I hope someone here can help me. This whole situation has come on just
so fast I cant even beleive it !

I have a beautiful 11 year old Germrn Shepard who has been going
down-hill slowly but surely (mostly her hips) and I thought she would
have a bit more time, maybe another year, or at LEAST a few more months,
as she had some trouble walking, but still enjoyed it at least twice per
day, and even would wimper at the door to make sure I did not forget.

Well, about a month ago she got what I thought was a 'Boil' on her back
and I was going to lance it, but decided to wait and see if it went
away. Whithin 2 weeks time, she now has what I would decribe as Tumors
all over, one the size of 1/2 a baseball on her jaw, a few little pimple
sized ones around here face and many others the size of marbles all
over.

Her eyes are Blood-Shot with some pus in them I keep wiping off.

Then I notice an 'Open' sore on her rear leg that will not leave, even
though I have been putting Peroxide as well as other 'Dressings' on it
etc.

She has not been able to walk much farther than the yard in 5 days and
only eats every other day, and little at that.

I cant tell if she is in much pain...she never has been much of a
'Complainer' though. She's a VERY good ol gal.

Today when I let her out to potty I noticed she couldnt even stand on
her hind legs to do it :-(

This is all so sudden, even though I am told she is very old for a 'Pure
Blood' Sheperd. She wasnt able to get around or walk as far as before,
but up till a month or so ago she still seemed so bright and full of
life, always wagging her tail and interested in whats going on.

I know I should take her to the Vet, and I will 1st thing Monday, but I
have a feeling that she has SOooo many problems and is so old that I
fear not much can be done in the long run. If I had thousands of $$$'s I
would spent it ALL to make sure she could live as long as possible, the
rest of her days in comfort, but alas...I am VERY P-O-O-R.

I wish she could just go to 'Sleep' and rest in peace. I knew this
moment would come some day, so I asked a VET about putting her to sleep
and he said $60, which I suppose is a fair enough price, BUT...Here is
the thing....

I cant STAND the thought of taking her in there and putting her up on
that cold table, under those brite lites, causing her even more stress
in her final moments.

I have a freind I ran into the other day who is a Horse Trainer and he
says he can do it for me at my home, in the backyard, where she (My dog)
feels comfortable. He says there is a shot you must have a licsense to
get (he has one) and he has done it to horses (and some dogs) many times
over the years.

Has anyone else here done it this way ?

Any help / advice you can give will be GREATLY appreciated.

Please feel free to e-mail me directly also.

Chris Mc 3

Chris:
I was in somewhat the same boat but I went to a vet and put my dog down,
went ahead and had her cremated & placed the ashes in an urn to carry with
me. I felt I certainly owed that to her after all she was a trusted and
loyal companion for 11.5 years.
I miss her & will have to spend some time until I can accept the fact she is
gone and I did the right thing.
This will be one time so I suggest to go to a vet.
On my website at aboutme you will see a picture of her where I pay tribute.
Website residential info www.arthurhewett.com & www.thingsanditems.com
Arthur



"Chris Mc 3" wrote in message
...

I hope someone here can help me. This whole situation has come on just
so fast I cant even beleive it !

I have a beautiful 11 year old Germrn Shepard who has been going
down-hill slowly but surely (mostly her hips) and I thought she would
have a bit more time, maybe another year, or at LEAST a few more months,
as she had some trouble walking, but still enjoyed it at least twice per
day, and even would wimper at the door to make sure I did not forget.

Well, about a month ago she got what I thought was a 'Boil' on her back
and I was going to lance it, but decided to wait and see if it went
away. Whithin 2 weeks time, she now has what I would decribe as Tumors
all over, one the size of 1/2 a baseball on her jaw, a few little pimple
sized ones around here face and many others the size of marbles all
over.

Her eyes are Blood-Shot with some pus in them I keep wiping off.

Then I notice an 'Open' sore on her rear leg that will not leave, even
though I have been putting Peroxide as well as other 'Dressings' on it
etc.

She has not been able to walk much farther than the yard in 5 days and
only eats every other day, and little at that.

I cant tell if she is in much pain...she never has been much of a
'Complainer' though. She's a VERY good ol gal.

