Putting a dog to sleep during lockdown.

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Pointless1

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I'm hoping this situation does not have to happen but having a elderly dog I'm very concerned what will happen if a dog needs to be put to sleep during this lockdown.
I've spoken to my vet about this and they say they are not making any home vists during this time neither are you allowed to be with your pet. They will also not do it in the car.
Surely their must be ways round this?
I know this is a dreadful time and the are much worse things going on in the world but with procedure put in place their must be a solution.
 
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cauda equina said:
I've just done this; we had to hand over the dog in the car park
Not at all what I would have liked but there was no alternative
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I'm sorry for your loss. I'm sure with a proper procedure put in place there must be a way.
This lockdown is not going away anytime soon so maybe something should be put in place.
 
Thank you

While people are dying in hospital without their family around them I think we need to accept that the same might be true for our pets

I'm sorry that you are in the position of having to think about this, and hope that you don't need to make the decision while lockdown continues
 
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My friend had to have her dog PTS last weekend and she was taken from her in the car park. She was not allowed to be with her. She is beyond devastated.

OH’s elderly cat (which to live with his ex wife a couple of years ago) finally got PTS last week as well, after her back legs went; she had lots of things wrong with her, I think she was nearly 22. Again, she was taken from the car park and nobody was allowed to be with her.

It’s absolutely awful but I don’t see how they could do it with an owner present and still maintain social distancing. I bet it’s heartbreaking for the vets too :’(
 
I do understand the huge problems this virus is causing. I know people are dying alone in hospital. I've heard some vets using a long tube?
I don't know if just seems so hard.
 
I’m very sympathetic, it’s horrible. My daughter is a vet nurse and she assures me that they are with all the animals they are having to pts.
 
I am sorry for anyone who loses a much loved pet under any circumstances.

Last July, I took my 6 yr old dog to the vet for an emergency appointment, after a scan they kept her in and transferred her to a different surgery to be operated on. Then the operating vet rang me to say they had found a tumour wrapped round her intestines and wanted permission to pts. Of course I gave it.
I once had a cat at the vets overnight for tests. They rang me the next morning to say that her condition had deteriorated overnight and they thought pts was best. I couldn't get there because of flooding near the surgery.
Neither situation was what I would have wanted but these things happen. Yes it isn't what we would want but sometimes we just have to suck it up and get on with it. There are worse things that could happen, you could catch Covid from the vet, or the vet could catch it from you. That has to be avoided.
 
Most places cannot allow owners in at this time as it’s impossible to maintain distance (even if we place a iv catheter and then bring a dog back out to the owner) as the drug needs to be given rapidly, we could use a long line but would have to give lots more of the drug and considering there was previously a shortage that’s not ideal. So the owner would have to stand some distance away anyway. There are also lots of considerations for a PTS in the back of the car, from the public seeing to the animal releasing its bowels as it relaxes.

I promise you though that all PTS during the crisis are done with dignity. They get a big fluffy blanket to sit on and never left alone. We aim to carry out the procedure as soon as they are admitted, we wouldn’t leave them sitting in a kennel. Those that can eat are fed treats/chicken/my ham sandwich by the bucket load and fussed and told they are the good-est dog ever. The quieter, nervous type we gently reassure and it’s a sit down in the corner cuddle whilst the procedure is very quietly carried out. We understand it’s hard for both owners and pets being apart however we want to make the procedure for the pet as stress free and happy as possible. I treat them as id want mine to be treated.
 
I’m not sure why they wouldn’t be able to pts in the car park. I understand that you wouldn’t be able to hold your pet, but I don’t see a lot of difference between putting it down in the boot of the car and making the process as stress free as possible or taking the dog inside where it’s likely to he frightened.

I feel for anyone in this position.
 
meleeka said:
I’m not sure why they wouldn’t be able to pts in the car park. I understand that you wouldn’t be able to hold your pet, but I don’t see a lot of difference between putting it down in the boot of the car and making the process as stress free as possible or taking the dog inside where it’s likely to he frightened.

I feel for anyone in this position.
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possibly because the vet could be in contact with surfaces in your car that could be infected.

Very very sad but we do need to preserve vets and vet staff at this time. If vets go down with CV there won't be people to PTS which could cause further distress for poorly pets.

Saddle over sofa, are you allowed to take your deceased pet home after PTS in the surgery?
 
paddy555 said:
possibly because the vet could be in contact with surfaces in your car that could be infected.

Very very sad but we do need to preserve vets and vet staff at this time. If vets go down with CV there won't be people to PTS which could cause further distress for poorly pets.
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But presumably they could come into contact via your pets hair anyway?
 
meleeka said:
But presumably they could come into contact via your pets hair anyway?
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possibly they could but perhaps they take steps to avoid this, possibly put a towel around the dog. Don't know, perhaps SOS will tell us. I just know everyone has to be ultra careful and we need vets to stay healthy.

