I share this not as a invitation of pity, or as a morbid declaration.
Today my dog Lily had to be euthanized. She and I had grown up together. I'd taken care of her since she was two weeks old.
About 3 weeks ago, she contracted pneumonia and antibiotics weren't helping. So the options were clear, two weeks of her suffering while I wallow selfishly clinging to her last moments preparing myself to let go, or allow her life to end peacefully and humanely. I chose the latter.
The veterinarian entered the room carrying two syringes, one containing a sedative, the other containing a barbiturate. I sat with Lily's head in my lap, her breath labored from the pneumonia. The Veterinarian had already placed an IV in Lily's paw. She asked if I was ready, and I nodded. The vet bent over, inserted the syringe containing the sedative into the IV and began to apply steady pressure to the plunger. What seemed like hours went by as I watched the liquid from the syringe slowly being injected into the IV. Lily's body began to slowly relax and her breathing went from a labored pant to a steady series of deep, full breaths. The Veterinarian removed the first syringe from the IV and looked at her watch. After ten seconds had passed, she bore the second syringe containing the barbiturate and introduced it slowly to the IV. In a much faster motion than with the sedative, she emptied the syringe into the IV. Almost immediately, Lily's breathing stopped and she went completely limp. The vet checked for a heart beat, but it was gone.
Lily was dead.
After the vet left the room, I began to cry. I was consumed by my emotions. Her body was still warm, and yet it was so still. I felt her fur between my fingers, but as I stroked her pelt, her body remained unchanged. It really dawned on me how truly final death was and how much life effects the world around it, and I was humbled. I sat with the body in my lap for about a minute as I let myself feel everything.
After I left, I went home and her amenities were still scattered around the house. As I went about my day, there was a chilling stillness. When I opened the front door I reflexively closed it as if to keep Lily from trying to get out. It was a really bizarre experience. It felt as though the world was a still-life, and I wasn't even there.
English
#Offtopic
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Edited by Cobravert: 4/17/2015 8:29:22 PMSorry dude. Had to do the same to our 17 1/2 year old Norwegian Elkhound / Shape a little over a month ago. I had to throw his bed & toys away. Couldn't look at it in the house anymore. *just noticed this was an old thread...
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Been there done that. Sucks everytime.
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God damn you I'm walking into work...... This is the only thing that makes me cry. I'm sorry man.
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I know that feeling, my dog Otis had to be put to sleep after he got a form of cancer and lost the use of how back legs. Saddest time of my life
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"Life is like a garden. Perfect memories can be had, but not preserved, except in memory." Leonard Nimoy's last tweet
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[i] [/i]
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That just made me hug my puppawoofer and cry a little
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I just wanna wrap you in a big warm blanket of love
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I know the pains and feelings of loosing a loved pet. I feel ya. *gives Arby a hug* ^_^
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Buy anada juan
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Aaaaah, my feels!
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I'm sorry :'( losing a pet is like losing a best friend.
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Literally cried thinking of my dog while reading this. I'm sorry for your loss
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I lol'd.
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A firsthand account of death would be dying yourself. That's a secondhand account of death. (e.g. firsthand smoking is smoking a cigarette, secondhand smoking is breathing in someone else's cigarette smoke
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The finality of death is crippling, but we get over it surprisingly well. It takes time, even for a pet. New experiences are the key to life.
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Shit happens :(
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Edited by Kekyoin's Underwater Donut: 3/22/2015 11:02:57 AMReminds me of a cat we had since I was a kid. She was 14 or 15 when she died (I'm 18 right now so we had her most of my life). She lived a full life and slept comfortably next to me before she died peacefully later on. We had her so long we actually had her ashes stored in little memorial box/urn. It had a little heart that was broken, one half stayed with us and the other stayed with the remains. In someway...we'd always still be together...
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Edited by Emperor Bell: 3/22/2015 10:57:23 AMI had a similar experience when I saw my Grandpa die. <3
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Too much for a dog but more importantly why did you pay someone to kill your dog? You can do it for free with guns and you don't have to go anywhere or tote the carcass of your beloved pet back home with you or see it put in a mass pet grave.
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Edited by MANGO: 1/24/2015 1:52:12 AMI'm so sorry. Losing ones you love is hard, very hard. My friend knows a website where if you have any picture of your pet you send it to them and they'll send back a stuffed animal that looks just like him/her If you'd like me to tell you the site
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Well shit... [spoiler]my parents made me eat my dog so that I would not be weak[/spoiler]
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You know my dog got real sick and since I'm poor I just choked her to death to end her suffering it was...like in i am legend, I just didn't cry that bad.
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Losing pets sucks. That said, consider it a practice run for what the future is going to throw at you.
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We were watching our stepmoms brothers dog (black lab) when I was young. One morning it was running all over the place as I waited for the school bus so I put it inside. Stepmom gets angry cause its annoying her puts it back out runs on the road and gets hit by a truck just as my bus shows up.