How can I end a loved one's suffering?

January 5, 2007 12:56 PM

Is it ok to kill my dog if he lives in constant pain and I'm uncomfortable letting the vet do it? If so, what's the best way?

I really dont want to take him to the vet for euthanasia. But, little Licorice is in a lot of pain...a lot. He's all skinny and sickly because you can't feed him food, he just won't eat it. He whimpers all day long, he never moves, and when you try and pet him it looks like he is going to cry. I've owned him for over ten years, and it's sad to seem him like this but frankly he is on his deathbed, and I would like to end his suffering as soon as possible.

My roommate has a shotgun and a few hunting knives, I also have access
to some other weapons as well, but what's the best way I can do this?

posted by trueluk to Pets & Animals (26 answers total)

What is your objection to the taking him to the vet? Is it a money issue or something else?
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 12:59 PM on January 5, 2007 [1 favorite]

Why is the vet out? Is it cost? If it's more about the experience, ask your vet if he/she will do a housecall.

We put our dog down this way, in the front yard with the family gathered round, and it was the best death possible.

Probably -- a guess -- probably better than the shotgun method.
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 12:59 PM on January 5, 2007

You should take him to the vet. He might be able to help, and if not, the vet also offers the most humane way of euthanising a dog.

Plus, if your vet is anything like ours...might actually offer to come to your house to give the dog the five pound injection right on your doorstep. Which is much more relaxing for dog.
posted by 6am at 1:00 PM on January 5, 2007

I feel terrible for you, but I would imagine that you can't be assured the death would be pain-free without the vet's help. Good luck, though. I hope you're able to find a solution quickly.
posted by parilous at 1:00 PM on January 5, 2007

1) Go to the vet.

2) Tell the vet you want him/her to use anaesthetic gas to make Licorice unconscious. Say you want to be with Licorice when he goes to sleep.

3) After Licorice is asleep, stay with the vet while he injects Licorice with a barbiturate that will gently and quickly kill him.

I had to have a cat in pain from oral cancer put to sleep in just this way this summer. It's the quickest, kindest way. Amateurs with home weapons are very likely to make the animal scared and make it suffer. Apart from the morality of making your dog suffer one hour longer or making him suffer through a botched attempt at euthanasia, you could face criminal charges for animal cruelty.

Please get off the computer and take your dog to the vet now.
posted by maudlin at 1:03 PM on January 5, 2007

Vets are the only ones who have access to the different drugs that will ensure a pain-free death. Shotguns and knives will cause your dog to have an extremely painful and/or panicked last few minutes of his life, including wondering why the person he loved for so many years was doing this to him.

Please, if you can't bear taking him *to* the vet, have the vet do a housecall.
posted by SpecialK at 1:04 PM on January 5, 2007

If you truly love this dog I'd take him to the vet or have the vet come on site...it sounds like you might be considering a variety of things like knives and god knows what else....i can hardly imagine trying to put a dog out with a knife in a humane way......cutting the throat would be the only way and it would be god awful to see a dog whimper and gag its way to death as it bled all over everything....and was conscious all the while....

and a shotgun would work, but jesus, would you really want to see (and later clean up) your dog's exploding head?

let the pro's handle it, or let the dog go out naturally....
posted by Salvatorparadise at 1:04 PM on January 5, 2007

You're more comfortable shooting or stabbing a dog than you are letting a vet put him out of his misery safely? I'm sure your method will do the trick, but you probably don't want to arouse the suspicions of the law or anyone else around you. The vet would probably do fine.
posted by look busy at 1:05 PM on January 5, 2007

Theres no way you can do this without causing serious pain to the animal. You might even fail to kill it for minutes as it runs away bloodied. I hope this is a prank question. A real "loving" owner would just go to the vet.
posted by damn dirty ape at 1:08 PM on January 5, 2007

Guns make a mess on small animals. Shotguns make a real mess. Exsanguination (bleeding out, what you get from a knife) is cruel unless the animal is rendered unconscious first. If you're not out in the middle of the country, expect a police visit for illegal firearms discharge and cruelty to animals.

See if the vet will make a housecall; a lot will. If it's important that you be the one to do it, ask if you can push the euthanasia drug in once the syringe is inserted. A good vet might be more accommodating than you think.
posted by hackwolf at 1:10 PM on January 5, 2007 [1 favorite]

When I recently had a dog put to sleep, I took him to the Humane Society. It was free, and they allowed me to stay with him until the end, and gave me as much time as I wanted afterward.

The vet wanted to charge me $100 for this (which I thought was in VERY bad taste). The Humane Society did it for free, although I gave them a $50 donation with no prompting, for which they were very grateful.
posted by Doohickie at 1:10 PM on January 5, 2007

Doohickie -- why is it in bad taste for the vet to charge for his or her services?
posted by handful of rain at 1:14 PM on January 5, 2007

I can understand the sentiment of wanting to do it yourself rather than have a stranger do it, but agree that it would be really tough to do with a gun/knife without causing unnecessary fear/pain/trauma in the last moments of Licorice's life.

hackwolf has the best answer.
posted by Roach at 1:16 PM on January 5, 2007

Our vet does it for free, but she gets all of our routine (and not so routine) visits.
posted by KirkJobSluder at 1:16 PM on January 5, 2007

Response by poster: Sorry, I realize that I forgot to include some information in the original post. I grew up on farms and in farming communities, and I have memories of when my first boyhood dog was "put down" by my father. I stayed inside of course, but I do remember it, though I was very young. We then buried our dog on the farm.

