Mans best friend - shooting vs euthanasia

[CJF]

I have dispatched several in my life for other people, but all of my own pets have died from natural causes so I have never had to make the decision.

The last one I dispatched for someone else went so horribly wrong.....horribly, horrible wrong that given the opportunity, I would never do it for my own pet.

 

[bsnedeker]

BTW, the animal feels nothing no matter how much blood or unconscious muscle spasms occur, they’re not seizures.

From this statement I'm guessing you haven't put down a lot of animals. It's true the vast majority of the times, but I've had it go wrong on me enough times to know that I'm not risking it on an a member of my family...no matter how much blood I've seen as a hunter.

 

[CaliWoodsman]

Man, these are all really thought provoking replies. Our dog was put down at the vet last summer. Never occurred to me that she spent her final moments at her least favorite place on earth.

 

[Azone]

Unless it’s to end a sudden trauma to the dog that will ultimately prove fatal I will take the vet with drugs method any day. Pulling the trigger has always left me feeling empty and cold, heartless in away. Then all the damn blood everywhere, then every time you pick up that pistol or rifle the memory just suddenly comes back to torment you for a while, it’s a complete mind **** that I really want no part of anymore.

 

[Szwampdonkey]

From this statement I'm guessing you haven't put down a lot of animals. It's true the vast majority of the times, but I've had it go wrong on me enough times to know that I'm not risking it on an a member of my family...no matter how much blood I've seen as a hunter.

I grew up on a farm and have killed more animals than CWD. I don’t have a problem with that fact or id not have done it. Can’t say i recall any “going wrong” on my end so not sure what you mean by that. I did see my wife’s cat suffer though as the vet tried 6 times to find the vein. She howled and struggled the whole 6-7 minutes it took to get it right. Seemed a tough way to go compared to the instant lights out a bullet provides. My wife was pretty traumatized having to hold the cat while that vet tried over and over, injecting into the subcutaneous space instead of the bloodstream. The vet apologized profusely and i have no doubt she meant what she said and hold no i’ll will towards that vet but i’d reckon that’s the most traumatic death i’ve seen in all my years.

Like i said, take yours to the vet just know not everyone is going to do that and they ain’t wrong for it.

 

[Dos Perros]

Usually they put a sedative in the muscle first...

 

[BarCO]

Usually they put a sedative in the muscle first...

I think you are probably right.

 

[jfs82]

We had a vet who was trusting enough to risk his licensure give us a syringe of morphine because my dog was in so much pain that we could not move her (kidneys had shut down). Put her down myself, but I could not do it with a gun unless I had no other option (middle of nowhere with a major injury).

 

[Szwampdonkey]

Usually they put a sedative in the muscle first...

I’m actually not sure what exactly was used but in the case of my wife’s cat it was Intravenous, both solutions. Per the vet, first one to to sedate her, slow her breathing, etc but “allow my wife to say goodbye” before the second one which actually does the killing. There was no IM (intramuscular) shot involved.

Putting down your pets is almost always a part of owning them and no matter which way it’s tough.

My point is it can be traumatic both ways but it’s my personal opinion a bullet is more traumatic on the owner than the animal. Neither are wrong though.

 

[KHNC]

I have done it myself 3 times in my lifetime. Its my dog. Nobody else is going to do it. I feel like I have to do it myself. Its sucks really bad and is hard to do. Still, I will probably never let someone else do it. I dont care what anyone thinks about me doing it. Its my decision only.

 

[BradArnett]

I've done it both ways and neither way was any easier than the other. If forced to choose it would be option #1. Think I'll sign off the internet now and go have a beer and shed a tear for all the good dogs I've been lucky enough to share time with over the years.

It's a highly personal decision that I would never judge anyone else for the choice they make.

 

[Customweld]

I've done it both ways and neither way was any easier than the other. If forced to choose it would be option #1. Think I'll sign off the internet now and go have a beer and shed a tear for all the good dogs I've been lucky enough to share time with over the years.

The price we pay for having a good dog is the hearbreak at the end.

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

I’ll say this; we criticize non hunters who look down on hunting for having o connection and allowing someone else do the dirty work and feeling self righteous for not killing.
I view this matter the same way.

