"AJ" wrote in message
om...
Hi
My first time posting here, but I need to say something that might
prevent others from having the sad experience I had yesterday
regarding our wonderful cat, Merlin.
My husband and I took our beloved 18 year old Merlin to our vet
yesterday to be euthanized because his body had just finally given
out. (He was very ill, couldn't eat, was very weak, and was no longer
responding to any medical treatment--just mainly sleeping all the
time.) He still recognized us and responded to us and it was very
hard to make the decision, but it was a kindness to him to let him go.
We had never had to have a pet 'put to sleep' before, but we trusted
our vets and we thought that they had explained the procedure pretty
thoroughly and we thought we knew what to expect. (We were so wrong!)
They told us there would be an injection, and he would lose
consciousness, and shortly after that, he'd be gone. They explained
that he might appear to struggle to breathe, but not to be alarmed, as
that was reflexive and he wouldn't be conscious or feeling any
distress by then. My husband couldn't face seeing it done, but I
wanted the last touch and the last voice that our precious kitty heard
to be my familiar voice and my loving touch. Above all, I wanted him
to be able to drift away into death very peacefully, feeling loved and
secure. The vet said it was fine for me to stay with him.
The reality was very different from what I had hoped. When they tried
to put the needle into a vein in his leg for the injection, it clearly
hurt him a lot and he fought and struggled as they held him down and
tried to find a vein. I tried to talk to him and reassure him but he
must have felt that I had delivered him into a torture chamber. They
failed to find a vein, and went on to try several other sites in quick
succession while he struggled, yowled in pain and fought to get away
from them. A second vet came in and made another attempt. At this
point, I managed to get myself together, tears flooding down my face,
and tell them to stop! I said "Please Please can't you give him some
kind of sedation before you try any more to give him the injection."
They did stop then, as I had asked, and one of them went out for some
kind of 'gas' machine. The other vet didn't want to use that and he
went out and got some other kind of injection that he said would not
hurt if he put it into the abdomen, and that is what he did. It
seemed to render Merlin unconscious--or at least paralyzed and
unresponsive. One of the vets stayed with him and me while we waited
at least 20 minutes for his dear heart to cease beating. This didn't
happen, and eventually, the other vet came back and shaved a place on
his leg, found a vein, and administered the fatal injection.
Then, we brought our sweet pet home and made a grave for him in our
back yard.
I couldn't sleep last night for thinking how traumatic, painful and
frightening Merlin's last moments on this earth were, and how I wasn't
able to protect him and give him the loving and peaceful exit that his
gentle heart so deserved. Today I cry every time I think about it. I
am flooding the keyboard as I type this now.
We have taken our two cats to these vets for ten years. Until
yesterday, we had trusted them and felt that they were caring people
and were doing a good job. I truly feel blindsided by what happened.
I am posting this in the hope that if the time ever comes when you are
faced with having your cat euthanized, you will learn from our
experience.

I'm sorry about what you went through w/Merlin. Otoh, I don't think this is
a common scenario. I've have 2 cats euthanized so far, & both were calm
experiences. And have been on this ng since '98, but very few (none that
jump to mind, at any rate) horror stories about euthanasia.

My first cat who was euthanized was very feisty, even when incredibly ill, &
knowing this, my vet gave her a pre-euthanasia injection for sedation in the
her foreleg, before the fatal injection. Both injections went fine.

My second cat who was euthanized - she received just the fatal injection, &
it was over with within a few seconds.

Cathy

--
"Staccato signals of constant information..."
("The Boy in the Bubble") Paul Simon

I suggest that you impress upon your vet that you want
your cat pre-sedated in some manner to avoid having his/her last
moments spent in fear and pain. I also wish so much that I had had
the presence of mind to stop the proceedings the first instant that I
saw that it was causing pain and fear. I am devastated by this and as
desperately as I wish I could--I can't go back and make it better for
my dear kitty, but maybe someone here will learn from our experience.
Thinking about that possibility may help my heart begin to heal from
this. Right now I feel like I failed my best friend when he needed me
the most.
Thanks for 'listening.'
AJ