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Original poster

have you ever had or known a dog to die of natural causes without having to be put down?

55 replies

brimfull · 15/10/2007 13:17

this is what I am praying will happen to mine ,but today realised I may be wishing for the moon.

Does it ever happen?

OP posts:
sweetmonkey · 15/10/2007 13:46

to be honest that was the thing that got me through it.

i was just glad that i was with him and told him how much i loved him over and over.

i'm so sorry for what you are going through. it is a horrible horrible thing

Original poster
brimfull · 15/10/2007 13:47

Don't they have to shave them to give the injection though...won't that upset her.

OP posts:
MaryAnnSingletomb · 15/10/2007 13:48

ggirl - my first cat died in her sleep, was ancient.

MaryBleedinShelley · 15/10/2007 13:48

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

MaryAnnSingletomb · 15/10/2007 13:50

all my other pets had to be put to sleep - heart breaking - nicer if vet can come to your home. I've found 2 of my cats,not at the same time, unexpectedly dead in the garden - must have been heart attacks.

Original poster
brimfull · 15/10/2007 13:52

I have only ever had dog when I was a child that sadly got run over,so never had to make this decision.

OP posts:
ScaryJaamy · 15/10/2007 13:53

Our much loved family dog died at home aged about 11 (old for her breed). Got up out of her basket one day and walked towards my mum but collapsed on the way. Heart attack we think but as far as we know not in pain prior to that. Mum sat with her and comforted her until she was sure she was gone.

Her replacement (the dog, not my mum) is now also very aged and we're hoping he will have the same kind of peaceful passing. Though I agree if a pet is in pain they should be put to sleep in the arms of their owner. They can't ask for pain killers like we can and it's not fair to let their pain drag on.

Hope your lovely dog doesn't suffer to much and I'm sure they know they are muched loved.

MaryBleedinShelley · 15/10/2007 13:56

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

cherrycake · 15/10/2007 13:57

ggirl, so sorry for you.
We called the vet to finally put our collie out of pain and misery, it was awful as she looked at me with 'help me' eyes, but I could never have put her through the ordeal of going to the surgery. The vet was great. Its just awful no matter how it happens. I never thought I would put her down though, but in the end I would have had to watch her suffer more, and for longer.
Thinking of you.

wannaBe · 15/10/2007 14:03

I'm dreading having to make this decision. My dog (retired guide dog) will be 13 in february and she is getting a bit older now. She's still lively enough but signs of aging are starting to show, eg she can't do long walks any more/gets a bit stiff sometimes etc and sleeps much more now. Part of me hopes that it happens naturally when the time comes, although if it ever gets to a point where her dignity has gone/she is suffering then obviously I will have to make that decision.

She is my baby and literally changed my life so it will be heartbreaking however it happens.

As an aside, my cousin had the vet out to put his dog to sleep at home and they charged him 120 quid!

rebelmum1 · 15/10/2007 14:13

My cat died of natural causes at home, it was night time tho and I made him comfy, and went to bed, in the morning he was gone. I felt so sad I hadn't actually been there at the time tho. I think there's something about having them in your arms when they go, probably more for you then them.

Original poster
brimfull · 15/10/2007 22:20

Thanks for all your replies,I knwo it'll be hard,good to know I have the option of getting the vet to come here.

OP posts:
coleyboy · 15/10/2007 22:27

MIL's dog died in his sleep a couple of weeks ago. He was old and had a heart murmmer. MIL found him curled up in his basket and I think it has helped MIL feel better about the whole situation.

We had our dog put down earlier in the year and it was horrendous. It really was time for her to go, but we still felt awful having to make that decision for her. I would have much preferred to have found her curled up in her basket one morning.

saggarmakersbottomknocker · 15/10/2007 22:30

Our Westie died in his sleep. He was just old

Dawnybabe · 15/10/2007 22:31

Someone I know put off taking his old, overweight, stiff as a board dog to the vet and then found him dead in his kennel. I'm sure every case is different but I'm convinced that dog should have been released from his suffering a bit earlier than that. He didn't have much quality of life in my opinion.

LittleB · 16/10/2007 08:51

My old collie was put to sleep a few weeks ago, she was 15 and had been in the vets alot over her last few months as she was getting ill. We'd agonised about when was the right time for the last few months, but when it came to it we did just know, not ready to go into details but could just tell. I was with her in the vets, and although she didn't like the vets much I made sure we saw the vet that she knew best and liked. It was very hard but I knew I was doing the right thing for her.
They do normally shave a section of leg to give the injection, she didn't need this doing as she'd had it shaved a couple of weeks earlier for treatment. By the way &120 to come to your home isn't bad, I paid £80 in the vets. I think it would've upset my other dog if it had happened at home. And I dreaded her dying in my sleep as I don't know what my dd (2.5) would've done if she'd seen her dead(she still keeps asking when she's coming home). Sorry you've got all this to think about, its an awful time for you.

iloveknitting · 16/10/2007 13:58

i had to decide very quickly to put our 20yr old cat down a few months after our beloved dog died, i think our cat really missed the chum she had spent 14 years with and just gave up on life. she went down hill very quickly and i came down one sunday morning to find her in a very distressed state infront of the aga and just knew it was time to go to the vet.

i agree with the other posters in that you know when its time, just make sure if it comes to the last visit to the vet that you squat down so that your pet can see you, you will find it so comforting to know that you were the last person they saw and felt fussing them and hopefully were comforted by that.

