Dog Owner Chooses At-Home Euthanasia For Beloved Dog

[GG]

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — Janis Olson will tell you the hardest part of having a pet isn't cleaning up a litter box or the backyard, it's saying goodbye. She agreed to let WCCO-TV witness the death of her Husky Heather because she wants pet owners to know that at-home euthanasia is an option for them.

"Honestly, I hope she's, I pray that she's gone when I come home," Olson told us last month. "I don't want her to suffer, and I don't want to. I'm being chicken. I don't want to make the call."

Olson spotted Heather, a stray dog, at Minneapolis Animal Control 16 years ago. She was scheduled to be put down the next day. Instead, Olson brought her to her Northeast Minneapolis home.

We talked to her there about how to make the decision to end a pet's life.

http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2011/03/14/mn-dog-owner-chooses-at-home-euthanasia-for-beloved-dog/

This will bring a tear to your eye.

[Hoss]

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — Janis Olson will tell you the hardest part of having a pet isn't cleaning up a litter box or the backyard, it's saying goodbye. She agreed to let WCCO-TV witness the death of her Husky Heather because she wants pet owners to know that at-home euthanasia is an option for them.

"Honestly, I hope she's, I pray that she's gone when I come home," Olson told us last month. "I don't want her to suffer, and I don't want to. I'm being chicken. I don't want to make the call."

Olson spotted Heather, a stray dog, at Minneapolis Animal Control 16 years ago. She was scheduled to be put down the next day. Instead, Olson brought her to her Northeast Minneapolis home.

We talked to her there about how to make the decision to end a pet's life.

http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2011/03/14/mn-dog-owner-chooses-at-home-euthanasia-for-beloved-dog/

This will bring a tear to your eye.

Reminds me a little of a movie I happened on to over the weekend... "Marley & Me".  At least the last 10 minutes of the movie.

[charky]

Wow...tough video to watch. That hit a little too close to home.

And I'm utterly appalled (but not surprised) at some of the comments to the story. 

[Conan71]

And then there's this tough little guy who survived not one but two euthanasia attempts.

KLAHOMA CITY — A lot has changed for an Oklahoma puppy that survived two euthanasia attempts.
Less than a month ago, Wall-E was left for dead, abandoned with several other dogs near an overcrowded animal shelter in Sulphur. A local veterinarian attempted to put the puppy to sleep twice, but Wall-E somehow survived.

Now, about 3,000 people have expressed interest in adopting him and more than $1,000 was donated for his care. He was flown to New York City to appear on "Good Morning America" and his safety has become a priority as several people have said they want to breed him to make money.

Veterinarian technician Amanda Kloski has been trying to find Wall-E a new home since he survived the euthanasia attempts.

Read more from this Tulsa World article at http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=298&articleid=20110316_298_0_OKLAHO302681

[dioscorides]

this thread made me think of a special needs dog that is looking for a home.  he is scheduled to be euthanized this saturday.  if you know of anyone who could take him in and care for him, please have them contact the texas old english sheepdog rescue.  here is a link and the dog's story (caution: its very sad):

http://www.texasoesrescue.org/

URGENT HELP needed for Sulley

Sulley's Story....
Sulley's owner contacted us at the behest of her veterinarian.  Sulley is scheduled to be sent to the "Rainbow Bridge" this coming Saturday, March 19. Sulley's veterinarian urged the owner to contact rescue in case there was a small chance someone would want Sulley.

This has not been an easy decision for his owner.  He came to her at age 2 - after he was returned to his breeder.  At first all seemed fine but within a few months is was clear that all was not well with Sulley.  He began having seizures.  He has been receiving veterinary care for the past 6 yrs and is on phenobarbitol. Sulley will be 9yrs old in August.  When he has seizures he releases a flood of urine.  There are no carpets in the home, only tile.  The owner is relocating due to work and will be moving to an apartment.  And they are exhausted from caring for and cleaning up after Sulley.  After a time I imagine that anyone would tire coming home to the smell of urine.  Sulley is a big boy 90#s (but now a bit over 100#s).  Sulley does have a good quality of life and he is a happy dog.

Is there a angel out there who could give this special needs OES boy the care he needs?  It will not be easy, but you will surely experience all the love this boy has to give.  If you are experienced in caring for a special needs dog and have the desire to bring Sulley into your home then contact TXOES Rescue TODAY!  Call Cindy at 713-444-1595.  She will put you in touch with the owner.

Sulley is located in Oklahoma City, Ok.  There may be help with transport.

The note below is from his owner:

"The side effect of the meds is he's hungry and he does sleep a little more than before.  He does have grand mal seizures, so they last anywhere from 2 - 5 minutes.  A few times and this has only been in the last year, he has come out of the seizure and gone back into another within a minute (cluster seizures).  After the seizure he is disoriented from anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour.  Then after that, it's like nothing ever happened until the next time.  When he is up he is himself.  He has a beautiful personality, he's kind and gentle.  My dogs are house dogs and we have a pet door so they come and go as they please.  We have had  him since he was 2 yrs old, he was returned to the breeder.  I'm sure because of seizures, however we didn't find that out until we had him for about 6 months, of course they failed to mention it.  But he is such a great dog, we decided to keep him even with seizures.  For those that aren't familiar with seizures, they normally happen when they are asleep, in Sulley's case they have only happened when he is in deep sleep.  So they normally happen in the middle of the night (80% of the time) or I have noticed a few times when I come home from work there is urine so he seized while napping during the day.  He can't be crated at night, unless it's an extremely large area because he could injure himself while seizing.  I have the extra large kennel and this is not enough room when he goes ridged.  He takes his pills with no issues, he doesn't snap when taking anything by hand.