There is one thing constant in this world for every living being. You can love your pet/dog so much that you can live without him/her. You can make your dog an integral part of your life, but there is the reality that you have to face at any cost. And the truth is that someday your dog will be too old to help himself or will be at the mercy of some deadly disease.
At this stage, you have to take a bold step just for the sake of love. It is love for your dog that makes you confident to decide for a peaceful and painless journey back to the world from where he/she came. This situation is really difficult for anyone, but your love and compassion for the dog makes you do this hard job.
Euthanasia is the kindest act that any dog owner can do for his beloved pet. So if you have any negative thoughts against this practice, remove it from your mind. You should know that you are not doing anything in your interest. You are just doing this for the sake of love for your dog.
What happens during euthanasia?
Your dog may be hospitalized due to some disease where you can say good-bye to him. Your doctor may allow you to pay a visit before the application of euthanasia. All your mythical fear fall down when you listen from the veterinarian that all your dog feels is the pain of a needle prick and nothing else.
Euthanasia is the application of an overdose of anesthesia in the front leg; this location is usually preferred as the injection can be injected into other parts of the body too. Injection protocol is: a nurse holds your dog, and the area of injection is slightly shaved. Your dog senses the pain of a needle prick and then becomes senseless.
When to euthanize a dog with Cushing’s disease
Cushing’s disease, hyperadrenocorticism in medical term, is the hormonal imbalance in the body. This disease develops in the middle or old ages with typical signs of frequent urination and neural problems.
There is a hormone called cortisol produced by the adrenal gland in the body. This hormone, with other functions, is mainly responsible for coping with stress and modulating the immune system. Normal cortisol concentrations are essential in the body, but problems occur when cortisol crosses its production limit.
Cushing’s disease causes several problems, among which most important are more thirst and urination, poor hair quality, inflammation, infertility and several skin problems. Dog with Cushing’s disease lives for a maximum of two years or three years. No matter you are treating the disease or not, it does not increase the life span.
With such a bad prognosis, it becomes a real difficulty for the owner to keep the pet. The dog can be saved if you can avoid frequent thirst, urination and manage the inflammation with drugs. But it can be a hectic and challenging task for you to manage. It becomes really difficult for your dog too.
Therefore, it is best for you and your dog to take this hard step for good. When to do it solely depends on your will.
When to Euthanize a Dog with Hemangiosarcoma
First, you should know hemangiosarcoma, its signs and symptoms and prognosis; then, you can decide when it is best to euthanize your dog. Hemangiosarcoma, as the suffix –oma indicates cancer, is blood vessel cancer. Hemangiosarcoma is malignant cancer, and it spreads, as blood flows, to other parts of the body like the liver, spleen and heart.
Due to malignancy, its spread to other parts is fast. Usually, Golden Retriever, Labrador and German Shepherds are mostly affected by this disease. As there is no specific cause for cancer, therefore a number of carcinogens, i.e. smoke, tobacco, chemicals, etc., can be causing this disease.
Dogs suffer from seizures, vomiting, bleeding, diarrhea and difficulty in breathing. Most of all, painful vocalizations are something you can’t see, so it is an excellent choice to euthanize your dog.
When to euthanize a dog with tracheal collapse
Tracheal collapse is a condition that occurs due to prolonged pressure. The hard makeup of the trachea collapses. Dogs are mostly affected by this situation, and they produce sounds like they need to push out the hairball.
The cause of the tracheal collapse is the weak cartilage of the trachea due to prolonged diseases of the heart, lungs and Cushing’s disease. When this disease starts to develop, your dog starts coughing, and you may not bother considering it a common cough. This coughing increases, becoming more severe and prolonged and leads to breathing difficulty.
The treatment of tracheal collapse includes the use of drugs like antibiotics, bronchodilators and corticosteroids. You should regularly go walking and make the environment clean for respiration. Surgical intervention is a complicated procedure yet used in this situation.
But after all, efforts put into effect, if your dog is not getting well, then it is the right time for you to take the hard step and say good-bye to your beloved dog.
How to euthanize a dog at home with Benadryl
Some people, because of personal reasons and some due to hectic protocols of hospitals, prefer to euthanize the dog at home. They do so because it is very difficult to say good-bye to a lovely pet; giving euthanasia at home ease the process for some people and vice versa for others.
Benadryl is an antihistamine used in symptoms of allergy, fever and the common cold. Its normal dose is 1mg/ 1lb of body weight. For using it to euthanize the dog, 3-4 times higher concentration is required.
- Make your dog comfortable.
- Give 3-4 times the required dose of Benadryl.
- Your dog will do in a coma state and never comes back.
Yet difficult but beneficial, euthanasia is useful for several good reasons. So you should take a good watch to see when is the time to leave the hand of your beloved dog for his own good.