I see 150 of our vets are going to work in the local health authority managing patients in IC (I believe it is)
we have some excellent vets which is great for the patients and not so good for us pet owners.
 
paddy555 said:
Saddle over sofa, are you allowed to take your deceased pet home after PTS in the surgery?
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Yes, the practices I know of are happy for you to take the pet home. They would be brought out to the owner and placed in the back of the car, concealed in a blanket (we ask for the boot to be left open) and the owner to wait in the car so no contact needed.
 
meleeka said:
But presumably they could come into contact via your pets hair anyway?
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Of course that is a potential, anything can be a fomite, including in theory pets fur. And that is why also using the practices own leads etc is recommended. And wearing masks, gloves, aprons and cleaning all areas the pet has been.

But it’s all about reducing to the necessary contact. We can’t not see sick and emergency animals however we can not see their owners. I really really feel for owners but having an owner in the practice is just not appropriate at this time and puts the whole team at risk. Animals, on a whole, don’t get infected and carry/spread COVID-19 through the act of purely breathing people most definitely do.
 
My friend had to hand hers over in the car park. It was awful. Then just a few days later another friend had to make the decision, and she called around until she found a vet that would home visit with very strict biosecurity protocol. Her dog was large, difficult to carry, and very suddenly unable to get up without a lot of help so the vet said it was an essential welfare service. As the weather was nice they ended up being able to do it outdoors, which was nicer all round and easier to control biosecurity.

So sorry you're in this position xx
 
saddle over sofa said:
Of course that is a potential, anything can be a fomite, including in theory pets fur. And that is why also using the practices own leads etc is recommended. And wearing masks, gloves, aprons and cleaning all areas the pet has been.

But it’s all about reducing to the necessary contact. We can’t not see sick and emergency animals however we can not see their owners. I really really feel for owners but having an owner in the practice is just not appropriate at this time and puts the whole team at risk. Animals, on a whole, don’t get infected and carry/spread COVID-19 through the act of purely breathing people most definitely do.
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I’d have thought doing it in the car park, with masks, gloves and aprons would be less risk than taking the dog inside where you’d have to clean everywhere the dog has been?
 
My assumption from them not doing it in the car/car park would be that they wouldnt' have easy access to additional medication etc if they need it and I'm not sure what the risk assessment would be for carrying PTS drugs out to use in the car park.
 
ester said:
My assumption from them not doing it in the car/car park would be that they wouldnt' have easy access to additional medication etc if they need it and I'm not sure what the risk assessment would be for carrying PTS drugs out to use in the car park.
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I can see the sense in that but horse vets carry the drugs to stables and small animal vets do do it in cars in normal times
 
I have to admit that it feels as if something is squeezing at my heart, even though I'm only thinking about it. But I don't think our pets is aware about what is going to happen to them, so as long as they're normally not too unhappy about going to the veterinarian, I presume that emotionally it is much worse for the owner.

Actually, I just remembered that when I've been sitting in the waiting room at my veterinarian clinic, I've seen that they seems to have a habit regarding dogs who truly gets more or less hysterical over being at the veterinarians, where a nurse goes to the front door, the owner hands over the lead at the door, and the nurse takes the dog in to a room.
If the appointment is for claw cutting, the owner sits down in the waiting room, if it is for something else, they follow the nurse + dog to the room. I think they've said it keeps the dog calmer when they can't complain directly to their owner.

So I suppose that if you have a dog who doesn't like going to the veterinarian, it might actually be a good idea to hand them over in the car park. (Though emotionally my heart just screams No, when I wrote that sentence.)
 
ester said:
My assumption from them not doing it in the car/car park would be that they wouldnt' have easy access to additional medication etc if they need it and I'm not sure what the risk assessment would be for carrying PTS drugs out to use in the car park.
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Our last but one JRT was PTS on the grass area next to the car park at the vets a few years ago. That was the vet‘s idea, she and a nurse brought all the necessary stuff out. Though the dog was not vet phobic and would happily have gone inside the building.
It went as well as it could, the old girl tottered off on the lead for a sniff around while we were waiting, and proudly found and carried round in her mouth a disgusting piece of something that was a JRT’s delight.
It was a very peaceful way to go in the sunshine, though I was on pins that some unsuspecting family might turn up during the process - we were in full view from anywhere in the car park.
 
I’ve been to see my vet twice since lockdown, with the same dog (Rufus) and gone into the surgery with him both times so I’m fairly confident if one of them throws a proper wobbler, I would be able to be with them.

Vets were operating a one out one in system, vet was in PPE and much more cleaning was evident but everything else was pretty much normal.
 
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