I recently saw a Facebook post from a veterinarian talking about his number one challenging part of his profession. What he shared was heart wrenching. He spoke about dog owners who choose not to stay with their dogs during the euthanasia process. HERE is the article:
“It turns out that pets also have their own “last wishes” before they pass away, something only veterinarians who euthanize old or sick animals are aware of. A Twitter user, Jesse Dietrich, once asked a vet what the most challenging part of their job was. The vet responded without hesitation, explaining that the hardest part is witnessing how old or sick animals search for their owners before they fall asleep forever. Shockingly, 90% of owners choose not to stay in the room during their pet’s final moments. They leave, unable to bear watching their beloved companion go. However, what they don’t realize is that these final moments are when their pet needs them the most.
Vets are urging pet owners to stay by their animals’ sides until the very end. “It’s inevitable that they will pass before you. Remember, you were the center of their world. They may have been just a part of your life, but to them, you were everything—their family. Even though it’s heartbreaking, don’t abandon them in their final moments. Don’t let them die alone in an unfamiliar room with a stranger. It’s incredibly painful for vets to see pets frantically searching for their owners in their last minutes of life. They don’t understand why they’ve been left behind, and all they need is the comfort of their beloved human.
While veterinarians do everything they can to ease the fear and anxiety of these animals, they are still strangers to them. Don’t let your own pain make you walk away. Be brave for them. Endure that heartache, and stay by their side until the very end. They deserve your love and presence in their final moments. “
I don’t know about you, but that brought tears to my eyes as I read it and again now as I compose this. I have only had one dog put down that I recall. He was suffering in pain and it was getting worse. He was one great dog, the best one anyone could ask for. It was a very hard decision to make. My wife and I stayed with him and are glad we did even though it was very hard to go thru. Leaving the vet’s place and driving back home was painful as well. Here he is with my wife on her first ride on my brand new Catrike Trail tadpole trike back in 2009.
We once went to the procedure being done on my wife’s sister’s dog. Even though we were not very close to the dog it too was difficult to watch. The vet pronounced him dead and we left. Later we found out that he came back to life and had to be given more of the injection to end his life. I would think that that part of the job has to be the most difficult thing they do.
Anyway, please be strong for your pets and be there for them to the end!
of course Steve, I put Bruce to sleep you or both there and also Mike who raised Bruce from a pup and it was hard. But I wanted to be there because he was also My great friend and companion and then when it came time for Reese It was just me there.
I agree completely with this article and as hard as it was my Wife and I stayed with our beloved and faithful dog when she needed to be put down. It was the hardest thing we’d ever done but I know it was best for her. Funny thing is our Ferbie looked exactly like your dog (in the photo of your Wife on her trike)!
Steve Simek