I feel guilty. Was putting my suffering dog to sleep the right choice?

I am sorry to hear of your loss, it is a very difficult time to lose a pet as even as time passes, memories are brought back by many triggers. I would also have agreed that euthanasia was a valid and kindest option given the symptoms of such severe weight loss of more than a quarter of his body weight, bleeding into the bowel and likely the chest given the pink fluid and black stool and the failure to respond adequately to steroids. Please do not feel guilty for allowing him to go with some dignity, quality of life has to be much more important than quantity for our pets and often allowing them to go is the bravest and kindest treatment we can offer in debilitating conditions

It is always a tough decision to say goodbye to a beloved pet but from your description, you made the right choice for him. His quality of life was poor, and you prevented him from suffering. I hope this helps!

First off, I'm so sorry you had to say goodbye to Murphy. Please accept my condolences for your loss. You are right that vestibular disease isn't progressive, and it sounds like to me his symptoms were getting worse over time. To be honest, I think you did the right thing for him. It sounds like he had a pretty poor quality of life, and letting him go peacefully was a very kind thing to do, even though it was hard. Do not upset yourself thinking you put him to sleep wrongly, I think you made the right decision. Be kind to yourself.

I'm so sorry you are facing this decision. Based on what you have told me, it sounds like his quality of life is pretty poor if he cannot walk or get up. That's not a good life for a dog to live. I get second guessing yourself, even I do that when it's time to put one of my animals down and I'm a vet! It is never an easy decision to make, but ask yourself what quality of life Bailey has if he cannot even get up. I think you are making the right choice for him, even though it's so hard for you. I hope this helps.

I am so sorry hear that Bobo had this issue. I can say that any animal that is having back to back seizures (especially at that young age) was likely born with a congenital issue either in the brain or the liver/kidneys. I think you putting him to sleep was a good decision. I cannot tell you if you he could have been "saved" or managed with medications as I do not have all the details but it sounds like his condition was pretty severe. If I were you I would not be second-guessing my decision. Without having all the details I think you did the right thing. So sorry for your loss :(

I'm so incredibly sorry to hear about this. Sometimes in emergent situations when the pets are painful, the explanations get shortened- but I believe you and your vet came to the best solution for Joey. Typically, when the spinal cord compresses enough to cause paralysis, the surgery needs to be done within 24 hours to be effective, and the surgery alone generally runs 8,000-10,000 dollars, not including a lot of aftercare and physical therapy. There's also a risk of the surgery not working because the damage is too extensive already. In these situations, the pets are in an extreme amount of pain and very confused as to why they can't move. In situations where perhaps only one leg was affected or he was in back pain without being paralyzed, surgery would likely be more successful and your vet may have pushed you to pursue it more. I believe based on what you're telling me, that Joey's spinal problem had a poor outlook for surgery and your vet didn't want you to spend the money on something that wouldn't cure him or end his pain in the long run. I believe you made the most ethical and kind decision for Joey. It's heartbreaking to have to make these decisions for our pets, but you made a painful decision on your behalf to end Joey's physical pain when he had no other option. You made a beautiful sacrifice for his quality of life. Please seek counseling or grieving avenues with your loved ones during this hard time. I know unexpected loss can be so, so tragic. I'll be keeping you in my thoughts.

Head pressing is often a sign of very severe brain or other disease, and common in-house diagnostics may not tell us what is going on. Ally may have needed advanced diagnostics such as MRI or CT to look at what is going on inside her skull. These types of diagnostics require the pet to undergo general anesthesia, which she may not have been a good candidate for. Making the decision to put a precious pet to sleep can be very hard and traumatizing. We just get so close to them, it can be very similar to losing a human loved one. I would recommend seeking out a therapist or someone whom you feel comfortable talking with. You may also look for a pet loss help group in your area. Please take care of yourself during this difficult time of transition, and reach out to someone if you can. Here is a website that may help you find comfort: http://www.petlosshelp.org/