My dog cried during euthanasia. Did she know what was happening?

I am so very sorry you recently lost Mac. Please accept my condolences for your loss. When we put an animal to sleep, they get a sedative first that puts them into a deep sleep. At this stage, they are not aware of anything happening, so when the final injection is given, they just slip away quietly. After the sedative was given, he would not have noticed you weren't there, and he wouldn't be aware what was happening to him. I'm sorry for your loss.

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.

I'm so very sorry that you had such a traumatic experience with losing Lani. What it sounds like you are describing as her last breaths are something called agonal breathing. It occurs after consciousness is lost. It is an unconscious reaction that we will sometimes see just before a dog dies. From your description of events, I suspect that Lani died in her sleep. When her heart stopped, her body had some unconscious reactions that look disturbing to us, but she was likely already gone or at least unconscious by then. I hope that was helpful in allowing you to understand what occurred yesterday. My deepest sympathies in your loss of Lani.

Head pressing is often a sign of very severe brain or other disease, and common in-house diagnostics may not tell us what is going on. Ally may have needed advanced diagnostics such as MRI or CT to look at what is going on inside her skull. These types of diagnostics require the pet to undergo general anesthesia, which she may not have been a good candidate for. Making the decision to put a precious pet to sleep can be very hard and traumatizing. We just get so close to them, it can be very similar to losing a human loved one. I would recommend seeking out a therapist or someone whom you feel comfortable talking with. You may also look for a pet loss help group in your area. Please take care of yourself during this difficult time of transition, and reach out to someone if you can. Here is a website that may help you find comfort: http://www.petlosshelp.org/

Please do not put Memphis to sleep! Dogs do not cry for no reason. She needs an extensive physical exam by the vet to determine why she is acting like this. Simple blood and stool tests will not necessarily indicate what the problem is. But it is possible that a simple intervention and/or medication will fix it. If not, you can discuss euthanasia with the vet.

The sciatic nerve is quite deep within the muscle bellies and would be difficult, but not impossible, to accidentally hit when performing an intramuscular injection. Without more information as to the specific injection technique used, I cannot say for sure if this is what occurred. It is more likely that the medications used may have burned as they were injected (much like when we get an injection). It is also possible that Sadie’s illness and discomfort made her more sensitive to the injection. My sincerest condolences for your loss.

First off, I'm so sorry you found Emma passed away today! How horrible for you, please accept my condolences for your loss. I certainly hope that she didn't die in pain today, it's likely that her body couldn't handle the burden of the cancer anymore and it was her time to go. She simply reached a point where she could no longer survive with this malignancy, and her body wanted to stop fighting. Again, I'm so sorry for your loss :-(