dracothebeardie
Member
Unfortunately, I lost my beloved Draco yesterday.
Draco layed her first clutch of eggs yesterday morning and in the process, prolapsed. This was her 4th prolapse (two of them involving full surgeries and medication for recovery). Her first two prolapses were because or parasites which were eventually cleared out of her system and then the last ones were due to straining and trying to lay eggs (according to the vet).
The cost for surgery to save her would have been close to 1000 dollars (the vet estimated) and I could not financially afford it. I was faced with the terribly difficult decision of euthanizing her because the vet said that even after surgery it is likely that the prolapses will continue to occur throughout her life (last time she prolapsed was only 6 months ago).
The vet did everything they could to fix the prolapse without surgery and I did not want Draco to have to experience this pain then or ever again.
I decided that although she was only 6 years old, I had to have her put down. I am reaching out to this forum because I am having serious feelings of guilt, depression, grief and anxiety and I am having difficulty dealing with these unfamiliar emotions for me. I am constantly questioning if what I did was the right thing to do I just couldn't stand seeing my poor Draco go through another prolapse, especially when I just paid 1000 dollars less than 6 months ago to ensure this would not happen again and in hopes that she would be healthy now.
If anyone has coping advice I would really appreciate it. Draco was a huge part of my life and I miss her so much.
Thank you.
Draco layed her first clutch of eggs yesterday morning and in the process, prolapsed. This was her 4th prolapse (two of them involving full surgeries and medication for recovery). Her first two prolapses were because or parasites which were eventually cleared out of her system and then the last ones were due to straining and trying to lay eggs (according to the vet).
The cost for surgery to save her would have been close to 1000 dollars (the vet estimated) and I could not financially afford it. I was faced with the terribly difficult decision of euthanizing her because the vet said that even after surgery it is likely that the prolapses will continue to occur throughout her life (last time she prolapsed was only 6 months ago).
The vet did everything they could to fix the prolapse without surgery and I did not want Draco to have to experience this pain then or ever again.
I decided that although she was only 6 years old, I had to have her put down. I am reaching out to this forum because I am having serious feelings of guilt, depression, grief and anxiety and I am having difficulty dealing with these unfamiliar emotions for me. I am constantly questioning if what I did was the right thing to do I just couldn't stand seeing my poor Draco go through another prolapse, especially when I just paid 1000 dollars less than 6 months ago to ensure this would not happen again and in hopes that she would be healthy now.
If anyone has coping advice I would really appreciate it. Draco was a huge part of my life and I miss her so much.
Thank you.
It must have left your nerves on edge knowing that she was prone to prolapsing, so I can imagine how stressful the entire ordeal up to this point must have been for you. We who have loved + lost pets know some of the same feelings, although we all deal with grief differently. Your feelings are normal, so go ahead + grieve but as the other poster mentioned, don't put any guilt on yourself. If this happened to a close friend of yours, you would be offering sympathy to them, not guilt. So give yourself the same tender treatment, you need consolation , not condemning yourself. You certainly tried to help her 3 different times but the fact is that you did what you had to do, for her and for yourself. You made the right decision, so be comforted by the thought that her very serious issue is over + she has no more suffering. So sad that this happens to them, whether it be cancer, yellow fungus or something else that takes them. You'll be O.K, it takes time but you'll heal from this pain. Maybe in the future you'll get another, not to replace Draco but to give another dragon a happy home, which I'm sure you could provide if that ever becomes something that you want to do. But again, I'm so sorry for your loss. 