I'm not on a farm anymore, but I still feel, and have always felt a cold detachment when I visit the vet with my dog. He is always incredibly anxious when he's there, urinating often, whimpering constantly and panicking. The carride alone has been enough to send him into severe anxiety, but the experience of an unfamiliar face prodding and poking him seem to be cause enough for a heart attack. A house call is certainly an idea I will look in to, and maybe it's just the farmboy in me, but it is how my parents always did it with animals when I was young and maybe it's still in my blood, I just feel like he is my dog and I should be the one responsible for doing this. Thanks for the suggestions so far.
posted by trueluk at 1:19 PM on January 5, 2007

My response in a deleted AskMe question of the same nature.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 1:22 PM on January 5, 2007

A barbiturate cocktail is preferable to a barrel full of double ought?
posted by feloniousmonk at 1:24 PM on January 5, 2007

Doohickie:
Some perspective - euthenasias take more out of the staff at a clinic than all but the most intensive surgeries, and often other proceedures will get scheduled around a euthenasia because of this. The costs are real, and a small business trying to remain afloat does not received charity or volunteer workers from which to dispense charity. You are effectively suggesting that it would be in better taste for them to not offer the service.
posted by -harlequin- at 1:28 PM on January 5, 2007

A barbiturate cocktail is preferable to a barrel full of double ought?

If I had to choose, I'd take the cocktail.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 1:44 PM on January 5, 2007

Trueluk: I have a story that might give you some perspective on the whole thing. At my last job I had a coworker who was a life-long hunter. He had a very beloved dog who was also his hunting companion, and they spent many a happy afternoon in the woods looking for deer or turkey. The dog became old, and his quality of life increasingly poor. My coworker was generally a very unemotional kind of guy, but he teared up telling me that when the time came, he would take his dog out to the woods and shoot him. The was because the dog loved being in the woods more than anything else, and because the dog was terrified of the vet.

However, when the time finally came, my coworker arranged a housecall from the vet. This is a man who was a skilled hunter -- I imagine if anyone could put a dog down humanely with a gun in the woods it would be him. Think of how emotional you will be at that time. You don't say you're a hunter -- what if your resolve leaves you at the last minute? Don't put the consequences of your learning curve on the dog. Call your vet about a house call and then try others if he/she can't do it. Please.
posted by handful of rain at 1:47 PM on January 5, 2007

If you know how to kill an animal humanely, trust yourself to do it well, live in an area where it's legal to discharge a firearm, and have means to dispose of a very messy carcass you can do it yourself. People have been taking care of this problem for the tens of thousands of years we've been living with dogs.

That you would even consider using a knife tells me you don't know how to kill an animal humanely, your emotional ties to the animal that keep you from the vet's office tell me you can't do it well.

Don't do it yourself.
posted by Science! at 1:52 PM on January 5, 2007

Mod note: a few comments removed, if you think it's a troll, feel free to take it to metatalk, that is exactly what metatalk is for.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 1:53 PM on January 5, 2007

I would definitely suggest the housecall if you can arrange it. I can't imagine how much more anxious the dog will be if he sees you coming at him with a gun or a knife. Not to mention the suffering he'll go through in his last moments.

If you feel that much detachment coming from the vet, try and find one that is more to your liking. Ask for referrals in your community. But do NOT shoot or stab the dog!
posted by arishaun at 1:53 PM on January 5, 2007

A 22 will do the job. Just get a rifle and 22 LR cartridges and shoot the dog in the head, probably centered between the eyes and up an inch or so. I don't see how that's any less humane than euthanising the dog at a vet. Just be careful and hopefully the dog won't move or it could become traumatic for both of you.
posted by 6550 at 1:57 PM on January 5, 2007

If you haven't, take him to a vet. That's really the only way to know that you're doing the right thing. It doesn't sound like you know the situation is beyond help; don't jump to conclusions.

If you've taken him to a vet, and s/he's said it's hopeless, you don't need a vet to do it for you. Be ready to clean up, bring him to a good place, and use a small gun to the back of his head pointed toward his nose. (And for God's sake, don't use a shotgun. That will be very, very messy.) Use only one bullet, and then wait a few seconds; he'll probably shake a bit for about ten seconds, and then stop. Clean up and bury him.

I suspect, however, that you'll need the emotional support of having a vet do it for you. Think hard about whether this is something you want to do yourself. My belief is that, if you have to ask about something like this, and if it's your animal, you're probably not in a position to do this without feeling a lot of sickness and pain. Don't be afraid to get somebody else to do it for you.
posted by koeselitz at 1:58 PM on January 5, 2007

ericb: "BTW -- what's the best way to declaw my new kitten? Pliers or scissors? And will pouring vodka down her throat help dull the pain?"

This might be a troll, but, unlike your example, it's a real problem that good people face every day.
posted by koeselitz at 1:59 PM on January 5, 2007