Callie did go quicker than expected. Thank you for your condolences.
I feel bad about Callie but what makes it worse is that won’t be long before her littermate Pug joins her. (Pug has been a family favorite.)
I decided yesterday to change my veterinary clinic of 38 years. I like the vets but am not happy with how they handle euthanasia. You can stay with your pet but basically they give a shot which stops the heart in 30 seconds. When I got home yesterday, I called a nearby vet clinic. It turns out they handle euthanasia the way I prefer: first, with a sedative that makes the animal sleepy. The family can stay with their pet while it slowly slips into a deep sleep. The family, having said goodbye, can then leave - if they choose - before the vet administers the heart-stopping injection.
I asked the cost for the catheter and sedative along with euthanasia and cremation - $105. I paid $177 for just euthanasia and cremation. You’d think that it would be the opposite cost-wise.
Not particularly impressed with my vet clinic at the moment.
The last time we dealt with euthanasia , it was unexpected and too soon for our young corgi. He had lyme disease and we didn’t know until our other two ganged up on him…I thought it was because my not-yet-neutered puppy was feeling his oats. Consulted with his breeder to discuss his neuter happening sooner than she suggested and she urged me to take Truman ( lyme disease sick ) dog to vet to rule out illness . We were sure he was healthy……he wasn’t and it all happened so fast.
It is always difficult , but THAT one hit us really hard because he was so young and had a sort of sad start in his life until we brought him into our home
Thanks for the condolences. This one is hitting harder than I expected. Pug was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in January 2015. It’s amazing she lived this long. She wasn’t supposed to live beyond six months to a year. Still …
I rescued a mother cat with four just-born kittens in May 2003. I kept two of the kittens: Callie and Pug. Callie passed away on April 12. A close friend adopted the other two kittens - one of whom also passed away this year. It seems this litter had a shelf life of thirteen years. Only one kitten (now old man cat Tiger) of the four remains healthy.
For the record, I need to find someone who euthanizes with sedative (shot) first, allowing the cat to drift off to sleep while the family says good-bye and then the vet can finish. An emergency clinic euthanized one of our cats this way years and years ago. He (Angus) looked comfortable wrapped in a blanket, getting sleepier and sleepier. Let’s just say, I haven’t seen it done this way since and I’m not happy.
Ive used Lap of Love to euthanize my cat, http://www.lapoflove.com/homepage-mobile.aspx.
The vet will come to the house, chat a bit, and then give the kitty a sedative.
When the cat is relaxed, and when you are ready. The vet then injects the heart stopping medication.
I’d recommend them, they made a terrible day less stressful for Kashi and for us.
So sorry for your loss. When we had to put our 20 year old kitty down last spring they sedated her first so she just looked like she was asleep. We adopted 2 little sister kittens the beginning of October and H and I are really enjoying these new additions!
It’s so hard ignatius. Hugs. We had to euthanize our 19 year old cat 3 years ago and even now it hurts to think about it.
I am in California and I was surprised and relieved to find several vets who come to the house and do the two step euthanasia you are describing. I asked the vet how many times people stopped him after that first shot. I wasn’t sure I was up to seeing it through.
Ignatius, we had to have one of our kitties euthanized last month ( <---- the handsome old fellow to the left there). We had it done at Banfield and as @ECmotherx2 says, they use a sedative first. I can’t remember the name; it might have been Diprivan, but the vet described the effect as a dream state, or dream sleep. We were allowed to keep him at that stage as long as we wanted, though we chose to go ahead with the actual euthanasia right away. It was the first time we’d done the two-step process, and I liked it much better.It was somehow more peaceful, and I felt more in control. Their setup was also different than I’ve seen before. There’s a special room just for euthanasias. It’s larger than the exam rooms, the lights are low, and there’s a couch. The staff and vet were very compassionate and did everything to make it as easy as possible for us, and for our sweet Mippy.
We switched all of our cats to Banfield last year, and we’ve been quite happy with them.
I am the designated person in my family when our companions time has come, and where I go they always do the sedative first, then once they are asleep they give the final injection.
In Pug’s case they took her to the back to insert a catheter. We could hear her meowing - I ended up sticking my fingers in my ears. When they brought her back both front legs were wrapped as they had had some trouble with the insertion. The vet had two needles: the first, propofol (Diprivan) and the second, the euthanizing agent. When he did the propofol Pug literally collapsed with tongue out - within a second or two. No gentle falling asleep. If we had known that I would have just euthanized and skipped the catheter ordeal. I know there’s a better way. I’ve seen it done.
I am not complaining about the vet. He knew I wanted a two-step process. He did it. I just expected some petting time before she was gone and we had none. It seems to me that a sedating shot (catheter unneeded) would be the route to go.
The vet who came to our house administered two simple injections. There was no catheter. I did see some of the effect you described after the sedative: her eyes seemed to glaze over and her tongue was out. The vet told us to take all the time we wanted before we moved to step two but it took all my courage to go forward and i didn’t dare wait too long. We pet her and said goodbye but it was quick.
I know that many people go through this without the mixed feelings I struggle with. The vet was very kind and very compassionate and I will always be grateful to him for that…but I can’t shake the memory of our dear kitty trying to get away from him.
@3girls3cats Oh I know. Hugs. I will always be with my cats, because I want the last thing they hear and feel to be my voice and my hands. But it is so so hard.
Thanks to whoever posted the Laps of Love link. The last time I had to deal with this, they didn’t have a vet in my area, and now they do.
We lost our Alys over the summer after 13 years. She was the best cat ever . However, with my 16 yo daughter now allergic to cats and my 18 yo daughter headed off to college in the fall, we decided to go cat-free for the first time in our lives. It’s been hard, but my 16 yo doesn’t have to be on zyrtek all the time now.
There is a local shelter here that just did a really cute, funny commercial that went viral on Huffpost:
. However, with my 16 yo daughter now allergic to cats and my 18 yo daughter headed off to college in the fall, we decided to go cat-free for the first time in our lives. It’s been hard, but my 16 yo doesn’t have to be on zyrtek all the time now.