What happened when my dog gasped during euthanasia? Was he in pain?

Question

My beautiful 14 year old Labrador was put to sleep a few days ago. As soon as the solution started being injected he started gasping heavily and his eyes flew wide open. He’d been sedated 5 mins before. I cannot get this image out of my mind at all and feel/saw he became very distressed. I have spent hours upon hours trying to seek answers about what happened but cannot seem to find anything. Please, I desperately want to know what happened here as I’m closureless. Thank you. Nat. Pet's info: Dog | Golden Labrador | Male | neutered | 14 years and 6 months old | 79 lbs

Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS · Accepted Answer

I am so sorry Nat that you had to put Jack to sleep. I work for a home euthanasia company, so I know what it entails quite well. I wasn't there, so I can't say anything for certain, but it may be that he wasn't fully sedated at the time the solution was pushed, or it could have been a natural body reaction to the solution. He may have had what's called agonal breathing, which is normal. I warn owners about the potential of it happening, as it is distressing, but I can assure you it doesn't mean the dog is in distress or feeling anything. I have seen it happen myself. The solution causes no pain to the dog, so I suspect that may be the cause of what you saw. I hope this helps.

What happened when my dog gasped during euthanasia? Was he in pain?

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