When I had to put our golden retriever down (15 years old, cancer) we called an in-home vet to do it since my dog hated the vet with a vengeance. She would get anxious in the car if we even took the vet’s freeway exit. We cooked her an entire pack of bacon, and sat there feeding it to her while the vet did their thing. It’s a tough thing to go through, but the assurance that my dog wasn’t scared on her way out was worth it
Did the same for our cat, minus the meal, because she couldn’t eat. She hated trips to the vet, and it was honestly easier on both of us not having to go somewhere, and getting to be at home. Will do it again for the next cat, unless he just disappears one day.
You are a good owner. And she was a good girl.
Lol ultimate life hack? Just add this comment to every order you make…
Joking of course.
If I ever need to euthanise my baby girl kitty, I will make her SO much vegemite toast for her final meal. She loves it. I don’t give her much though, because I don’t imagine that vegemite is the healthiest thing a cat can eat.
Last meal for our dog. No pressure, bro.
Our Husky was 10 when he passed away in 2023. We had always joked that his middle name was “pizza thief” because he was very good at stealing pizza when you weren’t looking. easily at least a dozen times in his life he nabbed pizza from right next to you, from the counter, or sometimes even from your lap. For one of his last meals, we got a pizza and specifically left some out for him to “steal” for the last time. I will cherish that moment forever. Celebrating his life spent with us, and the quirks that made him who he was, was the only way we could let him go.
For one of his last meals, we got a pizza and specifically left some out for him to “steal” for the last time.
Ah fucking hell this got me…
It got me too. While we did it, and while writing that comment, and just now reading it again. We love him, and miss him every day.
He was a good boy.
That is so bitter sweet. I got a pizza thief of my own, I hope she has many good years left in her, but I will keep your husky in mind.
❤️
Remember when this was a joke?
Except Arnold would make a MUCH better president…
We had an old foster who stuck with us and eventually Louise became ours. We had her for 2 years before her kidneys quit on her. With her appointment for the next day, we ran to every pet store we could and asked for the best treats they had. One store asked what we meant by best and we said “most unhealthy, best tasting dog junk food we can get.”
They had immediate suspicions, “What do you mean unhealthy?”
“Our dog is going to be put down tomorrow and we want to give her the best going away feast she can handle.”
The lady understood and ran to the back and returned with two more people. They knew the assignment. The five of us combed the entire store for bacon and steak and stuffed treats the likes of which Louise had never seen. She went out full and as happy as she could be.
Those end of life meals make a big difference to everyone involved. It’s celebrating their life.
We confirmed today that our 13yo girl has a tumor on her spleen. Generally they pass quickly, as in you’ll walk into a room and they passed away.
We love you Bella, you may have 2 brain cells but you’re the best baby.
sometimes I really wonder if we’re worthy of our dogs.
My two are currently sleeping at the foot of the bed, I don’t even want to think about that inevitable day.
I’m a therapist, and one of my clients is putting her dog to sleep this week. Her first time. She cried through the whole session. And this was the first time I ever cried in session myself in 5 years. And I’ve heard some shit… but this got to me.
I started sobbing in front of my manager at work when I was telling him I needed to go home to be with my dog for his last day because I just gotten the call from the vet that we needed to put him down. Absolute no fucking control, I was a mess. Literally got four words in and just exploded
I keep wondering how I’m going to tell my boss when this happens because I’m not going to be able to come into work for the day and I hope he’s not going to belittle me for feeling this way about my pet. Because he’s not just an animal but my family.
If he doesn’t empathize he doesn’t have a soul.
I got my first dog, a 8 week old puppy, in December. My wife and, both 37, don’t have kids and have decided to not have any. The dog is an animal, we both know this, but he’s also out son!
Thank you for being there for them. I had to put down my soul pet, my cat of 20 years, in October. First time losing my pet as opposed to the family’s. It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever been through. Thankfully I was seeing a counselor who helped me through the worst of it and I’m so grateful to her. She cried too, and it touched me that she could empathize so deeply with what I was feeling.
