Should I bring my other dog when I put my dog with cancer down?

[carlamwilkinson]

@oldaussie If at home euthanasia is an option, I highly, highly recommend.

Sad stories below that outline the contrast of two of my dogs passing away if you want a personal account of the difference. Long story short, it made a huge difference in the recovery of my pups.

I’ve had to let go of two dogs in the last 5 years. The first had nasal cancer which metastasized to bladder cancer. Her decline was slow. We planned her date, took her for a a last hurrah to the beach and ice cream and the next day had her put to sleep in our living room. Both of our other dogs got to come in, see her, know what happened and while they were depressed for some time, they recovered quickly and didn’t look for her, just sad that she was gone.

By contrast, I had to put one of the other two dogs down in October. He had a brain tumor and developed seizures that were getting progressively worse and worse. We had just decided to call the in home euthanasia vet when he declined rapidly over night and was seizing non stop despite medication and we had to rush to the vet to end his suffering. He was separated from the other two because he was aggressive and irritable after seizures. They didn’t see him the day he died at all as a result and my youngest dog looked for him for two months. We live in a different house now and it’s the only reason he has stopped looking. Occasionally as we unpack we find things that were his and he looks briefly again. It’s honestly heartbreaking.

Long story short, if you can bring him or have it done at home, do it.

 

[fatalfantasy]

@carlamwilkinson I'm so sorry for your losses, @carlamwilkinson. I had similar experiences with 3 of my pets. Our (my husband's cat mostly) Kitty was diabetic and thyroid issues. She was on and off insulin for 5 years. She was having a diabetic seizure (best way I can describe it) and I had to rush her to the vet and have her put down suddenly. Heart breaking for us, but unavoidable.

Our dog Kirby (RIP due to intestinal cancer) was 2 weeks between diagnosis and euthanasia). He couldn't keep food down, so we had him put down on a "good" food day. He freaked out because of all the people in the room. It tore me up and I swore I would never put another pet through that if I could help it.

Our next dog, Jazzy (RIP due to ER vet didn't know why) was sudden too. She wasn't eating, drinking, moving, going to the bathroom over a weekend. Monday morning my husband took her to the ER vet and they had to inject her with sugar water to get any reading on her. She was put down quickly.

Our current dog, Ziggy, has outlived both of our other dogs and she is almost 15 years old. I want to do in home euthanasia if possible. I would really prefer she pass away in her sleep. I know how morbid that sounds and I'm sorry, but I really can't go through another vet office euthanasia if I can avoid it.

 

[whereheis]

@carlamwilkinson I've had contrasting experiences like this as well. I'm 50, so I've had to say goodbye to 4 dogs in my adult life. And I just want to echo what you said. I would always choose to do it at home -when possible- . It was relaxing and comfortable for the ones we were losing and helped the pets left behind immensely.

They're our people. We all want our loved ones to go peacefully, in their sleep, surrounded by those who love them and are loved by them. Humans, dogs, everybody.

I'm sorry you're losing your friend, OP. You have been so lucky to have loved each other. You're a great pet parent, asking this question. Sending you virtual hugs, if you'd like them.

 

[stels]

@oldaussie I think Tiberius would be scared about what the humans were doing to Turk. Perhaps show him Turk after the procedure is finished. I’m sorry for what your family is going through.

 

[oldaussie]

Thank you all so much for the advice and support I finally found someone near us that does at home euthanasia, Turk will cross the rainbow bridge Monday. When we got him in college we always told him we’d get him a yard. He moved with us so many times, traveled states, went to the beach, and hiked mountains with his 3 best friends (us and Tiberius haha) He finally got the yard he deserved last year, I’m so happy we kept our promise and he gets to be at home.

 

[tomasz]

@oldaussie who started cutting onions in here

 

[adriennesays]

@oldaussie Take him with, it's important he says goodbye too. Make sure Turk has a good time before he goes. Favorite treat, toy, spot to be scratched, give him a lot of love.

I'm sorry you have to say goodbye to a family member. I know all too well how that goes. Also yeah frag cancer.

Yer other doggo may still mope, so give him lots of love.

 

[jdmsn]

@oldaussie Sorry to hear that!!
From personal experience…. If you’re able to bury him at home then no don’t take the other dog to the vet but show him his buddy before you bury him. if you can’t bury him at home then take your other dog to the vet but not into the vet to watch him get put down and show him his buddy afterwards.

