“This is the last comfort you can give your friends.”
A vet has urged pet owners to support their animals when they are euthanized after her experience left her “crying for weeks”.
Losing a pet is never easy, and while some owners choose to sit in the waiting room while their pet sleeps, one anonymous veterinarian took to Reddit to urge them to do the opposite.
While the veterinarian refrained from passing judgment, she said it was difficult to turn a blind eye when “a dog spends its final moments searching for where its owner has gone.”
“I feel like that's the last comfort you can give a friend, just to be there for them and comfort them. We had something happen recently that really hit me hard, and I just wish it had ended differently,” she explained.
She went on to describe a recent experience where she saw the dog's owner walk out into the hallway, only for the dog to try to follow before the medication had fully taken effect.
“I'm not judging the owner's emotional capacity to handle grief, nor am I talking about the dog dying thinking 'Oh my God, I'm going to die alone.' I'm not even talking about actual euthanasia, I'm talking about leading up to euthanasia moment,” she explained. “For those who say dogs 'just think their owners are gone for a while,' you're wrong. Even then, they are still stressed.”
The veterinarian continued: “The dog that we euthanized struggled to get out the front door on a leash after his owner left and continued crying and stressing until propofol saved him.
“We did our job and gave us all the hospitality and love, but the focus was always 'Where did they go?'
“You name it, I just think it was a shame that those were his last moments. He was a very good boy and I wish he could have relaxed more because I think he deserved it.”
While most agreed with veterinarians, others said people vary in their ability to handle grief.
Another veterinarian said: “But again, not everyone can face death like we do, especially when it's a loved one.”
Another likened the situation to the death of a family member, where a doctor or nurse would typically take the family out.
They explain: “Not everyone can handle the moment of death happening. I mean, there’s a reason relatives and visitors are kicked out when someone codes or criticizes.
“You shouldn't watch a loved one die. It's easy to forget how well we handle things as professionals.”
In a similar post, another veterinarian explained how a woman sent her 13-year-old dog to a specialist clinic for euthanasia in the morning and left the animal with the vet all day.
They wrote: “I told her we didn’t have a vet at the clinic as she was at the farm all day seeing patients, but she insisted on leaving her there at 9am because she knew our vet wouldn’t be back until after 6pm. “.
“She was too busy to bring her back later so she left her lovely daughter alone for a full day before she died.
“I spent most of the day with her, taking her for walks, buying her a cheeseburger and donuts for lunch, then lying on the floor and hugging her while she cried, scared and confused.
“As she walked across the Rainbow Bridge, I kissed her and told her she was a good girl but her eyes never stopped looking for her family.
“The dogs know what's going on, don't do this to them. When they cross that bridge, be there. It won't kill you, I promise.”
Many people responded to the heartbreaking post thanking the vet for his honesty, with one person writing: “I sit with every dog in the house and last year my first 'mine' dog went through… Need some peace after nearly 17 years of life. .
“The biggest issue is her cognitive decline – I don’t think she even knows where she is, which I’m sure is very stressful for her.
“When the vet sedated her (before euthanasia), she finally looked calm for the first time in about two months.
“I saw my puppy again and she was so beautiful and adorable. My ex who basically raised her with me was also in the room and we both hugged and kissed her. It was so heartwarming to finally give them the peace they deserve. People are sad, but also happy.”
Another added: “Seeing my dog being euthanized was one of the worst experiences of my life but I would never let her go through this alone. People don't deserve dogs, they are so good to us .”
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