bloody dog nose???

[MJ_Mac]

TooPatient - I am so sorry for your loss. I hope all the wonderful memories of your furbaby help get you through this difficult time. This is by far the hardest part of pet ownership. Hugs across the miles to you.

 

[hay joe]

TooPatient I am so sorry for your loss. What a great Mom to such a sweet puppy.

 

[TooPatient]

Just picked up the memorial paw print. I wasn't sure if I wanted one or not at the time but am glad I did order. (final logic... If you can have logic at such a time... Was that I could always tuck it away but can never go back if I chose not to at the time)

Turned out great. We also have the ink impressions they used for the laser cutting.

 

[junebug17]

It turned out beautifully TP, what a sweet way to remember your beloved dog - it seems to be bringing you some comfort too. I know what you mean about not being sure at first, it's hard to figure out in these early days what will help and what will make us sad. Big hugs to you, I am so very sorry for your loss, I know that it is such a hard time.

 

[TooPatient]

It turned out beautifully TP, what a sweet way to remember your beloved dog - it seems to be bringing you some comfort too. I know what you mean about not being sure at first, it's hard to figure out in these early days what will help and what will make us sad. Big hugs to you, I am so very sorry for your loss, I know that it is such a hard time.

Thanks. It was so hard when we lost her. The pain fades but there are hard moments every day. It has only been 5 weeks.

It was so hard sitting there in the hours after her death making decisions. I had never thought about having something special cremated with her or not. Then pick an urn (we went with the standard and can change later if we want... I couldn't take another decision) and choose paw print or not and what to include on the inscription.

Hoping others can know what to expect (we had never cremated before) so a difficult time is not even more difficult. We were lucky to have a very good animal crematorium to take her to. Kind people make it a little easier.

 

[azstonie]

Hugs and love to you and your family. I'm so sorry.

Finn, my avatar, he is 12-1/2 years old. We almost lost him on Thanksgiving. Every day since then is a bonus round and I love him so much.

I did not know there were memorial items like this to have. When you're ready, could you tell us more?

 

[TooPatient]

Hugs and love to you and your family. I'm so sorry.

Finn, my avatar, he is 12-1/2 years old. We almost lost him on Thanksgiving. Every day since then is a bonus round and I love him so much.

I did not know there were memorial items like this to have. When you're ready, could you tell us more?

Glad to. I don't want others to be as surprised as I was. Happy to answer specific questions too. I am sure there is stuff I am forgetting. Such a tough topic but one that is easier to deal with before you have to know...


The stone was done through Precious Pets Animal Crematorium. I don't know who they sent out to for the cutting. They took an ink impression of her paw when we brought her body in (just after death). They scanned it into a computer to clean up smudges from hair between pads then sent out for the laser inscription. We chose just to have her name and paw print but I saw others with date of death or birth/death years or nice sayings too. Our stone cost $40.00
They also offered plaster prints (like you would do with kids) for,something like $12.
I chose the rock so it wouldn't break.

Both of those have to be done at the time. Can't go back as you need the paw print...

Urns were too much for me. They have a basic thing that is included. You can always change to something different later. So many choices...

One question I had never thought about is if we wanted to have anything cremated with her. They would have done a special toy or blanket or whatever along with her body.

We did choose to do a private cremation. This was NOT through the local humane society. This place put an engraved tag with her body and recorded,the number on all of our paperwork. The tag stayed with her through the process and was put in the urn with her ashes.

I did not choose to stay for the rest of the process. They do allow family to be present (at this place) for as much or as little as they are comfortable with. That is also something I hadn't given any thought to. I don't regret being absent for the actual cremation. I did feel far more comfortable with leaving her body with them knowing they are that open with the process.

Other memorials are out there that use the ash. Those can be done,any time after cremation so it isn't something I looked,into. I know there is lots with blown glass and,stuff.


I really wish I had found the crematorium and the house call vet sooner. I spent a couple of hours on the phone with vets and crematorium the morning we lost her. That is a hard time to be looking and making choices.

We did choose to have a vet come to our home. Only cost about $220. Not much more than office visit. This was NOT a,person who does nothing but euthanasia. I felt strongly about this as I wanted to not have regrets. She talked with me,over the phone so she knew what to expect then came over (about 3 hours after first call) and met,Sentra. She didn't do a typical poking temperature taking exam but she did do a quick exam. Basically a once over to see if there was,any reasonable alternative. She was super sweet and never rushed me. She did an initial injection that made her groggy and then asleep like for a surgery. Then she did a catheter in the leg for the other two injections. Sentra was clearly gone before the second one was done. All super peaceful.
Had we chosen, she would have,taken Sentra's body to the crematorium. I actually wanted to go see the place. That is another choice to make.

