A friend of mine put down her 17 year old Spitz today, but she described an experience which I thought was contrary to what is normally experienced when a dog is put to sleep. I am hoping to hear from others if this was something that can occur and if it is in fact, normal.... anyway, here goes:

She said that as the medication was being administered, the dog started to jump around and yelp. When she tried to calm the dog down it then bit her. The person with her( not sure if it was a vet ot a tech)said not to worry, that everything was fine. the next thing she knew, the dog fell over and she was told the dog was dead. She went over to pet her and she said that the dog opened her eyes and looked at her, and she really felt the dog was focused and still alive at that point, but then saw that the life went out of her eyes!

I just feel awful that she is so traumatized by the horrific ending to a very difficult time. In my only experience with a dog being euthanized, it literally was as if he went to sleep peacefully and calmly.

I just wonder if this case is a possible reaction to the drug used, and if my friend should call to complain that the peaceful end she was promised her dog would receive was anything but! I know what's done is done, but I still feel so badly for her (and poor, poor, Buttons)!Has anyone else ever had such an experience as this??

Well, given the fact that last Thursday, I called the vet early in the morning to schedule an appointment to euthanize my MoJo dog, I have maybe a shred of insight to the situation you described.

I had asked the vet if he would go to my house to put the dog down there. The vet told me he's done that in the past, however, based on his experience, he prefers to do it at the clinic because of various things that can go wrong. Apparently, there *are* variables with the drugs they administer and of course the chemistry of the dog I'm sure plays a role too.

I was actually grateful he told me the truth about his experience, as it was new information to me. I did wonder though, what exactly his experience was that made him prefer the clinic over home euthanizing. Now, I am wondering if it was an experience much like what you described, or worse, having to actually transport the od'd dog to the clinic to "finish him" because the bag full of drugs he had thought would have worked, didn't.

So, I do not know that the situation you described is normal, but obviously, it does occur. I am sorry your friend had to experience that, also sorry to think about the veterinarians who have to *suppose* this (or that) concoction will work...and find that it doesn't. Sad. Things you don't want to think about...but good information to be aware of for sure.

I could answer this in more graphic detail but it might upset some...the bottom line is this: ask your vet to first: knock the animal out completely with a massive sedative, then second: administer the drug that stops the heart. I'm sorry if that upsets anyone. A good friend of mine is a NA and told me how this works in lethal injections on condemned prisoners.

My vet came to my home to put my dog down. He did it as Mike described. It was very peaceful with no stress to the dog. I am very happy to say I have never had an experience such as the op mentions with any dog of mine that has been put down. I think that would break my heart. Did I read correctly that a vet tech gave the injection? Could it have been calibrated incorrectly?

I had a talk with my vet about this after I had to put down my last dog. He said the problem with just giving them the injection to stop the heart is that, if you miss the vein and get it into the muscle or tissue, it is extremely painful. That's probably what happened to your friend's dog. My vet prefers to set up an IV first, so he can be sure the drug only goes into the bloodstream. He also gives a sedative if he believes the dog may struggle or is nervous, or if the owner requests it. The sedative isn't enough to knock the animal out, but does relax them almost completely. It is given in the thigh (I believe) and can be administered before or after the IV is put in.

The only issue I had with my dog is she was taken from me and prepped (sedative and IV put in by the vet's partner, as he wasn't there that day) in the back room. The prepping took a good 15 minutes, and I heard her cry when they put the IV in. I would have liked to have been with her the whole time. My vet did listen to my concerns, explain the pros and cons of the different methods, and said he would change the protocol in his clinic so owners would be asked if they want to come into the back and be with their dogs the entire time. We both recognized that some people can't bear to watch the IV / prep, but other people will stand by our best friends through anything, just to give them a little comfort.

I hope this helps anyone else who must face the awful decision to put an animal down. It's not something we generally think much about until the time comes, and then there's not always a lot of time to educate yourself before the event.

Your information is correct. An IV cath is the ideal method to administer Euthasol. However, very old or ill animals sometimes have lousy veins so trying to get a cathreter in can be very difficult and stressful for the animal. A sedative is always a good thing to do IMO.

One other thing often occurs after an animal has been put to sleep. They have agonal breaths, sometime several, which really look like the animal is still breathing when in fact the heart has stopped. We try to prepare owners for that ahead of time because it is very unnerving...even to those of us who expect them.

I can't say strongly enough how much I think a sedative prior to euthanasia is a good idea. As Sarah pointed out, the veins are often hard to find and poking the sick animal a bunch is just awful. Also, the injection site usually has to be shaved and the buzzer freaks a lot of animals out (especially cats but dogs too).

When sedated, the animal "falls asleep" and all of the scary parts or complications don't happen to an animal that's aware of them. You do NOT want the last moments of your pet's life to be one of fear or pain if you can help it.

I agree about the sedative. When the vet came to my house I had already administered a light one. My old guy was 14yrs 2mo old, but still wanted to do his job & protect his home, & it was better that he was nice & relaxed when the vet came in. Mine was also a delicate situation because my dog had chemo when he was 11, so between that & other meds his old veins were sclerrosed (sp). Still, it meant a lot to me to have the vet come out to my house. He is a good friend & a great vet. I'm lucky to have him.

I know this is the most difficult decision we ever face. I lost my 3 best friends in 2005; two 14 yr old collie mixes and my 13 1/2 GSD Gretchen. My wife is a vet nurse and our vet is also a close friend. I think the best thing is to as educated as to this procedure as you can, being fully aware that most times it is "peacefu" procedure, but with any medical issue, things can happen. I think that as we face this with our companions, we can have an influence on the calmness of the situation. Fortunately, all my friends went peacefully. I treasure those last moments, letting my buddies know that all their faithfullness to me, somehow gave me the strength to comfort them at this time.

Jeez Kenneth, that was a tough year for you. I am sorry for all your losses. My Zorba left in 2005, too. I think we can agree 2005 was a sucky year.