My senior dog was put to sleep. How do I cope with the guilt?

Question

You We had to put our 17 1/2 old shih tzu to sleep last Thursday. I am having huge guilt issues. Her health has been declining for a while but she woke us up whimpering around 4 in the morning. We gave her 2 25mg benadryl pills to try to calm her down. We had done this in the past. After about a half hour we gave her another one. She was whimpering and running into walls the entire time so we decided to put her in her crate and all she did was pressed her head into the corner of the crate and st. Pet's info: Dog | Shih Tzu | Female | spayed | 17 years and 8 months old | 11 lbs

Jenna Beyer, DVM, MBA, cVMA · Accepted Answer

Head pressing is often a sign of very severe brain or other disease, and common in-house diagnostics may not tell us what is going on. Ally may have needed advanced diagnostics such as MRI or CT to look at what is going on inside her skull. These types of diagnostics require the pet to undergo general anesthesia, which she may not have been a good candidate for. Making the decision to put a precious pet to sleep can be very hard and traumatizing. We just get so close to them, it can be very similar to losing a human loved one. I would recommend seeking out a therapist or someone whom you feel comfortable talking with. You may also look for a pet loss help group in your area. Please take care of yourself during this difficult time of transition, and reach out to someone if you can. Here is a website that may help you find comfort: http://www.petlosshelp.org/

My senior dog was put to sleep. How do I cope with the guilt?

Most Helpful Answer

Related Questions

Why is my mouse's eye swollen, cloudy, and has pus?

Is it normal for a pregnant guinea pig to zoom after cage cleaning?

What fish dog food helps dry skin if my dog eats Science Diet?

My pet is breathing hard, not eating, and lethargic. What's wrong?

My pet has red spots all over. What's causing them and what to do?

My small pet is limping and can't bear weight. Should I see a vet?

Share