I don't know where to post this, but I want to reach as many pet owners as possible in case the following information would help them. If your pet is ill and suffering and you have come to the decision to put it to sleep, please be aware that it is possible to arrange for at-home euthanasia by a vet. This might be an option that would be less stressful for both you and your pet, instead of having it put to sleep in an animal hospital.
I didn't know this option even existed until Rainyday alerted me to it. It certainly seems more comforting for a pet to be able to die at home. I found the idea of taking my cat out of our home into the cold and the rain to his death to be a horrible aspect of an already devastating experience.
This past Friday, the morning of October 30, I was the in process of arranging for at-home euthanasia of my feline friend and family member, Frankie. (He was suffering from severe inflammatory bowel disease and also liver disease.) I found a wonderful, kind vet who was willing to come to my home to do this. Frankie passed away on his own that morning before I had finished scheduling the visit. The end came very quickly, and I was right there with him when it happened.
Some vets, like the one I found via Rainy's help, are willing to visit you and your pet in-home to give treatments to ailing pets or even perform routine wellness exams for healthy pets.
I don't know why it had never occurred to me that such things were possible, so I want to put the word out in case it might make a difference for someone else in the same situation.
If I can put out another message, please do not dismiss the possibility of adopting an older pet. I adopted Frankie when he was 10 and a half years old and after he had spent six years at a shelter. I only got to spend just shy of six and a half years with him, but it was so worth it. He was a wonderful, very loving cat - just as deserving of a home as the smallest, cutest kitten. I ache, wishing we could have had back those six years in the shelter to instead spend together. I am beyond devastated by his loss.
I want to share with you a few pictures of my boy at the height of his health. Over the course of about 18 months, he went from a way too big for him 20lbs to about 5lbs at the time of his passing. Even in Frankie's extreme fatigue, he lazily hunted mice just a few hours before he passed. He loved to kill!
I didn't know this option even existed until Rainyday alerted me to it. It certainly seems more comforting for a pet to be able to die at home. I found the idea of taking my cat out of our home into the cold and the rain to his death to be a horrible aspect of an already devastating experience.
This past Friday, the morning of October 30, I was the in process of arranging for at-home euthanasia of my feline friend and family member, Frankie. (He was suffering from severe inflammatory bowel disease and also liver disease.) I found a wonderful, kind vet who was willing to come to my home to do this. Frankie passed away on his own that morning before I had finished scheduling the visit. The end came very quickly, and I was right there with him when it happened.
Some vets, like the one I found via Rainy's help, are willing to visit you and your pet in-home to give treatments to ailing pets or even perform routine wellness exams for healthy pets.
I don't know why it had never occurred to me that such things were possible, so I want to put the word out in case it might make a difference for someone else in the same situation.
If I can put out another message, please do not dismiss the possibility of adopting an older pet. I adopted Frankie when he was 10 and a half years old and after he had spent six years at a shelter. I only got to spend just shy of six and a half years with him, but it was so worth it. He was a wonderful, very loving cat - just as deserving of a home as the smallest, cutest kitten. I ache, wishing we could have had back those six years in the shelter to instead spend together. I am beyond devastated by his loss.
I want to share with you a few pictures of my boy at the height of his health. Over the course of about 18 months, he went from a way too big for him 20lbs to about 5lbs at the time of his passing. Even in Frankie's extreme fatigue, he lazily hunted mice just a few hours before he passed. He loved to kill!
