Im so sorry, but it really does sound like you have his best interest at heart. A good hoof chew before the trip to the vet sounds wonderful 
Its never easy when their bodies give up before their brain.
Love the beach pictures! What a happy crew. Looks like your dogs have a wonderful life with you.
So sorry you are going through this. It’s very hard to comfort a child’s grief while you shoulder your own, but I think you did a great job of explaining it to your son. That’s the trade-off we make when we own an animal – the awful sadness when we lose them is nothing compared to the emptiness of never having had them in our lives.
Big hugs.
Holy cow!!! I just realized my first “bargain” here in OK!! My vet charged $25 to euth one of my 100 lb GSD’s in the back seat of my truck and $25 plus a $50 farm call to euth another GSD!! At the prices I see in these posts it is no wonder people abandon their poor old dogs out in the country!! Some of those fees are insane!!
OP, those are lovely pictures. Bless your heart.
[QUOTE=crosscreeksh;6550604]
Holy cow!!! I just realized my first “bargain” here in OK!! My vet charged $25 to euth one of my 100 lb GSD’s in the back seat of my truck and $25 plus a $50 farm call to euth another GSD!! At the prices I see in these posts it is no wonder people abandon their poor old dogs out in the country!! Some of those fees are insane!![/QUOTE]
For sure, its sad. However the ones that are more expensive generally are at emergency hospitals where a full exam or triage takes place before (many times owners are unsure of their plans during an emergency situation).
Its not the actual cost of the euthanyl, but the procedures before (we place a catheter, give a narcotic and then an anesthetic - propofol) before administering the euthanyl, if owners want to be there in the final moments (which most do) we find this reduces any twitching, agonal breaths etc. While a lot of horse people would understand this is simply an after death mechanism, many clients do not. These extra steps are likely one reason why in some areas/hospitals (ie. not farm vets), costs are more expensive. Some euthanasias go smoothly without the sedative/anesthetic, but I have witnessed enough that do not “look” peaceful.
The cremation is the biggest cost, and its very much a regional thing. In many areas the service is only legally allowed to run the crematorium x times per day, as it is a major pollutant and has to follow certain city/state/provincial regulations. This is why in some areas private cremations are significantly more than others.
It is also illegal in some places to bury remians, however I have never known a vet to discourage this if this is the owners wishes.
I would assume the majority of animal services or humane societies still take animals in for euthanasia. I know our animal services does for a cost of $25, the same as the surrender fee. No reason in this case why an animal should be abandonned.
An update
We delayed the vet appointment a couple of days so that DH could be here. This is the first dog that we have owned together. Although we both have had dogs all of our lives.
Our youngest son is taking the whole thing pretty hard. He is a very soft hearted kid. He understands the reasons and knows that Woodie won’t be in pain anymore, but “It just won’t be the same.”
This morning DS got teary eyed again and said, “I only have 2 more minutes with him.” I told him with the one’s you love there is never enough time. Even if we delayed another day, week, month or year…we would still miss him.
Woodie would have been 13 in November. He was an old soul the day he was born. He always loved to play, but was always so very careful to not cause any harm. He would lay down to play with puppies and he loved to “uncover” the DSs from blankets they would “hid” under on the floor.
My husband knew the breeder where we got Woodie. I went to go pick him out and bring him home at 8 weeks of age. I got to the breeder’s farm and introduced myself. He told me to go into the stall where all the puppies were and pick one out. Well I played for 20-30 minutes with all the puppies and finally picked one out.
I handed the man the check and he said that he could not accept that amount, he needed twice as much. I was very much taken aback as I thought he an DH had worked out a deal. So I handed back the puppy and took back my check and never mind…thank you very much…have a nice day… I was very flustered and confused.
I walked back to the car and got in. The breeder came running after me…“I just realized who you are! I was expecting other customers, who are lost, and I am so sorry. Please come back and pick out your puppy.”
So I went back into the stall and picked out a puppy. There were 6 male yellow pups and I couldn’t tell them apart, so I had no clue if I picked the same one the second go round…but it made no difference because we got the pick of the litter as far as we are concerned.
God speed to Woodie… a very special and well loved lab.