 

[tzephanyahu]

@oldaussie Absolutely. We put our oldest girl down in December of 2022. We went to the vet hoping they could give her something for her congestive heart failure but at that point any treatment would have cost a ton and would only have bought her maybe a few months. so we decided it was time. I ran home and picked up her daughter so she could be there with us.

 

[robinebc40]

@oldaussie I couldn’t bring my dog when we had our other dog put down….but I did bring his body back home and let her sniff him and say goodbye.

I’m really glad i did because I think it brought her closure. She took his blankets over to her bed and started sleeping with them, but she never looked for him or anything like that.

 

[vinnieharned]

@oldaussie Absolutely bring him with you. Dogs are very emotional with a strong intuition so it’ll help him grieve as well. When we lost our sweet girl, our other dog wasn’t with us and she walked around the house all night looking in every room for her. It was so heartbreaking. If we had the opportunity to have had her see her sister pass, I know it would have helped her understand.

 

[claudiarm2]

@oldaussie Yes, i'd definitely let your other dog see the body. Pets mourn aswell.

Atleast then he knows there's no need to search for his best friend.

My cat didn't eat for 3 days after my other cat passed away..

Sorry you're going through this but i'm sure your doggo is appreciative you're not letting him suffer.

 

[greenteaa]

@oldaussie Dogs understand death.

Tiberius won't understand Turk leaving home and not coming back. Much like when people revisit your home, he might hold out hope that Turk comes back one day. He might feel abandoned by Turk and alone.

 

[chadmc]

@oldaussie Absolutely you can, but if possible an at-home euth might be best. I've been an RVT in clinic and mobile so I've done both types many times, and having a well animal who may be excited in clinic can sometimes take away the focus from the grieving or process with the sick one. In at home euths, the excitement is generally lower, and the other pet can also be put in another room if they get too excited or distressed, and can have time to sniff the body after the process is complete. Whatever choice you make, I want to emphasize that you are undertaking an act of incredible compassion to advocate in the best interests of your sick pup, even when it hurts.

 

[mary07]

@oldaussie Twice, I've brought my other dog in with me, and both times the healthy dog seemed relatively unfazed, even though they were best friends. My vet said that dogs process things like...dogs...and not all of them get depressed or visibly 'sad'.

Both were very independent-type Carolina dogs, too, so I'm sure that visible emotionality varies by breed and individual.

I felt that it was the right thing to do, for all of us.

 

[tinafwlr]

@oldaussie I have done this a few times and each time my dogs have gotten over their losses much better. My argument is that death is a natural part of life & they understand that their mate has gone when they can see them.
The last one when had to do this with, my current dog was in the vet's room with all of us and I was lying on the floor with my old, sick dog. When the final medicine was administered, my healthy dog nudged my other dog with her nose & then went and sat at the door & wanted nothing to do with the other dog's body. They very much understand.
Also, my dog hasn't developed an aversion to the vet's office either.

For those suggesting a home visit by the vet/tech to do it, it's not always an option. My vet doesn't offer it, and in my country it's extremely rare for vets to offer it, besides rural farms with livestock & such.

 

[dreamingjoeinjail]

@oldaussie Yes! We had to put one of our dogs down a year ago and we were able to bring her sister with us for the procedure. I honestly think it helped everyone. They laid down together and our girl went to her final sleep and the other sniffed her and just laid next to her. And I think she understood. The vet and the vet assistant were all in tears. But I’d definitely do it if you can.

 

[collegedude]

@oldaussie God. I hate reading these posts. I am so sorry you have to go through this.

 

[flana3]

@oldaussie 100% yes. I had to put my 20 year old dog down last year due to lung cancer. I had a vet come to the house and my two other dogs (9 years old) got to say goodbye, they both sniffed her after she passed and comforted me afterwards. I feel that helped them understand why she wasn’t there anymore. Sorry for your situation, it does get better with time, cherish all the happy memories!

 

[thank_you_for_the_cross]

@oldaussie One of our cats died at home this past year unexpectedly and we didn’t let our other cat say goodbye because we weren’t sure what her cause of death was. The surviving cat who didn’t get to say goodbye was very distressed in the following days and clearly looking for our dead cat, her best friend. If you can let the other dog say goodbye and see what happened, I think you should. I really regret not letting our other cat say goodbye. I’m so sorry you’re in this situation.