Losing a beloved pet (a thread only for those going through this specific loss)

[Ecdysis]

My dog is currently palliative and I know I'm not the only one who has lost or will lose a beloved pet.

This is a thread only for people who have lost a beloved pet or are facing the loss of a beloved pet.

(This is not a space for "discussions" of this topic by others. Please respect this and discuss this topic elsewhere, if you feel the need.)


I also had the news today that at the animal shelter where I volunteer, one of our dogs will be put down tomorrow. She's been with us for ages and is everybody's favourite and darling. She's got dementia now and is almost blind and is palliative and it's time to let her go.

So sad tho, that it's time for her and that my dog is also inching ever closer to when it will be his time to let go, too.

Lots of tears and so much love

 

[Movingforward10]

It's so incredibly hard to say goodbye to our furry family.

They are with us all the time. Are reliant on us. We share routines. And lots of love.
Saying goodbye and the loss that comes from that is really very tough.

When my cat died, I felt I lost an anchor to the world. I didn't feel that when my dad died.

I'm sorry @Ecdysis . You're going through such a sad sad thing.

 

[Ecdysis]

Thanks @Movingforward10

I was saying to someone the other day that for many people with disabilities and/ or trauma, I think animals are often a really deep and important bond for us, because animals don't care about disabilities and accept and love us just as we are and only care that we are kind and warm and fun... And for people who have been through interpersonal trauma, relationships to humans can be so much more fraught and always tinged with the "possibility" of trauma, but relationships to animals feel so safe and free of that kind of trauma... So I think many of us open up to animals in ways that we don't towards other humans.

I'm so deeply grateful to my pooch for how he's accompanied me in my life and I'm so grateful that we were able to help and accompany him too (he's a rescue animal and was traumatised too).

I've often wished I could've done even better and given him even more... but these last palliative days and weeks, that's starting to feel irrelevant... it is what it is and now all that remains is pure love and care and warmth.

 

[Nairobi]

I am very sorry, my pet was also like a family member. I am sure you gave your dog a good life and he is very Lucky for having a friend like you, that Will take care of him with a lot of love until the end
A Big hug

 

[Lost in the Woods]

I am a dog person, particularly small dogs. They are my best friends. In the past 5 years I have had to put 3 down. Usually I have the mobile vet come to the house and that works best for all. The last one, Brutus, was declining and then one day there was sudden decline and it was time. The mobile vet was not available so I took him to the vet. We were sent into an exam room and the vet tech took him in back to give him a sedative. When she brought Brutus back in she was giddy saying he was higher than a kite. Brutus was in total terror. I held him on the table and begged her to hurry and give him the shot. I felt like I had totally betrayed my best friend.

 

[Movingforward10]

That sounds traumatic @Lost in the Woods

Usually I have the mobile vet come to the house and that works best for all.

We did this for our cat, Maya.
She hates the vets. And hated most people (she would poop on people's beds if we had visitors! I loved her sass.)
But the mobile vet, she was fine around. I feel that she knew we were all doing a caring act for her. And it was a beautiful moment.
The mobile vet put her in a lovely wicker basket and put a blanket over her. We put a toy in with her that she had played with. And we got a lock of her furr. It was heartbreakingly beautiful.

Saying goodbye is the last peice of care we can give them.

 

[RainbowSearchParty]

I lost my beloved dog last summer. It was so hard but it was the right thing, as he was so old and in so much pain. The decision was made with the vet and unlink some folks I had a really good experience (as far as that can be) with the care he received. And honestly? It’s been a huge weight off my shoulders because I didn’t realize how much time and energy I was putting into worrying about him. It’s hard. It’s not easy. And I cry nearly daily about it but knowing he doesn’t hurt anymore is also a gift.

 

[AngelKeeperJ]

I lost my Charley 2 weeks ago today…6 months after losing my Mom. My heart is broken. November is already hard…

 

[Freida]

I've lost 5 over the years and it never gets any easier. When it comes to SD, hubby, t and I are all worried about how I'm going to face losing him. Honestly the thought of losing him rates higher than losing my parents, which I thought made me a horrible person until I realized it was apples and oranges. Pets occupy a place in our souls that people can't even enter so their loss can't be compared to anything else.

I have used the pet crisis lines before - especially when I have had to make the decision to let them go and the people there have been wonderful. It's usually staffed by college students who are studying to be vets so they get why it's so hard. I've never used the mobile vet - don't think it's available here, but I wish I could have.