I'm new to this forum and am grateful to have it to turn to. My 10 year old Shih Tsu, Charlie, is experiencing late stage Congestive Heart Failure. His decline has been precipitous. He's suddenly unable to take our long walks and is always in somewhat of a struggle to breathe. He still is happy and has a good appetite but I realize that I have to face the fact that the end is coming whether he dies spontaneously or I have the vet help him. My question is to others who have had to put down their dog. Is there anything you wish you had done differently? I'm also wanting to have something that can be a personal remembrance. Does anybody have any suggestions? A locket with a bit of his lovely hair sounds right. Any other thoughts.

I'm a certified hospice and palliative care nurse. I've helped many folks in their final journey but I feel totally helpless in this situation. Charlie is truly the best buddy anyone could wish for.

Sorry to hear this. It must be terribly sad and difficult for you.

I have never had to make the awful decision but vividly remember my Dad taking my childhood springer Timmy when i was about 12 to the vets for the last time.

I took a lock of his hair before he went when i was saying goodbye and still have it to this day (approx 25yrs). Sounds like a perfect keepsake.

There is no easy way to take that last heartfelt decision and my heart goes out to you. Thankfully, our much loved pets do not have to suffer the pain that we humans do in situations like this. That is something to take comfort in.

Sending you cyber hugs at this difficult time xx

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So sorry to hear this we had our springer put to sleep with congestive heart failure a year ago on the 9th of this month, he was a few weeks of 9 years old, i still wonder if i did everything right, what ime trying to say is do what you think is right for you and him as you feel now, as there will still be times when you wonder if what you did was right, i sometimes wonder if we should have done it sooner then i wonder if we should have done it at all but we were faced with him being out and dying suddenly which we was told could happen anytime and we didnt want the undignified way of dying in front of many people who are normally on our walk and the upset/hysteria that this would have caused. When we took him to the vets he was going about every 2wks at this stage but rather than the very pale tongue, lips and gums they were now purple so we took him to the vets and the vet told us he was in the most advanced stages of heart failure,and a stronger tablet could be given for only a week and nothing more could be done, so we made the decision there and then that we had to let him go, that was right thing to do but i still question myself now even though i know we did the right thing it just natural, i always say to myself a week too early is better than a day too late when an animal is suffering or has none or very little quality of life. We have a curl from the fur on his ears that we keep in a special place with photos, puppy injection record card and various other documents relating to monty.

Owning Dobes for 30yrs we have had to make the heartbreaking decision everytime dobes haven't got such a long lifespan but while they are here with us they are such a joy its not easy but we cant keep them out of selfishness for ourselves,
if any of our dogs have lost their quality of life its just not fair to keep them hanging on,
i still feel the guilt at times & i can cry at the drop of a hat thinking about them all but it was for the best & im sure in my heart they were thanking us at the end

I agree with what you said about selfishness, we always said we would never keep monty alive for us, and felt thats exactly what we were starting to do without admitting to ourselves we just made excuses that he sempt a little better today or they might be able to give him different meds, we knew we was imagining this because it was so hard to think of the alternative, we had to be selfless and let him go it wasnt fair.

I wan't having a go at you or anyone

we know people who have dobes & just cant part with them when the dogs cant walk through having wobblers they will carry them outside to clean themselves & lift them up on chairs & beds cause thats what they belive thats what the dogs want But its not,
as hard as it is & they seem perfectly healthy in themselves & if young its heartbreaking they need dignity, its just not fair on them & you can see it in their faces

No i know you wasnt having a go i agree with all you said, animals unlike humans dont have to suffer so i believe that we shouldnt allow it to happen choose how hard it is as i said in one of my previous posts its a year on saturday since we lost monty and sometimes it seems a life time and sometimes only days because we think about him everyday day, and i know in my mind we did do the right thing because any doubts are now fading its only natural to doubt yourself at first.

Thanks i didn't want you to think i was having a go

as for time being a healer im not so sure i still feel guilty from our 1st he was just 6 & lost all use of his legs he knew it was time & i know he was thanking us but i'll never forget him & that was 23yrs ago

6 is young, we thought it was young when monty took ill at 7 and died at 8, and i think well i did ,felt guilty and so sorry because i felt he had been cheated out of so many years of life, we couldnt say or no one else could say that he had had a long life it just and still does feel a waste, then i think the 7 years he had he had done more and was loved so very much, some dogs live to a grand old age and dont have that, you just look for consolation i think