Feeling a bit traumatised after euthanasia

[CyprusRescueDog]

Took 8 yr old cat to the vet yesterday. Had taken him 2weeks ago for a steroid jab for his allergies. This is normally magic and perks him up and helps his irritable skin. However this time it seemed no good - he started eating less & less and 10 days later was very quiet.
At this visit he had lost 650g and vet was concerned his gums were white. Suggested immediate bloods so I agreed and waited. Bloods came back very low rbc so they wanted to do immediate scan. Again I waited- now told possible mass on spleen. By now it's 6.30pm so they said he needed to be sent to emergency vet for blood transfusion. We agreed.
Got to emergency vet and he said no transfusion but needed another scan and fluid. Started talking about specialist referral, poss cancer etc but no diagnosis. Made it clear he had to stay overnight and listed possible treatments. Told us to keep phones on.
Overnight I was so worried - I called first thing and said look how much treatment, how bad is this. Eventually admitted he was at deaths door. I said we would come immediately and that then we would euthanise as no point putting him through more .
When we arrived he was limp, glassy staring eyes and rasping. Vet said 'oh he's dying now' Awful. We stroked him and said goodbye, vet came back in seemed surprised he was still breathing then administered euthanasia. Finally he was at peace. It was vet distressing. I feel they pushed us to 'give him a chance' when there was never one. He should have been allowed to go last night. I'll never forgot his poor face. I can't believe this all happened in 15 hours. Should I complain?
I really feel that they should have been far more clear that he was immediately terminal rather than taking about specialist vet treatment they would never happen

I think it often only becomes clearer over time how bad and immediate the situation is. Obviously you are upset and i am sorry you have lost a loved pet. It would have been awful however it had happened really.

I do see your point. However we paid £1000 for him to be 'looked after ' overnight and I think that should have meant he was put to sleep sooner rather than later, not left to be dying in what looked like pain. The vet seemed surprised by his condition at 7.30 which suggests he hadn't been with him for a while. There were no other overnight patients

I'm so sorry for the loss of your kitty. Maybe the vet was trying hard to give him the best chance of survival and didn't know he was going to go downhill.

I feel distressed reading your OP - your poor boy, and poor you. What an awful situation, and I am so sorry.

I'm really sorry for your loss and it sounds like an awful thing to go through but no I don't think you should complain. It's not always possible to know exactly how these things will go. Animals health is just as unpredictability as people's health.

I'm so sorry for you and your families loss. Euthanasia is never easy and we have to put our trust in the professionals. I had to take my parents dog to the vets after picking her up from kennels when they were abroad as her back legs had given up and she had to be pts. It was awful, it still upsets me now

I'm so sorry you've lost a lovely pet.

It's so shit. When I was 22, I went with my dad when it was time for our lovely black lab to be released from her struggles. It was horrible, absolutely horrible. I still feel like a murderer.

Thanks everyone for being kind. It wasn't the euthanasia itself that was shocking (sadly have been there for several pets previously) but it was more feeling mislead. I feel that vets never say ' it would be kinder to let them go now' anymore - they are always looking for another option. I don't think it's right

I'm so sorry for your loss, it's still so early, you must be feeling very raw. 🤗

Cats are notorious maskers so it may just be that he was putting on his best face until he couldn't any more. I don't think you had much choice, to be honest - without hindsight, you just did what felt was best at the time, going on professional advice.

You tried your best for him. The fact the vet said to keep your phones on probably meant he was being attended to, just that he finally let go when he was back with you. In time, I hope you can be glad you were actually with him at the end. You clearly loved him very much, so I'm sure he had a great life with you!

But I know, it hurts. All empathy.❤️

The vet actually said it would be kindest to let my parents dog go, which I think was what I needed to hear as then the decision was made for me. I mean she couldn't walk the poor thing, it was so upsetting

Sorry about your cat. It's so tough. Only the vet really knows how likely death was at each stage. I understand your frustration though and agree that vets can now just start listing medical options rather than looking at cost relative to chance of survival and stress to both owner and animal.

With our dogs I've had to be upfront about cost limits. One dog was attacked and unlikely to make it so I would ask the current bill tally each time I made a medical decision. He did pull through thankfully. Similarly, we put our 13yo dog down last month after he became incontinent. I had to say to the vet, "He's deaf, blind, has dementia and weak legs and I don't want to spend too much time and money trialling treatments." We tried one treatment at moderate cost and I realised it was best on balance for him and for us as a family to make the decision then.

Sit on it for a bit but it could be worth gently feeding back rather than complaining. It is definitely an issue with modern vet treatment now that there are so many (expensive) treatment options available and clients have to make financial and medical decisions under stress without all the facts.

I am so sorry for your loss. 💐

From what you've written, you not only had a long day at the vet, but the clinical case was divided between the day and emergency vet. Bear in mind, too, that as of that morning, your cat's only issue was allergies - it was only after the tests that it became clear something else was going on. I suspect that your cat's prognosis was not clear at this point (although his condition was obviously very serious), and the vet was wanting to do the best thing by your cat by giving him a chance. If you are concerned about the treatment, you could always make an appointment to go through the notes and treatment decisions (especially from the day vet). But honestly, it sounds to me like this was a very sudden and dramatic change, that your cat crashed very quickly in the morning, and that you made the best choices given what you knew.