a vet and have them put her down.I would not suggest useing pills of anything else..


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## LittleFr0g (Jun 11, 2007)

I'm so sorry for what you're going through. I know how incredibly difficult it is to make that decision for your dog. It sounds like the kindest thing for her in this situation though. I agree with Mdawn, I'd ask my vet if he would be willing to make a home visit to put your girl to sleep, I know some vets are willing to do this for their clients.


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## Jumpshorsez (Jul 26, 2008)

I'm here to agree with everyone else. You say you want her to go peacefully and not scared, but doing it at home is very unfair to her. It sounds like she's not moving around or anything. Carry her into the vet's office on a nice comfy blanket and let it be done right. They feel no pain, only the prick of the needle. One of our doctors will make house calls.


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## ma23peas (Aug 12, 2008)

Thanks so much! I will check and see if they will do a home visit tomorrow...I've been very disillusioned with the vets of late, my usual vet is a wonderful man but guessing at everything that was happening to our dog, the first vet thought it was her heart, I had to take her there because I thought she wouldn't last much more than an hour (that was 4 weeks ago) and I told them about the brown recluse but they dismissed it and assumed it had to be her heart, they took one x-ray of her heart and it showed a perfectly normal heart, then they proceeded to take 4 other x-rays of her heart..a reasonable vet would have stopped at just one and gone to another angle for diagnosis, but they decided to run up over $300 of x-rays for a healthy heart. So, I took her to my normal vet (we had just moved so it was a 30 mile drive to our usual vet and I thought it was an acute situation so I went to the closest one)..the first clinic wouldn't allow me copies of my x-rays so atleast we wouldn't have to go through that again...long story, but my regular vet thought it was epilepsy...now he's agreeing that it was most likely instigated by the brown recluse bite (no one would believe me even though I found the brown recluse half curled up right next to her bed and showed them the bite area...but they all assumed brown recluse only cause necrotic injuries, after research I had to do I found that it will attack the organs and nervous system, accounting for her seizures and anemia....) If they had just given me the antibiotics from day one instead of day 7, we might have saved her a lot of internal damage....so needless to say I am not very keen on my vets right now....I've gone through a hefty vet bill, numerous blood samples to just confirm what I told them on day one. 
But, if I can find any vet that will come to the house I will try!
Thanks!!

Tara


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## Mdawn (Mar 3, 2007)

Please keep us updated about your girl. Again, I am really sorry that this is happening to you and to her. 

Your vet is right that it isn't a good sight to watch your dog die naturally. It's isn't easy for them and doesn't always happen quickly. It can really be undignified for them. I watched my Golden die naturally and its something I wish I never have to witness again. He was a great dog and didn't deserve to die that way. So, please, if you are unable to find a vet that will make a house call, then still consider taking her into a vets office to have it done. It would be preferable to the alternative and it will be over quickly.

I'll keep you in my thoughts...


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## cmburch (Jul 28, 2008)

A few years ago my Bud, Flat-coated Retriever had kidney failure. I was giving IVs at home, made a harness for his failed rear legs, and was hand feeding him. He went downhill in less than 2 days. I first tried ether to make him fall asleep then the overdose to displace oxygen. I could not do it. I also thought about CO2 gas. I could not dig a hole for him before was dead, I was so upset. I carried him on his dog bed to the Humane Society and he was given sodium pentothal. A little to make him sleep then an overdose. They had small comfortable private rooms that had easy access from my car. I still could not dig a hole for him, so I had him cremated.


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## spotted nikes (Feb 7, 2008)

If you can't find a vet to come to your home, then, many will let the dog stay in the car, and come do it out there, in the vet's parking lot. It's good for dogs that stress out walking into the vet's office.

Please don't try to euth/od it yourself. Also natural deaths can be painful/stressful/and drawn out so the dog suffers at the end.


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## BoxMeIn21 (Apr 10, 2007)

My heart goes out to you.  I dont have any other advice to add, I am so sorry you have to deal with this, it's never easy.


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## cshellenberger (Dec 2, 2006)

Look for vets that work with large animals as well as dogs and cats, they will usually do home visits for things like this.


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## Shalva (Mar 23, 2007)

almost all of the vets in this area will do house calls for situations like this..... I would call around and see what the vets say


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## ma23peas (Aug 12, 2008)

We took her in today, she had not passed urine in over 24 hours and was drinking quite a bit, I was afraid she would get into more pain from drinking so much and not having her kidneys working. I chose a different vet and I think that helped so that I didn't have the bad feelings from the first one I went to...it was only $25 for the euthansia...the only thing I would do differently is have a two step, I would prefer to put the animal to sleep first and then wait five minutes and do the final shot. It happened literally within 3 seconds of them putting the shot into her...I am always erring on the side of complete compassion and know that they can see/hear things for up to 2 minutes after their heart stops beating...I hated that she had to hear us all crying and sad...I would rather give her a good hug and know that she was asleep when it happened. That's just me, I guess. We're all a sad bunch today.

Thanks everyone!
Tara


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## digits mama (Jun 13, 2007)

Tara...

My heart goes out to you.

She is finally at peace.


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## MarleysGirl (Apr 11, 2008)

Im so sorry for your loss. Take comfort in knowing you did her a favor. Shes not suffering. my thoughts are with you.


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## Patt (Feb 12, 2008)

I am so sorry. I will light a candle for her journey to the Bridge. Many hugs.

www.rainbowsbridge.com



p.s. Please know you did the right thing for her with no tranquilzer before hand. This can back fire and put the animal in more stress.... this happened to me and it was not good.


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## kimel (Jul 9, 2008)

We had to do this for our Maggie in early June. Our vet, who is a long time friend of the family, came by and we sat in the front yard and told stories and then said goodbye.

My heart goes out to and your family.


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