scipio Posted August 9, 2008 Report Share Posted August 9, 2008 I know from reading something on here that many of you ask the vet to sedate your dog before euthanasia. Has anyone been told that the sedative injection may sting (and therefore distress the dog further) and it is better not to have it, ie just have the PTS injection? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happylittlegreensquirrel Posted August 9, 2008 Report Share Posted August 9, 2008 I think that euthanasia is very different for each animal and the reasons why the animal is being euthanised and that animals individual personality and even relationship with the vets has to be taken into account there is a myth that all euthanasia is quick and very peaceful , on the most part it is but some animals don't pass straight away and it's a very upsetting experience for those involved the reason I say this is not to scare anyone or put anyone off having an animal euthanised , I am saying it because the small percentage that it happens to come back to a board like this and think they have done some thing wrong or made the wrong choice because their animal did not drift away as others have done and those people suffer dreadful awful guilt thinking they have caused suffering on the whole the animals I have been with when they were euthanised have not needed to be sedated , one did and it did sting but he was already very stressed as he disliked vets and I still think it was better for him than not being sedated it's a tough subject but one that needs to be talked about Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
celeste Posted August 9, 2008 Report Share Posted August 9, 2008 I was told it was the other way about that because of the amount of anasthesia used to put an animal to sleep it could sting/burn and so it was better to have a bit of sedation first, and thats the way my vets use, both my pets slipped away very peacefully. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mop Posted August 9, 2008 Report Share Posted August 9, 2008 I think that euthanasia is very different for each animal and the reasons why the animal is being euthanised and that animals individual personality and even relationship with the vets has to be taken into account there is a myth that all euthanasia is quick and very peaceful , on the most part it is but some animals don't pass straight away and it's a very upsetting experience for those involved Tommy didn't go peacefully intil I told her it was ok for her to go, she was fighting it, probably thinking that I needed her. I did and still do but if she hadn't, she would have suffered. Once I told her it was ok, she relaxed and went peacefully. The vet did tell me that sometimes owners make it difficult for the dog to go by making it clear to them at the time that they don't want to. This can distress the dog and they fight it which makes it a lot harder for them. I thought I was facing this again earlier this week with Gracie, thankfully it was a bacterial infection in her bladder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReikiAnge Posted August 9, 2008 Report Share Posted August 9, 2008 I know from reading something on here that many of you ask the vet to sedate your dog before euthanasia. Has anyone been told that the sedative injection may sting (and therefore distress the dog further) and it is better not to have it, ie just have the PTS injection? No I haven't been told that - I asked for Sweetie to be sedated first because I felt that was the right thing for her, although she was very calm and ready to go at the time anyway, so may well have been fine without the sedative. She didn't appear to feel anything. I spoke to the vet ahead of time, as I knew the time was coming and wanted to have things as clear as possible in my mind. That was a different vet to the one that came out on her final day with us and neither mentioned the possibility of it stinging/stressing out the dog, in fact the aim was the opposite Is the sedative similar to what a dog would have before a GA? I'm thinking it would be I've been with my dogs while they've had the initial sedative at the vets and then walked/carried them through to the cage at the back and I've not noticed them react badly to that sedative either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wendbert Posted August 9, 2008 Report Share Posted August 9, 2008 I think that euthanasia is very different for each animal Definitely agree. Having been with 4 of mine when they were put to sleep, with each one it was different. Withouth going into specifics, some did have a sedative and the others didn't, I can only explain it as they had the help they needed to pass. One thing I have been lucky with though was that for each one, their passing was very peaceful and there was no distress for them, so when a sedative was necessary, it was the right thing, and when it wasn't needed, that was also the right thing for that dog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ingrid Posted August 9, 2008 Report Share Posted August 9, 2008 With the last 2 dogs I have PTS both have been sedated first and then left in a quiet corner of the surgery away from everyone for us to say goodbye before the final injection. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacobean Posted August 9, 2008 Report Share Posted August 9, 2008 Our vets have never mentioned sedation first to us. We have just changed vets and I will bear this in mind. We have had to have 4 dogs euthanased now. 3 were dying anyway and it was just a nice release for them. The other really didn't want to leave us and fought it. It was horrendous. We had no choice because of the problem he had but I will never forget it. Every time has been completely different. 