I think it's time to put my girl down

[SeventyGTX]

My female BD is nearly 12 years old now, and is having a hard time moving around and is not eating much. In fact her tongue comes out very slowly to get her food. Her eyes are alert for the most part, but I can tell her body is failing her. I dreaded for this time to come, but like all creatures, it is inevitable. Even though she cannot communicate with me, I'm sure she is hurting inside and I don't want her to suffer. I guess my question is, what is the best, most humane way to put her down?

 

[Kessed]

*hugs*

It sounds like she's had a long full life. That's a hard decision I've had to make a few times with my cats.

I don't know what the best way to put her down is. I have euthanized fish by cooling them down. I put them in water in the fridge and then move that to the freezer. They seem to just slow down and go to sleep. I have done the same with chirping crickets... But, those things weren't animals I was emotionally attached to. Hopefully someone else will come along with better advice.

 

[onceblue]

I'm sorry to hear this, but it's wonderful that she had such a long life.

The only humane way to euthanize is to take her to a vet and have them perform the procedure. Freezing is not recommended because it is a painful process for the reptile.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

That is always a hard decision to make!
How long has she been declining? Have you tried changing out her UVB lights, changing the supplementation, etc to see if she improved?
Do not put her in the freezer. It takes a very long time for them to pass doing that because they slow down gradually & it is painful. I personally wouldn't do that to anything, I am too soft hearted.
They have injections given for putting them down, that are not painful. I am not sure of the cost but it varies from vet to vet.


Tracie

 

[SukiLove]

I'm sorry you have to go through this. When I had to put Suki down my vet gave her anesthesia to put her to sleep before using the medication to stop her heart - just like they do with dogs and cats. She let me stay in there as long as I wanted and hold her while I said goodbye. It's never easy, and is probably the hardest decision a pet owner has to make.

 

[SeventyGTX]

Thank you for the replies. Tracie, she has been having a hard time walking for a couple of months now. I have been giving her Calci-Blast for about a year now because her tail started to kink, but it doesn't seem to be helping. I pretty much blame myself as I neglected to give her calcium for a good portion of her adult life. I thought they just needed it when they were growing, but found out later on this board, they need it throughout their life. So, I only dusted her food her first couple of years.

She has been healthy all of her life until about a year ago when she lost a LOT of blood though her vent. The consensus on this board was a cyst, then about 3 months ago, she lost easily as much blood out of her mouth, and again assumed it was a cyst that burst because she acted totally normal, just like the first time. We have no herp vet in this small town, so I have been on my own with her.