I've put two dogs down in my lifetime. I walked (brain cancer) or carried (arthritis and hip dysplasia) them into the vet's office. I stood by their side and held them as the first injection put them to sleep, and held them tighter when the second shot stopped their hearts. Trust me, there was no disconnect, and those feelings are as raw now as they were years ago. The senses of betrayal and guilt conflicting with the desire to ease their suffering never goes away, and you're never sure if you did the right thing.

However, I would never share the last moments with my best friend with violence, bloodshed, and unintended suffering if I F-ed the job up. I would NEVER forgive myself and that's not the last memory I want of my dog.

My retired golden just turned 12 in December, and he won't be with us much longer either. However, I can only hope that one night he dies in his sleep in his warm house surrounded by his family.

 

[TxxAgg]

I'm DIY

 

[butcherboy]

I put my BIL’s lab down a few years ago. She had been in a bad fight and both hind legs were tore to shreds. He took her to the vet to get fixed up but she got a really, really bad infection. Gangrene/bone sour in both legs. He asked me to do it so I walked across our little dirt road and shot her with my .22 mag revolver. I’m not going to lie, it was tough and I’m just glad I hit her in the right spot. I did front of the forehead. I’ve shot horses as well and that didn’t bother me quite as much. I took my own lab to the vet when his hip dysplasia was extremely painful and that was definitely easier and less traumatic. As for other critters, well, I’ve shot thousands of them in the head but they are food.

 

[isItFallYet]

Went through this recently. My dog was petrified of the vet since she had a total of 23 teeth removed. Instead of taking her to the vet which would have been miserable, I took her for her last walk in the woods. It’s a tough decision anyway you look at it.

 

[BFR]

Not trying to persuade you, only giving my opinion. You may not think of Trigger as one of your kids and that’s fine, but your family is his family. When the time comes to put my dog down, she’s 12 now, I’ll take her to the vet and stay with her until she is gone. She will be less stressed to not be with strangers. When I was younger I put my dog down with a bullet. I wondered many times over the years how long he would have lived, he had health problems but wasn’t in pain, he still ate his food, but was just slower moving around. If I had it to do now I think I would have let him have his last years with his family. Again this is my opinion and what I would do, you have to decide your path.

 

[Dos Perros]

When I put my first dog down a friend suggested writing about it might be cathartic. I drafted the below to that end. I still miss my boys so damn much. My kids miss them too.

Ode to Ike

As we turned the corner I read the “dead end” sign and contemplated the finality of life. There is no getting around it, no one has yet to get out of life alive. Dogs are no exception. Ike was my passenger, lying somberly on the maroon and grey striped horse blanket I had just bought him at...

rokslide.com

 

[KurtR]

My yellow lab was 10 years old and healthy as can be on the out side but had been loosing a little weight so monday on opening weekend of pheasant season i took him in and he was riddled with cancer. Lungs throat just every where. I had one more day of guiding and hunting so we went that was the longest day and fought back lots of tears that day walking fields but damn he hunted hard got to see hundreds of birds and retrieve a whole bunch. Never had i hoped he would jump in a thicket and not come out and die right there scaring birds up but no quit in him. We hunted with the group till that afternoon then i checked out a little early we went and drove around and I balled like a baby he laid his head on my lap and there stood a rooster one more retrieve jumped out he scarred it up and dont know how but will blurry eyes i got to watch him bring back that last bird. We drove to the vet who stayed open late so we could hunt all day he loved that place they gave him all the treats every time we went. Picked my son up who had this dog since he was 2 and we held him till the end. Cedars ashes are in a box we had made sitting beside his bed.

I dont have it me to be able to shoot one of my dogs unless there was some crazy circumstances.

 

[Yoder]

I had to put my dog down last year. I had the same thoughts. My dog hated the vet more than anything. The last thing I wanted was for her life to end there. I couldn't get anyone local to come to the house. I thought of doing it myself. If I had to do it I could. I also know how killing animals can go horribly wrong. If she moved at the last second it could have gotten very ugly and she wouldn't have understood why. I loved that dog more than most people. I decided to take her to the vet. We were all there with her and it was peaceful.

If anyone decides to do it themselves I get it. One piece of advice: DON'T TELL ANYONE! You could do jail time for animal cruelty which is completely insane.