Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Tomorrow I take my sweet little Harley boy to the vet to help him over the rainbow. [[[ BIG sigh ]]] I found 3 more tumors under his chin today on the right side now, and my DH told me last night that he thinks we're letting him suffer, so that made me think.

And I doubt myself because tonight he ran back and forth getting little pieces of pasta out of the food bowl, taking them back to his "tent", eating them, then going back for another one. And when he'd go back with one, he'd do that popcorn thing (he's done it his whole life) and he'd hop along the way cuz he was so happy to have pasta. Even tho he has HUGE tumors growing on his face, neck, upper lip & chin, he still did this. So, I keep wondering if it really IS the time. I always do this. I keep thinking... just a few more days... I want a few more days and I tell myself my pet wants a few more days. I've had pets die in my arms while I was getting a few more days. I also had a rattie live 6 weeks longer -- it just wasn't her time yet. But it's sooooo hard to know for sure. My friend said I could decide not to do it right up to the time they aim that syringe -- that I can turn around and walk out if that feels like the right thing to do. I'm so conflicted tonight. I just had to write my feelings.
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Eileen
I WUV RATS

You have my sympathy. Yesterday was "the day" here in my house, only it was my dog. It was just awful. He was a huge standard poodle/teddy bear that had been literally the best dog I have ever seen his whole life. We'd had him since our son was little, and Ty didn't remember a time that Yukon wasn't his "brother." But the cancer and the arthritis caught up to him finally, as did the kidneys and the spinal issues. He hid his pain very well, but the other night he just lay there all night and moaned, his medicine didn't work. That was it. It was kinder to let him go to sleep.

Yesterday was a nightmare here. Our son was home from school crying most of the day and I just don't know what we are going to do without him, but you know, like with your rat, it was the right thing to do. Sometimes that is the hardest thing to do.

I don't know what we'll do without a dog in the house. But in the meantime, Lucy the rat is climbing around on me like I'm a jungle gym, and being her sweet little self and that is good.

Just keep it in mind - it is the right thing to do - and focus on that............you have my sympathy.

Oh no.. I am so sorry for both of you.
We all know this is never an easy thing to do.
In 1999 I lost my Arnold Schwartzeratter to a cancerous tumor on his face. We let him live as long as he was still comfortable but when it began to interfere with his ability to breathe we had to do it.
This past Nov. or Dec. the same thing happened to my Sofia Lorat, cancer on her face, in the same spot actually.
She went in for surgery did fine, woke up, was eating & drinking then she just dropped dead right there in the hospital before I got there to pick her up.
You know the truth is as much as I loved her I was glad that she died quickly & got it over with.. she didn't have to live with the tumor coming back like Arnold did.
I thought to myself if this ever happens again.. I'm going to have the rat put down before it gets as far as Arnold's did because I think it's just kinder to go ahead & let them go.
You know it's the right thing to do when they are riddled with tumors. It's hard but it's the best thing to do.
Take care of yourself after it's over!
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PHRatz

You are so right. Preventing suffering is the most loving thing to do. It would help if it didn't hurt so much. I just have been remembering all the good years and looking at pictures, and I know it was the right thing to do. I just don't know what I'm going to do without a dog in the house though. He was my buddy.

>>You are so right. Preventing suffering is the most loving thing to do. It would help if it didn't hurt so much. I just have been remembering all the good years and looking at pictures, and I know it was the right thing to do. I just don't know what I'm going to do without a dog in the house though. He was my buddy.

We lost our dog in May, I still can't look at his pictures! The dog before him lived for 18 & 1/2 years, we said we can't get another dog. Everyone urged us not to get another right away but we found that we could not stand the silence in the house so we got that last one in 1994-2 months after we lost our 18 year old dog.
This time we got another puppy ASAP but it still took 6 weeks to locate him.. it has helped so much but still I cannot get those pictures out & look at them!
This time with the rats I knew my old girls were going, going fast so I went out & got babies before I lost them all. Just when I got the babies one of them died, so I have only 1 left from the 2005 group.
I am so glad that I got babies for her to live with because now that she's been with them for 2 weeks or so, she is very happy again. They love her too so it's worked out just great!
I love not being ratless or dogless.
It's not replacing them, it's just sharing the love with different ones.
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PHRatz

You are right again - I absolutely want another dog as fast as I can find one. A big one, but not another standard poo. Unfortunately, no good breeders of ANYTHING up here in the boonies where I live, so finding a dog is going to take some work. I know no one "in dogs" right now.

I have 2 rats - Lucy and Flower, and 2 siberian cats, and as much as I love them, they are not the same as my own gigantic puppy-baby. They're wonderful too, just in different ways.

Co.

We had to drive all the way to Austin.. 6 hours one way to get our dog. There is nothing here but bybs & puppy mills. We thought about rescue but then realized that every shelter here has dogs that came from the local bybs & puppy mills.
I have a friend who adopted from the SPCA, that young dog was a medical nightmare who had to be put down in less than a year's time.
A medical nightmare is what we did not want!!

Our vet even told us, if you want a healthy dog you have got to get outside this region so we did & so far he's been a healthy wonderful puppy.
And speaking of rats.. OMG I just got a call.. I am going to have to make another post for this one.
See ya at the top of the messages on this one!
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PHRatz

I'm sorry. That's just awful. I don't know what I'll do when I have to let one of my dogs go. It's bad enough with rats and we only have them for 2 or 3 years.
~Rachel

It's always so hard to know when it's the right time. I think you're doing the right thing taking him tomorrow *before* he's really suffering. That way he never has to know that pain.
{{{hugs}}}
~Rachel

((((((Eileen)))))
It is never an easy decision but you will know if it is the right time or not. Your friend was right about being able to change your mind right at the last second. Once I was taking one of my rats to be put to sleep and didn't change my mind until we were halfway to the vet... I knew it wasn't time yet.

And it is so hard when they are still enjoying things like Harley is. On one hand you don't want to do it too soon, but you also don't want them to suffer. Decisions like that are so much harder than for a rat who is clearly suffering. You know him best though and you will know what to do.

Sending good thoughts to both of you...

>>And it is so hard when they are still enjoying things like Harley is. On one hand you don't want to do it too soon, but you also don't want them to suffer. Decisions like that are so much harder than for a rat who is clearly suffering. You know him best though and you will know what to do.

That's the worst right there. When they are still enjoying things yet you don't want them to suffer. That right there is the one thing I don't like about keeping rats- when you're stuck on the decision.
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PHRatz