EmsMum · 16/10/2007 14:17

Our dog died suddenly in the night at the start of this year. He was 11 and had a heart murmur and was breathing a bit oddly when he was resting, but seemed very fit and active. He'd climbed the Yorkshire 3 peaks and Harrisons Stickle last year... if you know the top of that and Pen-y-Ghent, you might know they are quite a scramble for a dachshund!

Anyway... he'd been unsettled for a few nights. We though it was partly 'trying it on' cos he'd been allowed to sleep in the bedroom at granny's over xmas, and partly the bloody new year midnight fireworks. So on the 3rd he was whining and barking and eventually DH went down and then yelled that there was something terribly wrong... poor old dog just suddenly went, last gasp just as I got downstairs though we didn't realise for a few minutes.

It was really awful. He'd been due his yearly booster and checkup the following week, so we'd been going to ask then about his breathing. We just didn't realise the poor old boy was sick, he was such a game little chap.
Like ThreadyKruger, I wish we'd mollycoddled him more.

supperwoman · 16/10/2007 14:19

friends dog died suddenly of a heart attack (no t sure how they knew!)

lapsedrunner · 16/10/2007 14:26

Yes

lucyellensmum · 16/10/2007 15:32

ggirl, i used to be a veterinary nurse and have assisted in putting many dogs and cats to sleep, including my own.

You have raised two issues here which i can adress. Firstly, you said you want your dog to die, feeling safe and knowing that you love her. Well, to garuntee this then i think putting her to sleep is the best option, for this reason: You can be with her, you can hold her and cuddle her. They simply give the dog an overdose on anaesthetic and they just go off to sleep. They do not tend to bother to shave the leg to be honest, at least we don't, providing there is an easily accessible vein. The thing is, you don't want to leave it until she is so poorly that her blood pressure drops as this can make getting a vein difficult, but still minimum discomfort to the animal.

Definately insist on a home visit, most practices offer this, if yours doesnt ask them to recommend a vet that does, they wont mind.

You don't say what is wrong with her. Is it that she is just old and knackered and the bowels becoming a problem? If she is losing control of her bowls, this will be upsetting for her and it becomes an issue of letting her go with dignity. If you have to wait for nature to take its course, yes, she may well drift off in her sleep, but she might not and it could be scary and uncomfortable for her, if you chose to put her to sleep you can ensure that she has a peaceful end.

I have had to advise many sad and upset owners facing the difficult decision to put their animals to sleep. What i say to them is this - go with your stomach. Your heart will talk you out of it and your head will try and rationalise yourself out of it with things like, well she had a good day yesterday etc. But in your stomach, you'll know.

I'm very sorry about your pet - she is lucky to have such a caring and concerned owner and im sure you will make the right decision for you all.

lucyellensmum · 16/10/2007 15:44

ggirl, as i have said, ive had to say goodbye to my dogs too, both of them i had put to sleep. The first dog, tiny, had kidney failure and i had the option to try to keep him going on fluids but he went down so quickly after the first lot of fluids that i just knew that i was only buying him a few more days and it was for me, not him. I can tell you that it IS shit having to put your animal to sleep, and i ddint want my post to seem like it was straight forward, from the animals point of view, i think it is, they understand quality of life, not quantity. I stood in the surgery for an hour, debating with myself, my DP in floods of tears, pretty much hating me for wanting him put to sleep, but it was my dog looking at me in such pain and sickness that made me make that decision. I still felt terrible, even though i knew id made the right decision, i was distraught, it was awful for me, i held it together for the dog but afterwards i lost it completely. It is truely the hardest decision ive ever had to make and it still haunts me, but i know that i did the right thing. I remember with both of my dogs, wanting to scream at my boss to stop, despite knowing that really the decision was out of my hands. Both of my dogs died, peacefully, being cradled in my arms (the second with the rest of the practice stroking him and crying - it was surreal) both feeling safe and knowing that i loved them - it brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it. But i remember this vividly, the pain just leaves their eyes seconds before they go and you can see the releif.

I do know what you are going through and what a tough decision you have to make, its the toughes thing we have to do as pet owners but ultimately the kindest IMO.

Phraedd · 16/10/2007 18:46

my newfoundland died but he didn't even seem poorly

he was quite old and one evening lay down under a tree in the garden and fell asleep.

We were all devastated. no chance to say goodbye to a daog we had had since he was 8 weeks old. so sad

Original poster
brimfull · 16/10/2007 19:05

ah-such lovely messages especially lucyellensmum,thank you for the reassurance that ultimately I will be doing the best for her.
She seems perkier today so far no poos in house for a week,but she is pooing as she walks along ,so not brilliant.

This is what I love about mumsnet,so many people have been there and know how you feel.

Thanks everyone.

OP posts:
ruty · 16/10/2007 19:40

good posts lucyellensmum.