Most vets make you give a rabies shot to a dog before they will even see the dog

 

Where have you heard this? In my experience Vets don't require any vaccinations to examine and care for a dog. Puppies don't get the rabies shot until they are 16-18 weeks and they're seen multiple times before that for puppy shots.

@Eltkie I'm so sorry This isn't your fault at all...the vet should have been looking out for you more and stepped in. The vets where I work would never vaccinate a sick dog.

 

I am SO deeply sorry for your loss!

 

*hugs tight* It's not your fault. You made a mistake. You thought it would help him and keep him from getting sicker. You might've even been swindled by an unethical vet. I'm sure you gave your dog a really good life, even if it was hard towards the end. We all make mistakes, and sometimes they can be very painful. You have a right to be very angry and upset, but I swear it really wasn't your fault. You were trying to do what was best. Intentions need to be taken into account. And, while this might not be consolation to you (some people are comforted by this, some not), if he was terminally ill, he was going to pass away soon anyway. It's not like you took a totally healthy dog and completely sabotaged his health. If not for this mistake your dog might've died soon from something that had nothing to do with you. I hope in time you can forgive yourself.

 

Its the policy at every vet in my down once a dog is old enough to recieve a rabies they will not examine a dog until it has a rabies shot to protect them in case the dog bites

 

Interesting! Are you in an area where there are high incidences of rabies? In my area we have only had one case of rabies in the last 35 years. They of course always recommend rabies, but it's not mandatory to be seen.

 

So sorry for your loss!

 

Not really I'm located in wilson Nc

 

Eltekie,

Your pain and your anguish are so palpable. I hope that you have support in your real life to help you deal with the grief of losing your dear friend. I hope that you are able to reach out to your friends and family.

Please do not feel that you are responsible. You did your best. You didn't know. Your vet should have given you sound medical advice. I don't understand why your vet did not suggest a more appropriate course of treatment.

The eight years you shared with your dog counted. They meant everything to him. He was loved. Hold tightly onto those happy memories.

 

It's not your fault. I'm not sure what illness your dog fighting but by the sounds of it he would have passed away from it anyway, regardless of the vaccination. You did what you thought was best at the time. I honestly would have made the same mistake.

The vet should have stepped in, if you have other pets or get a new pet in the future I would switch to a different vet.

I'm so sorry for your loss. Focus on the happy memories as much as you can. Time won't make you forget, but it will make it less painful. You're dog didn't blame you and neither should you, this wasn't your fault.

 

So so sorry for the loss of your dog. I think any time you have to euthanize a dog you have regrets. We put our Alaskan Mal down last year, and I still employ regret it. Even though she couldn't walk, she was in pain. I still feel like maybe had we thrown more money at it maybe she would have been ok, but instead we put her down and now she's gone. There is just a terrible guilt to it. My best friend said she felt the same way when she put her dog down due to health problems.

You couldn't know that vaccinating would cause so many problems. If you knew you would never have done it.

It's always devastating. Please be easier on yourself.

 

Thanks. I appreciate the great support that I'm getting.

I'd like to apologize for how I worded this thread. Heavy emotions are difficult to tame, especially when reacting to a recent loss of a loved one.

I understand that I did all that I could for my dog. I was very attentive to him and his health, although I had to accept the fact that I had no such ability of magically making all the bad stuff go away.

I don't know what my dog was exactly suffering from, but he was losing a lot of weight. His rib cage outlines were showing, and he'd refused to eat or drink for most of the time. I suspect that it might've been cancer, liver disease, anemia, or any combination of the aforementioned. It might've been something else, even. His "business" hardly ever resulted in any diarrhea or vomiting, unless he'd been underfed or overfed.

Even before the vaccination, going back through the pictures that I took of him since this year has shown me that he was already unwell. He was always more of a reserved creature, but I'd never quite experienced him taking such a habit even further. I figured something was wrong back in December, but I thought it might've been him being picky about whatever we had to feed him at the time. He wasn't eating the dog food that he'd casually munch after every other hour.

My decision to have him euthanized remains a grim one, but I was convinced that it was simply his time to go. If only he could've lived to be a little older. Then again, I accept the eight years of life that he was given. Throughout all the time we'd been together, I saw him as a son of my own. Always obedient and passive. That's the buddy I love.

I'm feeling a little better now, and to think more positively would be the right way to honor my dog's life. There are so many happy memories that simply make me want to laugh. Unfortunately, should I keep reminiscing, that happiness eventually downgrades to sorrow. It's the mental picture that I have of my dog, who was filled with so much life and joy. I don't want to experience the negative thoughts anymore. They will only affect my own mental and physical health.

I'll try to go easier on myself. The other dog is still alive and well, and he's just as old as the one who died. They were both adopted around the same time. Like brothers...

 

I'm glad to hear you're feeling a bit better. Heavy emotions are fine to express here. You loved your dog, and you did what you felt was best. He had such a happy life, keep thinking about the joy! Life is life, it comes and goes. It's what you do in the middle that matters :huddle: