My dog went out in pain yesterday and I can’t stop reliving her final hours before she was put down.
My childhood dog of 14 years, Abby has had metastatic cancer for about a year and a half now. Her quality of life has been excellent; she was obviously in some pain, but she was still food and attention motivated. We also had pain medication for her bad nights. At around 2am yesterday she had a stroke that was about 5-10 minutes long. After she came to, she started pacing the house, recklessly running into walls and letting out an ear-piercing yet guttural bark I’ve never heard before. We gave her medication and tried to get her to sit or lie on her bed for about two hours, but she fought us with every step of the way. We eventually gave up and let her walk around the house. She went through all of her usual paths, but she still wouldn’t stop running into walls. She made it to the water dish where she drank some water before losing control and dropping her face into it. After that we put her in the laundry room so she would hopefully wear herself out, but she kept walking in circles. Around 5:30, we decided to take her to the vet since she was showing no signs of improvement to her pain or mental awareness. After we got there, they gave her an anaesthetic shot to put her out, even then she wouldn’t stop yelping and barking. After around 30 minutes to say our goodbyes they gave her a proper dose of anesthesia followed by the euthanasia and many tears. I can’t stop reliving those bad moments. Every time I close my eyes it’s all I see and hear. I keep wishing I could have known earlier so I could have spoiled her extra that day. She was truly the best dog I could have asked for and I hope that she is comfortable wherever she is now.