Today was one of the hardest days of my life!
My baby girl Mini was put to rest. She was a beautiful Great Pyrenees, she was 12 1/2 years old. My vet said that in big dogs life she was over 120 years old.
My son Darin was 2 years old and my daughter was only 1 when i purchased Mini. They loved her dearly...I never worried about my kids playing with her, pulling her hair, riding her. She loved them anyways. When we all went to bed Mini slept at our feet when she could jump onto our bed. With her Arthritis in the last year she chose to sleep next to the bed.
Before I went to the Vets today I wrote the doctor a note of why I chose to do this. The reason that I wrote it down was that I knew I would not be able to pull myself together to tell him. Another reason was so that I could remember why I was doing it. Everyone that I talk to thinks I made the right decision.
Reasons:
1. Her arthritis has gotten worse. As she tries to sit her legs shake as she is going down, that shows me that she is in pain. It takes her a good 5 minutes to sit or lay down comfortably.
2. Last summer I had 5 tumors removed and it took her a long time to heal after the surgery. After getting her shaved this summer I discovered 3 to 4 more tumors growing. I can't make her go through that pain again!
3. The last 2 weeks she has been getting bloody noses. I have no idea why, and they are just random...which makes me believe that she has something eternal going on.
4. For the past 6 months she has been loosing control of her bowels. She could be sleeping and she would have a couple chunks out of her. She doesn't even realize it. I could deal with it..but it's not Mini, at first I put it as an age thing. She had never messed in my house before, that's why I know it's not like her.
5. I also believe she is having mini strokes. One day she walked into my room and sat down and just stared at the floor, while sitting there she was rocking side to side and would not respond to me when I was talking to her.
These are the main reasons I made my decision...I hope I made the right one. I feel like I gave up on her...But at the same time I believe I spared her horrible pain.
The doctor gave her a shot to sedate her and she laid down Everyone was petting her and telling her how much we love her, Amber and I cried so hard. Then the doctor came in and gave her the lethal drug and stayed with us until she took her last breath then checked her heart and said "her heart has stopped" I thought I couldn't cry any harder than I had been, but after those words the tears came like waterfalls!
This was taken her last night with us. Just to look at Amber's face in this picture has me balling my eyes out.WE LOVE YOU MINI...REST IN PEACE!
5 comments:
That is so sad. It sounds like it really was the best thing to do for her, and I'm sure you'll see her again someday.
I just shed a few tears for her (and your family) myself. I think you did the right thing.
Don't you wish they could just TELL you how they're feeling?
I'm sure her last thoughts were...why are they all so sad? What can I do to help?
And then after she passed I'm sure her thoughts were...Oh...but now I feel great and I can watch over them all!
You did better than me with my first kitty. I couldn't stay and sometimes I'm still sad about that. Luckily our golden retriever Dutchess didn't make us make the choice...she just went.
I am so sorry. That must have been so very sad, she really was a member of your family. It sounds like you made the right choice, nothing worse than seeing your dog in so much pain.
Hugs.
Oh Caroline - I am so sorry. There is nothing worse than having to take a best friend to the vet for that. It sounds like she was a wonderful dog.
I think you did the right thing. As hard as it was to have her put down, she was already suffering - you let her go before she worsened.
Here's a hug to you (((XX))))
I saw Amber's face in that photo, and totally lost it! [bursts into tears again!!!]
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