Anyone have experience with Canine Hospice....

[samnsara]

...My 14 yr old Golden, Cooper, is trying to die. Over Memorial Day he tried to as well..lethargic not eating unresponsive and a cpl seizures. Since it was a holiday weekend, I even alerted my vet that i may bring him in for cremation. I force fed him broth water and Hemp oil and after a few days he revived..somewhat...still very unstable and still off food. Basically his tastes changed from day to day..one day this and another that and never out of a dog dish.. I would have to position it just right in front of his nose. For awhile it was raw bloody steak strips he only ate.

So now its happening again. This time his back legs seems to be frozen and as of last night he cant walk. Hubby only has today off. Im still pushing for hospice as Coopers eyes engage with us..he walked briefly with our help to go pee..and he eagerly sucks on the syringe that has a slurry of soft dog food blended with beef broth. He has a massive lump under his rib cage that the vet checked out once and just commented his dog had one too but no further advice about it. This may be pushing on his stomach and lungs.

I just dont know what the heck to expect. I have had two dogs pass quietly at home on their own but i did some reading and there are some end of life scenarios that are scary too. Taking him to the vet is an ordeal he wont survive...but hes dying anyway. Our vets dont do home visits unless its for a cattle horse. Am I being selfish? I lay down next to him and brush him and message his legs and he seems to still enjoy that. If he was human he would be bed bound.

Any personal experience about this would be appreciated. We love this old guy so much...thanx,

donna...

[irisblue]

1. I have not. When Peanut turned down cottage cheese, potato chips and pizza

I made the appointment the next day. She stayed there at the vet and her ashes came home, for good, 3 days later. I slept next to her that night, for the last time.

I am crying thinking of my beloved girl and your dog and you. A hard question you do not have to answer to me; do you want him buried on your land or to be cremated? I have my 3 dogs and 2 cats, I have plans for all of our ashes to be mixed together & scattered. Every person wants/needs are different.

About Canine Hospice, I do know it is available in urban areas, if I didn't have someone who did carry Peanut to the car for the last trip, I would have used one.


I am so sorry.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

2. Why aren't you considering euthanizing him?

And yes, you are being selfish. You are allowing him to suffer. It's bad enough we do it to humans, but our canine (and feline) friends who are utterly dependent on us do not deserve this.

[customerserviceguy]

5. That's what I was thinking

the concept of Canine Hospice sounds like another way to drag money out of the wallets of pet owners.

[samnsara]

14. it wasnt anything i paid for but rather a philosophy..

.. i was a hospice social worker in real life

[customerserviceguy]

16. Then you know

we let humans suffer for the sake of an invisible sky-father, we put our pets out of their misery.

I lived out in the country, and I had to explain to my lady the difference between the Country Veterinarian and the Suburban Veterinarian. The former comes out to look at livestock, and if the sick animal cannot be treated in an economical manner, then that's it. The latter knows that people will spend thousands of dollars to keep Fluffy going for a few more months.

I'm sorry that you had to go through this loss, know that you gave your friend a great life.

[Me.]

3. Terrrible Decision To Be Faced With

but I think you know what you have to do. Just be there when it happens, they say the last face an animal wants to see is yours.

[samnsara]

15. we actually had him turned so he could see out the front door and the birds and wildlife

..that he used to chase. We live in the forest so he was always fantasizing about chasing deer. Hubby was whispering in his ear and I had my head on his chest. I heard his last heart beat.

[Me.]

18. I heard his last heart beat.

Makes me want to weep

[irisblue]

20. 💔💔💔💔

[irisblue]

4. Are you asking how it works?

There is only the needle prick when the vet finds the vein. I was holding Duke & Peanut and talking to them and breathing in their faces. They just slipped over as I held them and told them how much they were loved.


Alex, my heart dog, was different. He'd lived with epilepsy, for 12 years, but the meds lost effectiveness over time. He went into a grand mal seizure that could not be stopped. I held him too as he slipped over to join Duke at the Rainbow Bridge.

[Runningdawg]

6. We had a 13 year old Boston Terrier

who was special needs because of a genetic anemic condition. She injured an eye that wouldn't heal and even though we spent $$$ and I was home with her continually, the infection moved to her brain. Our vet gave us pills. She went to sleep the last time between us on the bed. It was very peaceful, there was one last heavy sigh and then she was gone.
My heart goes out to you, it is never easy no matter how they leave.

[samnsara]

11. thank you..I had one dog pass the same way..

it was at night when my hubby came home a day early from a trip. She went out to greet him at the driveway. I got up at 3 am and patted her on the head as she looked at me..and at 4 am she passed. Very peaceful.

[Polly Hennessey]

7. I held my best friends until their last moment.

I told them how perfect they were and how loved they were and looked into their eyes and cried. The last face they saw was mine. I stayed with all of them afterwards still talking to them and remembering the golden and perfect moments of happiness we had. I now have two cats and two dogs and one day I will say goodbye to them. They are our precious gifts, do not let any of them suffer. The pain for us is great but they understand our decision.

[japple]

9. That's the best way to do it. For all they give to us during their short

lifetimes, this is the best thing we can do for them--helping to release them from their sick bodies.

[samnsara]

12. I listened to Coopers last heartbeat..

[japple]

8. Please do everything you can to help Cooper out his sick body. He seems to be asking you,

pleading with you to help release him. Give him treats, love, brushing, petting, whatever he loves the most, and then take him to the vet to ease him on his journey to the great beyond. You have to stay with him until the end, telling him how much you love him and what a good companion he has been to you. Hold him, love him, help him to be released from the bonds of earth...

[samnsara]

13. we made the right decision..he wasnt in distress and he was alert and bright..

..but the last hour before his death he made the decision for us

[samnsara]

10. im sorry Im just now getting back to the thread....

.....Cooper had another seizure and lost control of all his limbs. I called our vet after hours and asked if they did in home euthanasia. They said yes..do I want it today? I was only inquiring but so many things went through my mind...and when i remembered how scared he looked the last hour when he fell and we both had to yank on him to get him up...I said Yes.

Hubby and I havent quit crying. 14 years is like losing a child ..he was our fur son.

thank you for the thoughts everyone..it means a lot.

[Phentex]

19. It's so SO hard...

but you did the right thing.

[Karadeniz]

17. I don't think he needs hospice. It sounds as if his time has come and I'm sure he'd rather

Be in his own home and with his family for as long as possible.

If you want to be sure, have your vet run a blood test.

Two people holding each end of a towel under his tummy can help him to go outside.

My heart goes out to everyone. Fourteen years of having a good boy is hard to let go of. I'm so sorry.