Dog Euthanasia

[MarkP]

Back in June I finally took my 18 year old dog in to the vet for the final time and had her put to sleep as I and my brother held her. I had been in 3 days before when I had a general evaluation done. They gave her a pill to kill fleas, as well as a final month's worth of heartworm medication. That all cost over $300. She really went downhill over those 3 days so we finally said our goodbyes and took her in again. That cost $247 more. So that's a total of $600 in the last week of her life. I look back on the episode and feel regret that I didn't do the job myself and save $600 but the lesson here is that this is a difficult decision to make. So much for my great ideas about exsanguination and CO2. When it came time to deal with my own beloved pet I found how difficult it was to experiment, instead opting for the sure but expensive method. I have some lingering resentment over how much it cost and feel like I should have said no to the heart worm medication as being useless given her prognosis. If I was not able to make this decision to use an unconventional method, who else would? I have no kids or family living in the same household. I could have done anything without having to explain myself to anyone. I really wish that I had tried the CO2 method, then followed up with a 1,000 fps pellet to the back of the head once she was out. Strange how I can voice these thoughts so easily but I was paralyzed by the fear that I would only injure her and that she would wake up in pain. If I had my way I would end up using an elephant tranquilizer first then Dirty Harry's .44 Magnum just to be sure I wasn't undergunned.

It is hard to contemplate intentionally harming a creature you have spent your life nurturing.