I took in my old cat to be put to sleep. He was given the first injection to make him sleepy, then the second injection to stop his heart and brain function. I was very sad but thanked the vet, he did a thing that I was unable to do for my kitty. He said " they call it a gentle death". Then he put his stethascope to my cats chest and said "his heart is still beating". He went into the back for more of inj. #2, tried the same vein but it had collapsed. Tried his back leg, didnt work, got my boyfriend to apply pressure to leg to get the vein to pop up...didnt work. Tried the other front leg jabbing several times before he excused himself again and came back with clippers. Shaved his leg, tried several more times for the vein before succeeding. My boyfriend gave me that cat 16 years ago. He has slept with us every night and has been more than a cat to us. Why was my cat not given enough medication? Why did we have to participate like that in euthanizing our family member? why?
Answers:
We give owners the choice to be with their animal when it is euthanized. If the owner wants to be present, we take the animal to the treatment area and place and intravenous catheter in its leg. That way, the drug is given right into the catheter. There is very little chance of running into problems that way. We don't miss or collapse veins. We also take extra euthanasia solution in the room with us just in case it is needed. If the cat seemed like it was already deceased to you, then the heartbeat at that point was probably not crucial to the cat being aware of anything. Sometimes we do give a second dose of medication or just wait a minute for the heart to stop. The veterinarian should have had someone from his staff help him though, not one of you! Sorry his death wasn't as easy as it should have been, but I'm very glad you did the right thing and didn't let him die "comfortably" at home. I doubt dying at home is always "comfortable" like many people seem to think.
Your baby was indirectly already dead...the fact is the brain had stopped but not the heart...your vet knew that he had to finish the process...unfortunately your were there and thats how it was...your vet could have lied to you and just took the cat in the back and did his thing...so it could have been worse...when my little dog died they said to put her to sleep...but i just took her home and let her die in her favorite chair...at home with me and her son...who loved her...friends said I was cruel...when its time for them its never going to be right or easy...just think of the beauty of having that pet...
That is horrible. You should never have been involved in that to begin with. We had to take our cat to be put to sleep and we said goodbye to her and dropped her off. They should NOT have done it right infront of you and most CERTAINLY not have asked you to help. I would most certainly write them a letter telling them how unhappy you were with their services. Tell them how unprofessional the experience was and devestating to sit there and watch someone try several times to put your cat under. I'm so sorry you had to experience that.
whoa. did that relly happen. yikes. talk to the people where your cat was "killed" and get more info,
Don't do the "put down" routine again. you have learned your lesson. Keep the animal with you- it only takes 2-3 days or a week at tops. Hold them, groom them gently and when they are ready to go they will die in your arms while you are rocking them softly. It is emotionally traumatizing and very sad. But you will have been with your animal through to the end- with no intervention. I have never understood why people pay someone to kill their cat. nature takes her own sweet time- don't mess with mother nature. I ignore all the people who say "the cat is suffering" "he's in pain- it's inhumane" etc.
I look at it this way- if they were out in the wilds they would seek shelter and then be caught by some larger animal and killed.
Most vets will take your pet in the back to put it to sleep, and have their staff assist if needed. I don't think I could have stood there watching without going crazy! Also it usually takes about 15 minutes for the drugs to complete the job, did the vet even wait that long? I don't think there is alot you can do. Check with the Better Business Bearu to see if they've had anyother complaints, also the Vetrinary Medical Assoc., but I would change vets in the future.
I think it is unfortunate that you had to see the problems that arose when trying to put your kitty down. At least he checked to make sure your kitty was actually gone, there have been cases in which animals have walked out of landfills because they really weren't gone, so you have to give him that. The vet was just doing his job and some animals fight it like you wouldn't believe no matter how much they give and this may have been the case with your kitty. I think maybe you could have left teh room if you were uncomfortable with what was happening-you didn't "have to" be there when he was euthanized. I personally think the vet did what he could to let your kitty go "gently", but every so often problems do arise. There may not have been a vet tech available to help him at the time or maybe he didn't forsee there being so many problems. I think you could express your feelings to the vet and he would be very sympathetic with you, but other than that ther's not much else you could do in my eyes. I'm sorry for the loss of your beloved pet and hope you are able to overcome this.