Today when I let her out to potty I noticed she couldnt even stand on
her hind legs to do it :-(

This is all so sudden, even though I am told she is very old for a 'Pure
Blood' Sheperd. She wasnt able to get around or walk as far as before,
but up till a month or so ago she still seemed so bright and full of
life, always wagging her tail and interested in whats going on.

I know I should take her to the Vet, and I will 1st thing Monday, but I
have a feeling that she has SOooo many problems and is so old that I
fear not much can be done in the long run. If I had thousands of $$$'s I
would spent it ALL to make sure she could live as long as possible, the
rest of her days in comfort, but alas...I am VERY P-O-O-R.

I wish she could just go to 'Sleep' and rest in peace. I knew this
moment would come some day, so I asked a VET about putting her to sleep
and he said $60, which I suppose is a fair enough price, BUT...Here is
the thing....

I cant STAND the thought of taking her in there and putting her up on
that cold table, under those brite lites, causing her even more stress
in her final moments.

I have a freind I ran into the other day who is a Horse Trainer and he
says he can do it for me at my home, in the backyard, where she (My dog)
feels comfortable. He says there is a shot you must have a licsense to
get (he has one) and he has done it to horses (and some dogs) many times
over the years.

Has anyone else here done it this way ?

Any help / advice you can give will be GREATLY appreciated.

Please feel free to e-mail me directly also.

Chris Mc 3

Chris:
I was in somewhat the same boat but I went to a vet and put my dog down,
went ahead and had her cremated & placed the ashes in an urn to carry with
me. I felt I certainly owed that to her after all she was a trusted and
loyal companion for 11.5 years.
I miss her & will have to spend some time until I can accept the fact she is
gone and I did the right thing.
This will be one time so I suggest to go to a vet.
On my website at aboutme you will see a picture of her where I pay tribute.
Website residential info www.arthurhewett.com & www.thingsanditems.com
Arthur



"Chris Mc 3" wrote in message
...

I hope someone here can help me. This whole situation has come on just
so fast I cant even beleive it !

I have a beautiful 11 year old Germrn Shepard who has been going
down-hill slowly but surely (mostly her hips) and I thought she would
have a bit more time, maybe another year, or at LEAST a few more months,
as she had some trouble walking, but still enjoyed it at least twice per
day, and even would wimper at the door to make sure I did not forget.

Well, about a month ago she got what I thought was a 'Boil' on her back
and I was going to lance it, but decided to wait and see if it went
away. Whithin 2 weeks time, she now has what I would decribe as Tumors
all over, one the size of 1/2 a baseball on her jaw, a few little pimple
sized ones around here face and many others the size of marbles all
over.

Her eyes are Blood-Shot with some pus in them I keep wiping off.

Then I notice an 'Open' sore on her rear leg that will not leave, even
though I have been putting Peroxide as well as other 'Dressings' on it
etc.

She has not been able to walk much farther than the yard in 5 days and
only eats every other day, and little at that.

I cant tell if she is in much pain...she never has been much of a
'Complainer' though. She's a VERY good ol gal.

Today when I let her out to potty I noticed she couldnt even stand on
her hind legs to do it :-(

This is all so sudden, even though I am told she is very old for a 'Pure
Blood' Sheperd. She wasnt able to get around or walk as far as before,
but up till a month or so ago she still seemed so bright and full of
life, always wagging her tail and interested in whats going on.

I know I should take her to the Vet, and I will 1st thing Monday, but I
have a feeling that she has SOooo many problems and is so old that I
fear not much can be done in the long run. If I had thousands of $$$'s I
would spent it ALL to make sure she could live as long as possible, the
rest of her days in comfort, but alas...I am VERY P-O-O-R.

I wish she could just go to 'Sleep' and rest in peace. I knew this
moment would come some day, so I asked a VET about putting her to sleep
and he said $60, which I suppose is a fair enough price, BUT...Here is
the thing....

I cant STAND the thought of taking her in there and putting her up on
that cold table, under those brite lites, causing her even more stress
in her final moments.

