General Procedure For Euthanasia?

[Tracey]

Even though I've had pets literally all my life, I've never seen one euthanized before yesterday. When I was a kid, I wasn't present when it happened. When we had to put our Beagle Nigel to sleep yesterday I guess I was under the impression they usually give them some sort of sedative first? I thought I even remembered the vet mentioning it, but given my mental state at the time I'm really not sure what I heard or thought I heard.

 

Anyway, there was no sedative and the images in my mind of how the whole thing played out have me overwrought and wracked with guilt. I'm trying not to obsess about it, but the whole thing was very ugly. It was so far from the peaceful ending I wanted for him and I find myself crying for the fear and discomfort he felt at the end even more than I do his leaving us.

 

Knowing that with four other dogs in our family we will likely face this situation again, I guess I'd like to know well ahead of time what I can do (insist that the vet do) to make this less traumatic for my other furry family members when their time comes? Thanks.

Edited September 16, 2008 by Tracey

[CleosMom]

I'm sorry to hear about your recent loss.

 

We recently lost two of our family cats. Both had been with me for 18+ years so I insisted on being present at the end. Bonnie was at the e-vet. And it wasn't pleasant. She did receive a sedative before the final shot but it was all very rushed and I wasn't comfortable.

 

Clyde went with our vet and was a completely different experience. The sedative was administered, Clyde went to sleep and I was left alone with Clyde to spend a few moments with him. The vet and nurse returned and the final shot was administered.

 

I'm sorry your experience was terrible. That's not something you need to deal with at this time.

[Hubcitypam]

I am so sorry that Nigels passing was not peaceful.

I think it depends on the vet. When Rex went to the bridge my vet asked if I wanted sedation first and I said yes, but I know vets that swear by one shot and say that the sedation shot is usually not administered far enough in advance to do any good. With Rex they put in an IV then administered the two drugs through that and I think that made things a bit easier on all of us. Axel my yorkie had two shots.

Just some thoughts.

[Remolacha]

When I lost Sugar this summer, and my cat Richard a year ago, my vet did not administer a sedative first. My understanding is that The Shot is essentially an overdose of sedative. At any rate, other than a bit of a struggle to get Sugar to lie down (she never lay down outside the house unless her back end was too weak to support her), both passings were very peaceful. I am sorry your experience with Nigel was distressing. Well, more distressing than losing a loved pet.

[jenners]

I've been present for the euthanising of many small pets (hedgehogs, other small mammals) and birds (large raptors) and in every case, the animals were given gas until completely asleep and not feeling anything, then given the barbiturate via either a vessel (like starting an IV), an injection directly into the heart, or into the peritoneal cavity. The latter 2 would not be best for a large pet such as a dog, but I don't see why gas and then an IV barbiturate wouldn't be the standard for a large animal. It's usually peaceful and calm, they simply breathe through a mask until asleep.

 

I hope others post on this as well, since I wonder what less than kind and peaceful ways are being used?

 

for you in your loss and bad experience, sweetie.

 

Jennifer

[Guest Becki]

For Murph, he was given a sedative and was dozing when the final shot was administered. It wasn't rushed and was very peaceful. I am sorry your (and Nigel's) experience wasn't better.

[CaliforniaGreys]

Oh Tracey, I'm so sorry. All I can tell you that I've been through it more times than I care to count. My vet has never used a sedative first and I saw no discomfort as att. And believe me, I was looking for it.Someone once told me it depends on the dog, and someone also said it depends on how ready the dog is to go. Don't know if any of that is true. You'll be in our thoughts, and I'm so sorry for your loss. I think about your in-laws ever time I drive by their vet's office.

[Finnsliz]

I was asked if I wanted to have a sedative administered first. Finn was so relaxed at the vet that I opted for no sedative. He passed very quickly and peacefully. I'm so sorry you had such a horrible experience.

[greypuppyluv]

My vet has always administered a sedative first. I'm sorry you had such a bad experience with Nigel's passing.

[dmswartzfager]

We have mostly cats and dogs at our practice, and a sedative is ALWAYS administered first - and it can be administered IM (intramuscular) or IV depending on how quickly the client wants their pet to fall asleep. We then leave the client alone and ask them to knock on their door when they're ready for the vet and the final injection - the nurse's job is to sit outside that door and wait - she is not to be pulled in to any other jobs. The vet and nurse then go back in and stay until the vet pronounces the pet dead. The final injection is given IV.

 

We do warn the clients about possible seizures and other complications before we start the sedative so the family can make a decision as to whether to remain with their pet.

 

Eventually, we want to have a "bereavement room" that is more comfortable, more home-like, that would be used for euthanasia appointments.

 

But yeah, it sucks when it's not peaceful. Our boy Tyler fought the sedative and had to be given more - he just would not fall asleep - and it sucked because we had decided to put him to sleep before he broke his leg, or basically, while he was still relatively healthy. (He had a non-osteo bone tumor in his leg - the orthopedist at Ohio State said he was in danger of breaking his leg at any time, but other than a slight involvement of his spleen and lymph system and the still relatively low-level of pain that was controlled by medications, he was feeling okay.)