ohh.. i am so sorry to hear you had such an awful experience.. it's hard enough havin to do that in the first place. I am sure the vet, technician likely felt terribly as well for what happened, but i suppose that does happen from time to time unfortunately.. just over two years ago.. i had to put my dog down, and had had her for 14 yrs.. i went in with her for the whole thing.. held onto her.. she was yellow lab.. and just havin to do that, was one of the worst things in my life i've had to do.. kids are constantly askin for another pet, another dog.. and no way.. can't go through that again .. i know it's hard.. sorry for your loss.. did the vet clinic do anything? send letter/card?? the vet i took my dog to, i was amazed, they sent flowers and a card, they were really good.. anyway.. hope you take care..
I myself had something similar happen but I realized the doctor did what he did to the best of veterinary/his ability.
I realized how we got to where we were and what brought us to the vet's office. and how much better a gentle death would be...I instead like many other times in my life ( and Lot's of pet owners do this) I threw money at the problem.
My dog died,I paid a ton more money than I had too
because he was my best friend and I wanted to help
it didn't
I got mad at the doctor too,I lost one dog but I bet he
saved a dozen or so more that day. they get desensitized
after a while, all puppies and kittens are cute,can't savem all.
Veins collapse while saving people,s lives or donating blood too much.
it is not uncommon in the medical world for that to happen
I would just be glad it didn't wake up..and if you get another pet try another vet
I'm sorry for the passing of your pet. Yes, please write a letter, to the vet, letting him know how hard it was on you to see your cat be "put down" that way. To please be more professional and proficient for other animals and their families in the future. It could be your cat was stubborn, and didn't want to go quite yet. Or, the correct amount of meds were not given the first time, or the second time, obviously. I am sure the vet was trying to do his best, it just wasn't quite good enough. Take care. Also, I am sure you wanted to be with your pet as he died, but sometimes it is best to not be. It all depends on each person. It was good that you did observe what you did. In the way that you can write a letter in regards to this matter.
If your cat had circulatory problems from cancer, kidney disease, or an infection, injecting the euthanasia solution into the bloodstream is not the most effective way to dose the drug. For old sick cats, we sedate them, and inject the drug directly into their liver. They don't feel a thing, and the circulatory system doesn't have to be open or pressurized for the drug to work.
As for what you should DO about it.. your vet didn't really do anything wrong, except for the lack of experience euthanizing cats with geriatric diseases. My condolences for your difficulty, and no owner should ever be a part of a euthanasia if they don't want to. It is the right thing to do, but it's difficult to deal with for many people. My heart goes out to you %26lt;3
first of all thank you for caring enough about him to not let him suffer. maybe the vet mad a miscalculation on the dosage the first time. although even if that was the reason he still should have been able to do it without all that needless poking and prodding. i would switch your vet next time and write them a letter telling them your feelings about that situation.
Your cat was unconscious so there was no suffering involved.
This is not totally unknown. Our very, very elderly German Shepherd came down with cancer and we had to do the right thing. The vet (a very kind and compassionate man) gave him the injection, but said, "His heart won't stop beating." His heart was so strong that it took three injections before it finally came to rest. But if you have ever had anesthesia, you will know that one minute you are awake, the next out completely without even getting sleepy.
Why shouldn't you have to participate like that? Loyalty works both ways you know. You SHOULD be there for your beloved pet! I, for one, would rather be there helping, instead of leaving my beloved pet alone with strangers, no matter how kind.
I am sure your cat was immensely relieved to be free of his pain. Think of when you have the stomach flu -- all you want is for the misery to end.
First I would like to extend my condolences on your loss. It sounds as though you loved your kitty very much! And though it was difficult, you chose to put him to sleep, rather than have him live in pain. Personally, I believe you made the right choice, no question about it!
The situation with your vet has just left me speechless! Making the decision to euthanize a beloved pet is difficult enough without having to participate in the actual act! I think that you should inform your vet of how disappointed you are with the whole situation. If you have any other pets, you might want to consider taking them to another vet for all their future needs. Beyond expressing your frustration with your vet, I don't think that there is much else that can be done. Should he have given more medication during the first injection.yes. But the best that you can hope for is that he will learn from his mistake and not repeat it with others.
I am sorry about your kitty. I know how painful it is to lose such a treasured member of the family. I wish you all the best!
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