When is it appropriate to put a beardie down?

[MadMeeper]

I... am faced with a really tough decision. I have a 13yo who's just not doing well, and I don't know if I can afford extensive treatment for him. He's deteriorated very quickly in the past month and I don't know whether or not euthanasia is the right choice. All his temps/enclosure requirements are up to snuff.

So I'd, like to hear opinions. When do you guys think it's appropriate to put a beardie down? It may help me make a decision on what to do for my little guy.

Thanks a ton

 

[reptiles93002]

Honestly, he's lived a long life. I know it's so tough to deal with this, it's horrible. I wish our little darling beardies could just live forever. But you don't want your baby to suffer. I know this is very hard to do, but you might have to let go if there's nothing you can do. Sometimes it just has to happen. It's a horrible thing, but at least he lived a good long life. Be there for him his last moments of life. Let him know you love him more than anything, and be the last person he sees before he goes. hold his hand, and give him a kiss on the head to let him know he's loved. He's had a good life, and if he's deteriorating, you don't want him to suffer. You'll get through this.

 

[Esther19]

I am so sorry you are faced with this decision. Many vets accept Care Credit, which can be quickly applied for online. They have no interest financing for certain periods of time.

You and your dragon have been together for a longtime. I urge you not to take any action until you are absolutely sure you are doing the right thing. My very wise and trusted vet advised that I put my girl down, and I waited a few hours for a sign and none came. We took her back into the room and started the sleepy gas, but she fought so hard on the table I knew she was not ready. She lived another 3 years, and went in her sleep.

As I said, you have been together a long time. This may sound really silly, but you may want to talk to your dragon about things. I think it's appropriate to consider euthanasia when he let's you know he's in pain and too tired to continue to fight. Think with your heart and your gut. You will know if and when the time comes. Trust yourself.The journey you are on is not for the weak of heart. The entire forum is here to support you. Nothing has to be decided right now. Give this time, and the answer will reveal itself.

 

[diamc]

So sorry to hear you have to go through this. It is so hard to consider making that final decision, it really tears your heart out.

I had to have it done for one of our females. Each day I could see her deteriorating, she lost interest in everything when previously she wanted to be included in all we did, she no longer had the sparkle in her eyes, spent a lot of time sleeping and her beard was slightly black for the last 2 days which wasn't like her at all.

It was obvious that she had given up and lost her quality of life. By those signs, I felt she was telling us that it was time to pass over. She had given us SO much love and this was the last final thing I could do for her, end any pain and suffering. (It has been many yrs but I am sitting here now crying thinking about our precious Sabrina.)

The vet was wonderful. He is a family friend, I called that morning and he moved some of his appointments to other vets that were there that day so he could be with us. She was quite lethargic when we arrived and barely had her eyes open. He made sure that the process was done as easily as possible for her as he wanted her to just drift off which she did while I was talking to her and stroking her head and back. He spent 45 minutes talking to me and comforting me.

I knew there was no other choice. So, what I'm saying to you is when you feel your beardie has lost the quality of life and you are sure in your heart that there is no hope of improvement, then it is time to let them go. As the others have said, talk to him, comfort him, let him know you love him and that you are doing this for him because of how much you care. Eventually you will have comfort knowing that now he is up at Rainbow Bridge with all the other very special beardies, running around and free of all discomfort.

HUGS to you..................

 

[SpacialCoogs]

I had to make the same choice this year with a rescue I adopted. It came down to quality of life for me. She wasn't eating, she wasn't pooping, she would just sit on her hammock and sleep or bask. It just came to a point where I knew she had a massive tumor and I didn't want her to starve to death. If you are already questioning it, then you know it's going to be soon. If she was doing well this wouldn't be a question. Take a day or two and enjoy your time with her and think about what's best for her.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

I am so sorry you are faced with this type of decision, it is a heart wrenching one for sure.
I agree, you will just know when it's time because they will let you know. Since you know him so well you can read his eyes & behavior.
What are his ailments, did the vet come to any conclusions?
Take your time in deciding, but the most important thing is that you want to be with him no matter what, to let him him know how much you love him & that it's ok if he needs to go.
None of us like thinking about these times because too many of us have gone through similar instances & it rips out your soul.