[Guest Cris_M]

I am so sorry that Nigel's death was difficult.

 

I've been with several animals during euthanasia. None of them was sedated beforehand. Reading things on this board, I was becoming convinced that this was against the norm -- even though a variety of vets over many years did the same thing for us. For me, it is actually a bit of a relief to know that other vets do the same thing.

 

How your animal feels about being at the vet for anything, how nervous/anxious you are, and how attached the two of you are all make a big difference. My pets who didn't like being at the vet's were reasonably anxious beforehand. I learned early that I needed to be calm. Each death hurt me, but each was pretty quiet.

 

Until Gabriel. He loved the vet's and they all loved him. He was comfortable there, I was calm -- it was the right time for the right reasons -- and he looked at me the whole time while I talked to him. He had just a glimmer of "What's happening?", and, because he was my heart dog, that just went right through me. It has taken a long time to get over that and to remember all the good things about how he died.

 

I hope that, as time goes on, you will be able to put this bad experience behind you -- and, I do get that your experience was much worse than mine. Rest in the fact that Nigel is in a better place where he is free from pain and happy. Feel the sorrow and anger, but remember the wonderful things about your relationship, too. Eventually, a balance will be struck.

 

 

[jenn8]

When I had Bullet put to sleep, I was alittle surprised when a technician came into the waiting room to take him first, without me. I immediately said that I wanted to be with him and the tech said he was only going to put the catheter in. I cannot tell you how difficult it was for me to sit there waiting while they did this. Finally, they had me come into the room and I asked the vet what the catheter was for. He said it was necessary for the solution to be administered directly into the vein. There was no sedative and it appeared that he passed away pretty easily without any pain.

 

The one thing that bothers me a little about this was the possibility that inserting the catheter can be quite painful and that is probably the reason they did it without me being in there. Does anyone know it this is true? The pain I mean.

 

And I am sorry to hear that you had the bad experience. Try to focus on the fact that it's over. To put it into perspective, just imagine the last time you were in pain, like a broken leg or something. Does it bother you now? Heck no. It's in the past and you aren't feeling bad about it at all, right?

 

I hope that helped.

 

Jenn

Edited September 17, 2008 by jenn8

[GeorgeofNE]

My Kramer had a sedative--he was so gassed up from being at the vet I almost thought it was mistake putting him down (painful malignant tumor, refused to eat, etc.). Once he was sedated, it did PLENTY of good--he almost fell over in fact, but I was able to pull him onto my lap, and the vet and I sat there on the floor with him sobbing, and she asked me to tell her when I was ready, and then she gave him the second shot through the catheter she had already in place. It was VERY peaceful. In fact it was as if a bubble of pain burst from both of us.

 

We had a horse put down, and it was so horrible my mother actually screamed. They gave her a MASSIVE dose of whatever, and she literally fell over dead. Poor Mom. She loved that horse--I wasn't there for that one, thank goodness.

 

I am sorry for your loss. Just writing this made me bawl like a baby over my own.

[Guest Pipi5]

I'm so sorry about this. I've never mentioned it because I felt like it was private. My vet gives 2 shots, one to make them sleepy, then another shot.

Edited September 16, 2008 by Pipi5

[RobinM]

For Murph, he was given a sedative and was dozing when the final shot was administered. It wasn't rushed and was very peaceful. I am sorry your (and Nigel's) experience wasn't better.

 

For the passing of my 2 kitties, this was how it was done as well.

 

Hugs to you.

[Guest HeatherDemps]

I'm not sure what the drugs were that were used with Dempsey but I know that there were two separate ones. He had a catheter in his back leg when they brought him back into the room. They had his collar laying next to him and that about sent me over the edge... I just think when it comes to this, there are so many aspects of it that are so upsetting and difficult.... We were not at our regular vet clinic, so that alone made it more uncomfortable. The first injection pretty much knocked him out and then the second one stopped his heart. I wasn't able to pay a lot of attention to what the doctors had told me beforehand so I discussed it the next day with one of our vets. He explained to me that the first shot pretty much shuts down the brain and that once that took effect, Dempsey was essentially "gone".

 

It was not a "calm" experience for us because Dempsey was so worked up- he was in pain and probably scared beyond belief. Although Dempsey calmed down quickly once the shot was given, the whole experience was not peaceful the way I had always imagined.

 

I'm sorry that you are going through this now and wish I could offer comfort or wisdom....

 

Heather

[Guest LindsaySF]

I'm sorry it wasn't peaceful. Sometimes it turns out that way.

 

I have put many animals to sleep. My own, as well as assisting when I was a vet tech.

 

It depends on the vet, some give sedatives every time. Usually, for aggressive or hard to handle animals, a sedative is given first. For calm and non-aggressive animals, no sedative is necessary. The euthanasia solution is essentially an overdose of sedative, like someone else said, so if the shot can be given without a struggle usually everything is ok. If the dog is afraid of the vet, does not like getting shots, etc, they give a sedative first.

