Pets Quality Of Life
I just read the article on Garden State, and as I did, my heart was in my throat because we just put our beloved Casey, our Golden Retriever to sleep while at Garden State. Fortunately, my experience there was not bad, at least not with the personnel. They were patient, explained the options and let me spend as much time with my baby as was appropriate given his condition. I brought Casey in in the middle of the night when his breathing became very labored. He had an enlarged heart and an infection but it was really too late for the antibiotics to work and we ultimately made the hardest decision we have ever made and put him down. (he was on oxygen and couldn't breathe on his own) Yes, there were quite a few people dealing with him and there were different personalities, but overall, they were kind and made our final visit as comforting as it could be. I was struck by the fact that everyone seemed to have the same response when we asked if there was a chance for Casey. Everyone said, that he had an outside chance but that it wouldn't be unreasonable to put him down. I started to think this was the practiced response they were told to give, until our last meeting with a young vet, who, after spending a great deal of time with us, both on the phone and in person, said, (when I commented on this pat answer), well we could continue to try, but chances are, even in a best case scenario, even if he could breathe on his own, and the antibiotics could treat the infection effectively, he would probably be back quite soon. He said, "if it was my dog, I would put him down because he is suffering." The decision was brutal, but when I looked in Casey's eyes as I was cradeling him in my arms , I knew what we had to do. I miss him more than anyone will ever know, but I feel that we did right by him, a little dog that I found at the ASPCA and was the best behaved, little love muffin you could ever meet. He was my child, my best friend,and went everywhere with me. I was not so thrilled with my regular vet, who, after seeing a problem with the results of his blood work (I had blood work done on Casey anytime I noticed something unusual as he got older) wanted to test him for Cushings Disease and I think instead, should have referred me to a specialist. At least with an ultrasound or another test they could have seen his real condition and started to treat it a lot earlier. If I ever have another dog, I will immediately take it to a specialist if there's a problem, because I don't think most general vets have the knowledge or tools to do comprehensive exams. I don't know if this will help anyone, and I don't envy anyone going through it, but just know your not alone.
"Casey"