When I talked about losing my kitty on here, someone said the sweetest thing that will always stay with me, “May her sunspot never move and may she rest in play.”
Being a cat person, I don’t know how relevant the sunspot part would be to a dog, but I feel like “rest in play” is such a lovely way to think about any pet’s passing.
My senior tiny dog loves his sunspot, so that tracks for me.
It’s been about 5 years since we put down his roommate. It is now bittersweet. We put together a memory photo book for her and it helps to sit down and remember the good things.
I’m on medical leave from work and made a list of low-energy things I could do while recovering from surgery, and making a memory photo book is on that list! I’m also thinking about getting a customized stuffed animal that looks like my girl. It’s so hard to lose them.
We did the customized stuffed animal for one of our late dogs (only one of them because she was my husband’s first. They are not cheap). It looks awesome and is a great memento.
May I ask what company you used for that?
We used Cuddle Clones! It was about $300. Here is a pic:
My dog loved her sunspot. She passed a couple months ago
I’m sorry for your loss <3
“May her sunspot never move and may she rest in play.”
Not while me and Kitty are in the dusty room of the house, please.
Man, my therapist said “damn that sucks” and changed the subject…they’re not an “animal person”
Sounds like you need a new therapist as that doesn’t seem like empathy to me.
Oh I definitely changed after that
I would second this. I heard many stories from clients where I couldn’t relate personally, but the whole point of empathy is to put yourself in that person’s shoes and say “Ok, if I were you in this situation, I’d feel the same way you do.”
Thats true I’ve had too many therapist pity me instead of empathize with me. I’ve gotten enough pity through out my life.
The only bright spot in thinking back to the various pets I’ve had to let go is that I know they lived great lives in the time we cared for them, and the end only came because of some reason that had made their living painful. So don’t worry about that day, focus on the time now with them because that’s what you’ll remember.
Better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.
This is so true. My husband and I adopted 3 seniors dogs a few years ago because they don’t get adopted often, and we wanted to make their last few years good. One was abandoned by her owners at 11 years old because she was “too old.”
You should have seen her shaking like a leaf in the shelter cage. She HATED it there. As soon as we took her home, she transformed. One of the most loving dogs I’ve ever owned.
Anyway, my point is, those grey muzzles were only with us for a few years, but I wouldn’t exchange that experience for anything else. Totally worth the heartbreak.
I choose to believe the dog is alive and well. I think they wrote “last meal for our dog” as an indication of order (e.g. the last item on the list) to ensure that the cook took extra care to make sure there is no seasonings and so it could be prepped rarer than one would typically make for human consumption.
This happened near me. It made the rounds on the local Facebook page with a photo of the dog eating the meal.
He was a good boy
My old manimal’s last meal was a burger from McDonalds. He ate it, then ate the napkins.
Miss the old fella.
Said dog was clearly very lucky to be loved by this person.
Blind and old cat, last meal, I gave him sour creme and onion chips.
Couldn’t smell it. Did one lick and then snuggled with the bag.
He was a chip goblin all of his life. And I hope he’s stealing chips from Angels in Cat Valhalla.
We picked up ours a beef sandwich and had it baptized. We were not sure if she would eat it because she was not eating anything but it was a nice day and we went to the forest preserve and she managed to eat the whole thing over a bit of time.
and had it baptized
come again?
its a term for them taking the entire sandwich and dunking it in the big vat of Au jus.
That is just beautiful as a term, ill remember that
it appears on the menu for buona beef. dry, normal, dipped, baptized
And now ill add that to a list of places i want to try if I’m ever anywhere near chicago (seems like thats where the chain is?) 😋
I actually thought the chain was more far flung. Its actually sorta a fair beef, there is a lot better in the area but they are not chains.
Well clearly the dog was religious and preferred to eat things that were free of sin.