 

Sometimes small animals are "taken in back" and an IV catheter is inserted. That way once they are with the owners again, the vet knows they will be injecting into the right place and won't miss the vein. My ferret was PTS this way (he had cancer) and I hated it. Waiting for him to come back, knowing that they had to gas him a bit and hold him down to get the catheter in, that disturbed me. Jenn, I do think it hurts a little for the catheter to go in, just like getting a shot hurts at first. My ferret Harley seemed fine when he came back out though, he even walked on that leg.

 

The other way to put down small animals is to inject directly into the heart. That is very disturbing for some owners to witness though, which is why it is not that common. They usually do the catheter instead.

 

My dog Nicki (GSD/Chow mix) was acting aggressive with the vet techs at the end, and they were struggling to get a catheter into her back leg. I was too distraught at the time to think much of what was going on, but looking back on it I should have requested a sedative, and skip that whole catheter thing. I think her last moments were spent in fear of the techs handling her, and that is not what I wanted for her.

 

 

 

 

 

~Lindsay~

 

[Guest silverjen]

I was there for the whole thing, with Sam. The catheter seemed quite painless. It looked no worse than having a nurse put a needle in your arm to draw blood. So please don't worry on that account.

Sam had an IM sedative, and then the barbituate via catheter. She was actually calmer before the sedative; I think it made her feel unsettled. It was a very peaceful passing. She walked right into the room, lay down on the blankets that were laid out, and gave me her paw to hold. She was clearly ready, but dear doG I miss her.

 

I'm so sorry about Nigel.

[Batmom]

My vets' normal procedure is to place a catheter, give a sedative when owner is ready, and then -- again, when owner is ready -- give the drug that stops the heart. For Batman, who was able to walk into the vet under his own steam and wag his tail at everybody, things were very peaceful. It took a long time for his heart to stop -- tough old booger, despite his illness.

 

I don't know what the procedure is if the animal is in severe pain. Would some vets perhaps expedite things in that case?

 

I would also expect -- as some have mentioned already -- that sometimes the process is disturbing no matter what the vet does. I do know that when Joseph went to have his neuter, the vet could NOT get him under by injection and had to mask him down with gas.

 

I'm sorry your experience with Nigel wasn't peaceful. Sending big fat warm hugs.

[Guest StriderDog]

I remember only one injection when my mom's heart dog, Kippy, was sent to the bridge.

 

I do know, however, that depending on the solution used (I think it's the ketamine that causes this), there are sometimes muscle reactions (moaning, thrashing) that look scary, but the animal has already lost consciousness and are not experiencing their own violent reactions.

 

 

[Guest EmilyAnne]

Susan (Jumping George) said,

"In fact it was as if a bubble of pain burst from both of us."

 

I can so relate.

 

I always think of it this way, when they are being euthanized, they are experiencing a healing. They have souls, that live on forever. One day their bodies can't take anymore, and their souls need to be freed of their painful bodies. Souls never die, only bodies.

 

It just stinks though, that their physical lives on earth are so short compared to ours.

 

 

 

[Guest DeweytheGreyt]

With my bridge kitty, Baby, there were two shots. The vet came to our home. Because he was so dehydrated at the time, the vet opted to give the injections in Baby's abdomen. The first shot made him cry. He then relaxed and layed in my lap. When I was ready the vet gave the second shot. He just slipped away. The feeling of life leaving his body is one that I will never forget.

 

With our bridge kitty Sammie, it was a bit different. We had it done at our vet. She HATED being at the vet. Growled and hissed almost the entire time. They gave her the first shot and she continued to growl. I moved around the table so she could see me. She meowed one final time and then just watched me. When they gave her the second shot she just let go.

 

I miss them both so very much. Letting them go was the HARDEST thing I have ever had to do as an adult. When it is time for the hounds to leave us, I imagine it will be that much harder. I will however, opt to have it done at home whenever possible. Baby was so much more relaxed being in his home than Sammie was in the end at the vet's office.

[Fudge]

PLEASE, try not to beat yourself up about this....that was NOT your fault how things went. I know there will come a time when you will remember how wonderful a relationship you and Nigel had and Nigel, well dogs forgive us for EVERYTHING (things we didn't mean to happen and even things people do on purpose) that is why they are so wonderful

 

 

[Guest kellybrown]

I'm pretty sure the vet did two shots. I don't remember any cathedars. I just remember I had my hands on Dixie's chest and as soon as the second shot was administered, I felt her heart stop immediately. It was very peaceful. She was very close to death before I got there, the vet said she felt cold.

[Guest suzye]

Jazz only got 1 shot, but but she was already completely calm and not moving much. I had to wake her to spend a few minutes with her before the vet arrived. She still had a catheter in her leg from being at the vet the previous day, so the vet checked that the vein was still good, and he only gave her one shot. The most disturbing part of the whole thing, other than my breaking heart, was when she took not 1 but 2 breaths after her heart stopped. It happened longer after her heart stopped than it normally does. The vet said sometimes it works that way in heart compromised dogs (she was 13 and had been treated for heartworms at 5 1/2). I guess he forgot to warn us about that part (and apologized immediately, he must have seen the alarmed look on my face).

 

I'm very sorry to hear it isn't always peaceful. That's the last thing you need during a time like this.

Edited September 17, 2008 by suzye