We are all here for you.

Tracie

 

[SDragons]

Our thoughts and prayers are with you during this difficult time.

We put our dog to sleep at age 12.5 due to kidney failure that was causing extremely poor quality of life. It was a difficult decision but one that I would make again to help my loving pet due peaceful.

 

[MadMeeper]

Thanks everyone for sharing stories, your advice has been super helpful. I think I'm going to monitor him for the next few days and let him tell me when it's time. He kind of perked up yesterday afternoon, but he's not doing as well this morning. :C It seems to be up and down with him.

Tiger is a runt/dwarf, has always been very small. About two years ago he developed a foot tumor(??) which the vet hasn't been able to treat or identify. We tried a lot of different things, you can cut the foot open and drain it, but it fills right back up, and antibiotics and a bunch of other stuff he was prescribed didn't make the situation any better. He's not even using it anymore. His vent is also swollen, and his poop looks awful and is tiny. He refuses to eat, but will sometimes take water, and he's been sleeping a whole lot lately. We're at a point where nobody knows what to do with him except to just let him live out his little life. The vet doesn't know if they can really help him without me putting down a lot of money to try things that may or may not really work. :C

I do have to admit that there was an amount of neglect in the inbetween years of his life, he belonged to my sister and lived in her room and since I'm at school a lot, I relied on her to tell me if something was wrong. It got to a point where I realized that she wasn't doing her job so I took him into mine where I could keep a closer eye on him and started trying to fix some of the bad, but I think a lot of it carried over. Its kinda hard to admit that some of his health problems were by extension my own fault too but you can only do so much once the damage is done. It's hard to know what wasn't good when you're a kid and the internet didn't have all the info we have today. Definitley going to try and make him comfortable otherwise.

Thanks again for sharing, it's super hard loosing these scaly friends and I hope you all have peace about your pets <3 Hopefully this won't be a super rough ride for me.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Gosh, that is so rough & such an emotional roller coaster.
It is entirely up to you so depending on whether or not he is suffering, etc, having him at home at the end may be what you want, just to comfort him. Each situation is different so only you can decide, but we all understand & grieve with you no matter what happens.
I hope it doesn't end up being too painful for you.

Tracie

 

[MadMeeper]

Thought I'd update you guys since it's been a week

I've been monitoring Tiger carefully for the past week, and I think his time is near. :C You guys were right when you said that he'd let me know when it was time. I had another friend of mine tell me that if I wasn't sure I should put it off until I was. And tonight I'm sure he's ready. He's still refusing food, but now he's refusing water and doesn't want to be near his heat lamp. Spends all his time on this soft pillow I have for him and just sleeps. Today it looks like he's actually in a lot of pain, and is mostly limp, so I thought I should take him to the vet, but... I called around like 6-7 vets tonight and they're all either closed for the weekend, wont see exotics, or charge a ridiculous amount of money for euthanizing a lizard (I'm talking something upwards of $200+... that's even a lot for a dog).

I decided that if he manages to hold on until Monday, I'll bring him in first thing in the morning to my normal vet to have him put down. Otherwise, it's just a matter of whether or not he lets go. :C I hate that I have to wait a few days for this but I don't have a choice. It feels weird that I have so few options since I live in LA county, but I guess this can happen anywhere.

Thank you guys for your support again. It means a lot to me, this has easily been one of the most difficult beardie deaths I've ever had to deal with, and I've had my fair share of beardies haha. I still have one more really healthy girl that'll keep me company after Tiger's gone, so I'll be okay, I just want Tiger's suffering to end soon. Ya'll take care :>

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Oh geez, I am sorry to hear about Tiger's decline. It is extremely difficult to deal with, I know.
Perhaps he will go this weekend, possibly. Be sure to hold him, wrapped up in his blankie at night, for comfort. If he is doing that poorly then it will be of great comfort for him & he may feel it's ok to go ahead & pass. I hate you are having to go through this it is heart wrenching.
Let us know how things are going with him.

We are all here for you & thinking of you & Tiger.

Tracie