3 just went straight off. Another (not the same dog that fought it) didn't appear to go straight away leading me to call the vet back. He said she had gone but her energy was taking longer to leave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizzie Posted August 9, 2008 Report Share Posted August 9, 2008 I was told by mey vet that the overdose of aneasthetic did sting and sometimes the dog would become distressed. That is what happened when my Danny went to the bridge and I will never forget the experience. When Ria's time came, another vet gave her a sedative first and she gently went to sleep before they did the main injection. It was a totally different passing to Danny, much more peaceful. We were not given the option of a sedative for Danny, I didn't know we could have asked for that, I still can't forgive the vet for the distress Danny went through. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scipio Posted August 9, 2008 Author Report Share Posted August 9, 2008 I ask because I have always asked for the sedative first and the passing has been peaceful. I am not saying that my dog fought it this time but it has bothered me since. No-one has ever made reference to a sedative stinging before and I just wondered if it was true or whether the vet just didn't want to hang around to wait for it to take effect. Part of my worry comes from reading about death by lethal injection for humans. I read an article about a year ago which stated it wasn't the instant death that people imagined. First the injection effectively paralyses the person; the article indicated there was a lot of pain but the person was paralysed so couldn't do anything/give voice to that pain, and so on. It took a lot longer for death to occur than people thought. I had told the vets earlier in the day that if we had to pts, we would want a sedative and that appeared to be no problem to them. At the time the vet started to get it ready but then said she didn't think it was a good idea, it might sting and distress my dog. I obviously went with what she said, I wouldn't know enough and was too upset to argue about it. what has worried me since is that within seconds he was totally motionless, she was listening with a stethoscope and a couple of minutes later she said 'he has gone'. Another minute later I noticed twiching in his neck and said something - I was told it was just muscles relaxing. They then went out to get the stretcher from the van. I noticed more twitching - this about 4/5 mins after he was supposed to have gone. It then stopped. I now can't get that article about euthansia out of my head and worry that he suffered . If he had been sedated, even if it stung, he would have at least been asleep or out of it. Sorry, you will probably all think I am totally nuts by now but I keep going back to that article and wish to hell I had made her give the sedative. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ingrid Posted August 10, 2008 Report Share Posted August 10, 2008 Part of my worry comes from reading about death by lethal injection for humans. I read an article about a year ago which stated it wasn't the instant death that people imagined. First the injection effectively paralyses the person; the article indicated there was a lot of pain but the person was paralysed so couldn't do anything/give voice to that pain, and so on. It took a lot longer for death to occur than people thought Interested to know what they base that conclusion on, the person injected would unlikely be able to tell them what was happening, can you put a link to the site ? What the vet told you is true, muscles do sometimes continue to contract after death, it's a natural thing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scipio Posted August 10, 2008 Author Report Share Posted August 10, 2008 This wasn't the article but there appears to be plenty on the web. I think whatever I read/saw was around the time that certain USA states prohibited any more deaths by lethal injection until they investigated further. Here is link: http://www.stateline.org/live/details/story?contentId=171776 however it may not be the same chemicals for animals, i've no idea. But I had never heard about sedatives stinging and I just wondered if that was so. It has all been preying on my mind since (no doubt all part of the grief). Thanks for telling me re muscles - it looked like a nerve twitching or a pulse in his neck. I know I am particularly upset at the moment, it has been a tough few months, just wish I had insisted on the sedative. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ingrid Posted August 10, 2008 Report Share Posted August 10, 2008 Worry no further, the injection given to animals it not the same as humans as described in that article. Being a complete coward I would have to say that all injectiuons sting a bit, well all those I've ever had, but then I'm terrified of needles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rudi Posted August 10, 2008 Report Share Posted August 10, 2008 You could ask for some oral sedative like ATP instead, you'd perhaps have to wait longer for it to take effect but if it was given in a piece of food, then I suppose it would be stress or pain free. If it was a case of knowing when a dog was to be taken to the vet (or the vet come to the house) I guess you could ask for it beforehand and adminster it before even going to the vet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buddyboy Posted August 11, 2008 Report Share Posted August 11, 2008 Since posting on the last thread about it, Lucy has been pts. She is the only one who had a sedative - and (typical Lucy, same as with boosters) she squeaked as the needle came out.... to be quite honest I don;t think it was to do with it stinging, more an automatic greyhound reaction to "oh, hang on, I've just had an injection, I'd better squeal". The vet was great (not our usual practise but the partner one who rotate out of hours emergencies with them). He listened carefully to me, said why he was giving the sedative (which I had not thought of until then), gave me plenty of time alone with her while it took effect, and then made sure she was comfortable on a rug on the floor, and that I was comfortable holding her before the final injection. Eveything was very peaceful, and he then left me with her until I was ready to come out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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