I have a freind I ran into the other day who is a Horse Trainer and he
says he can do it for me at my home, in the backyard, where she (My dog)
feels comfortable. He says there is a shot you must have a licsense to
get (he has one) and he has done it to horses (and some dogs) many times
over the years.

Has anyone else here done it this way ?

Any help / advice you can give will be GREATLY appreciated.

Please feel free to e-mail me directly also.

Chris Mc 3

Ask your vet on Monday. There are alot of vets out there who will come to
your house for this purpose. They don't advertise it but alot will do it
when asked.

--
Tara

Ask your vet on Monday. There are alot of vets out there who will come to
your house for this purpose. They don't advertise it but alot will do it
when asked.

--
Tara

Chris - I'm so sorry to hear about your beloved dog. It's heart wrenching
and it sounds like you've done so much for her.

Many vets will euthanize pets in the home. My husband does this often. We
also have a room specifically designed for euthanasias that looks nothing
like an exam room. It has comfortable seating areas and even a very large
padded "bed" on the floor for human and dog to cuddle up in for some good
byes. Also outside is a memory garden and tree that some people prefer to go
to. Many practices offer comfortable areas for euthanasia but don't
advertise it! Ask yours about a housecall or a special area in the practice.

-Sharon

Chris - I'm so sorry to hear about your beloved dog. It's heart wrenching
and it sounds like you've done so much for her.

Many vets will euthanize pets in the home. My husband does this often. We
also have a room specifically designed for euthanasias that looks nothing
like an exam room. It has comfortable seating areas and even a very large
padded "bed" on the floor for human and dog to cuddle up in for some good
byes. Also outside is a memory garden and tree that some people prefer to go
to. Many practices offer comfortable areas for euthanasia but don't
advertise it! Ask yours about a housecall or a special area in the practice.

-Sharon

.......Geez, I'm liking your hubby's practice more and more. What state
are
you in?

NYS. We're a smaller practice with 1 and 1/2 vets. Very busy, but great team
of staff and this gives us the ability to reach out and do more than just
basic medicine. Frequent staff meetings and education meetings. A lot of
practices these days are doing more to expand their scope of veterinary
medicine to include the family as an integral part of preventive medicine
(ie: getting kids up on chairs with a stethoscope during exams, giving open
tours, newsletters, school presentations, shadowing and mentoring, etc).

Euthanasias is an inevitable part of the practice and is really tough on the
staff. Making it as comfortable on the client as we can also has its
benefits in easing the staff's emotions as well. Most of the these pets have
been clients with us for their entire lifetime. We get attached too :-(

-Sharon

.......Geez, I'm liking your hubby's practice more and more. What state
are
you in?

NYS. We're a smaller practice with 1 and 1/2 vets. Very busy, but great team
of staff and this gives us the ability to reach out and do more than just
basic medicine. Frequent staff meetings and education meetings. A lot of
practices these days are doing more to expand their scope of veterinary
medicine to include the family as an integral part of preventive medicine
(ie: getting kids up on chairs with a stethoscope during exams, giving open
tours, newsletters, school presentations, shadowing and mentoring, etc).

Euthanasias is an inevitable part of the practice and is really tough on the
staff. Making it as comfortable on the client as we can also has its
benefits in easing the staff's emotions as well. Most of the these pets have
been clients with us for their entire lifetime. We get attached too :-(

-Sharon

"Sharon" wrote in message
...
snip

Euthanasias is an inevitable part of the practice and is really tough on
the
staff. Making it as comfortable on the client as we can also has its
benefits in easing the staff's emotions as well. Most of the these pets
have
been clients with us for their entire lifetime. We get attached too :-(

-Sharon



Isn't that the truth. I remember when our vet came to the house to
euthanise Jadee (who was only 2 1/2 - JRD sigh) that snowy Sunday morning.
He was at our house within an hour of our call to his home. He was bawling
as hard as we were. And when it was done and he took her with him, he
didn't put her in the back of his truck, no, he put her on the front seat
beside him. We got cards from the vets at Cornell, Ohio State University,
the vet who discovered the problem on vacation 10 hours away, our local vet
and her local specialist who wasn't so local over an hour away. God bless
the caring vet.

Sue and Atty