Our cats and other dog insisted on being in the living room. I really feel like it helped them understand what happened. They did not interfere. Just watched. Hard to explain but they looked like they understood. They sat up with her and me all night and wanted to be near her all morning. I think they got what was happening.

You should ask your vet who they use for cremation. Some are,better than others. Not all offer the paw print and not all do truly separate. I also learned that some/most vets will store the bodies in a freezer for up to a week or more. I did not like that.



Dirty details. Not pretty...


The other animals I have lost died cleanly. Just sick and then gone. Sentra bled all over. ALL OVER.
Thankfully, she went out for potty just before the vet came. She had mass quantity of black bloody diarrhea. The vet brought absorbent pads to go under her during the injections. They would not have been enough if all that had come out at the time of death. The dog bed she was on did get soiled in the car. Not much, just a tiny bit. The smell was awful. We were encouraged to let them dispose of it because the smell won't go away.

I had towls out for her to be on while bleeding. They took multiple washes with vinegar. If possible, I would suggest just tossing them. We also had blood all over the floors (including carpet), walls, and doors.

Even when the blood was gone, there was a terrible stench in the house. Had to scrub floors with vinegar and swap the air filter in the HVAC.

I don't want to scare anyone. This is far worse than I have ever seen/smelled. It was far worse than my mother had seen too. I don't think it is quite this bad for most...

That said, even with the mess and smell, I would not change a thing. Having her go in our home was so much more comfortable for her and us. There was no rush. No one needing the room. No strangers to see us cry. No leaving her in a generic vets room to sit for a week. No stress of a car ride or vet office.

 

[TooPatient]

Oh.... And watch out for those trying to take advantage of an emotional time.

One house call vet wanted $600+
Another could get to us but it would be a day.
Some do nothing but euthanasia so charge less but rush.

There was also a crematorium that wanted to charge $400. Got desperate and called Humane Society. They would do $180. Problem there was they used the big company in the area with very mixed reviews. No specifics about the process or how private a,"private" cremation is.

A house call will be a bit more than an office visit. Shouldn't be that much more. Ask vet, pet food store, and good crematorium for suggestions. Look at their websites and talk to them.

We paid $220 for house call plus euthanasia.

Cremation should be able to tell you how they identify and how they do private. Ideally, they should be so sure of their process that they would let you see it all start to finish if you want.
Call. Talk to them. They shouldn't make you keep a body over a weekend. The place we used even came in later in the evening just for us.
We paid $180 (for 65 pound dog).

 

[lulu]

Sorry, TooPatient, I just saw this. So sorry for your loss.

 

[azstonie]

Too patient, bless you for walking me through this. I know what to do and who to call now. I've asked our vet but he's always rushed in our appointments and I wanted to know about the special blanket to go with and how to get a single rather than group cremation. He has said he will come to our house when I asked about all this but his phone people are horrible and rude and I can hardly tolerate them when I'm in good control of myself, you know?

I love the Sentra rock and paw print.

Thank you for helping me and others reading of these things.

 

[TooPatient]

Too patient, bless you for walking me through this. I know what to do and who to call now. I've asked our vet but he's always rushed in our appointments and I wanted to know about the special blanket to go with and how to get a single rather than group cremation. He has said he will come to our house when I asked about all this but his phone people are horrible and rude and I can hardly tolerate them when I'm in good control of myself, you know?

I love the Sentra rock and paw print.

Thank you for helping me and others reading of these things.

Oh no! Call around and find someone who has time. The last thing you need is someone to push you off while your dog is suffering and then rush you through. Done right, there is also some waiting after the first injection and catheter. Apparently as much as 15 minutes. Rushing could potentially lead to some discomfort for your dog. Being walked through ahead and then each step was so unbelievably helpful. We also had the chance to pause at each step and nod when ready to go on.

You and your dog deserve that kind of patience and care.


Please do come back here or another thread if you have more questions. I never got to know this ahead and wish I had. No reason to make a hard time any harder. I am able to look back and be at peace with every decision and the entire experience.