I'm sorry KCL. Thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. It was the hardest thing ever to put my dog down. Keep your head up.

Thanks, our vet is great. He let's you know if it's time to let a pet go.

Sad thing is our dog was only 3 years old and this came out of nowhere.

uuuuggggh. that's rough.

I had to have one of my cats put down last week. One of the hard parts of deciding it was time is that my parents are both going to be 75 this year and my mom is declining. Trying to balance when was the right time for the cat while thinking about what parents are going/will go through made it that much harder. I do believe it was the right time for him but that doesn't mean he is not missed or that reading this thread didn't make me tear up yet again thinking of him.

well said

We had to put one of our cats down last fall. Towards the end he never played with any toys or chased the laser pointer, he just slept and laid around being grouchy. Going up and down the stairs became a chore only to be attempted a few times a day. He was pooping around the house on blankets and stuff. We tried new foods, steroids, pain meds. Nothing really helped and he hated taking the stuff. As much as we loved him it was pretty apparent that this was not normal and that it wasn't ever going to get better. It was a tough decision, but I'll admit it was a relief to know that he was finally at peace.

I also agree with other posters that you should be there with them to the end. It's tough, but I didn't want him to be alone and scared when it was time to go. Sorry you have to do this.

I got a puppy for my birthday when I was 6. When I turned 17 he had to be put down. Don't think I've ever cried so hard in my life. He was absolutely my best friend. 20 years later I still miss that dog. When my current dog goes, I think I'll be just as big a wreck. Thoughts are with all of you going through this now.

MrGiggity I know how much this can hurt and my prayers are with you because people that don't have pets just don't understand how much it hurts. I have been in your shoes and have no wise or magic words for you.
I will leave you with this. I used to work from home and Marty my maine coon would spend all day with me while I was working. I was devastated when he died but today all I have is happy memories of him. The pain will dull and you will be left with happy memories that you will have the rest of your life.

To OP
Not eating , having a hard time walking or even standing that is the time.

Sorry to hear it bud, having to do that to a pet always sucks. I was on a roll last year and the year before pertaining to having to put pets down and it never gets easier. The vet ****ed up and gave my wife's one year old Australian shepherd the wrong meds and killed it, which was the worst one of them all. That was one sweet dog and I almost whipped the vet over it. The dude felt bad and was crying after the fact.

In any event, best of luck with the inevitable call down the road.

KC Lee, Mr. Giggity, sorry for both of you and your situations. I've put one down and lost one in the past 5 years or so. It's terrible. I know it doesn't help much, but try to take solace in the fact that whatever time you gave them was always the best time ever in their eyes. Pets like nothing more than being with their humans. Dang, sorry.

Holy Shit I would of snapped. Australian Shepherds are amazing dogs. If the vet killed any of my pets for incompetence. :(

This thread scares the crap out of me. My dog just had surgery to clean up some cell mass. I find out on Monday if it is malignant or not. Had to put my last dog down because of cancer 2 years ago. It never gets any easier thinking about no matter how much time has passed.

Sorry to hear of it, Mr. Giggity. I feel your pain - we are at that point with our dog. She was a pound rescue and we've had her for fourteen years. Some sort of Heeler mix, just the sweetest dog. She's deaf now, looks to be in pain when she gets up, and is starting to not be able to hold her potty anymore. We're most likely doing her a disservice by letting her live like that. It sucks hard when pets get to that point. Good luck to you.

Had to put our cat down last year. 17 years old. Blind and no control of her bladder. Decided I would be the one to do it. Used a .357. Quick and painless for the cat but not for me.

I don't think it was incompetence, I think it was a pure accident. And it seems like the vet was extremely bothered by it.

I had a vet tell me when my dog was 11 that we should consider putting him down after he had back surgery. He had a horrible time walking. But he liked being around people, loved sleeping, and was energetic when he ate. Glad we didn't listen.

When he was 15, he stopped eating. The day we put him down, even though we hadn't made the decision yet, he knew what was coming and was clearly in peace. It was an unbelievably hard decision to make, but also an unbelievably easy decision to accept.

If your cat stopped eating and your vet says he's not going to get better, it's time. Make a firm decision, pick a day soon, and commit to it. Not just for the cat. But also for your emotional state.