I had to have Cleveland put down yesterday - I knew it was coming, but the time to take him in came much more quickly than I expected. In the last 2 weeks, he was pushing his food around more than he was eating, but otherwise seemed fairly normal (for his current condition, which had been deteriorating slowly for about 5 years). Then on Wednesday evening he really didn't take any of his meds, which was unusual, and didn't eat or drink almost anything. On Thursday night, he didn't take any meds or food/water, and his balance was off. He also was mewing in a very high-pitched voice, much different than usual, and wanted to be close to me but wasn't comfortable sitting on the sofa with me.
Yesterday morning we took him in, and they gave him a sedative. After that, he seemed to breathe more easily, and got very peaceful. Then they gave him the euthanasia medicine while I held him, and he just slowly stopped. I don't know when he actually stopped breathing - it was very peaceful and quiet.
John and I then took a long walk in a local park and then had a long, slow lunch - I told him lots of stories about Cleve and just kind of processed it all. It was tough coming home and knowing that Cleve wouldn't be here, but carving our pumpkin and getting ready for trick-or-treaters helped keep me busy.
I'm really sad but Cleve was really ready to go - he was at least 19 1/2 and his health was so bad in the end that I know it was a relief for him to not have to go on living. But I miss him terribly.
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2 comments:
Kar, thanks for letting us know and for sharing with us. I'm glad you had such a special pet for so many years. Many many passages with Cleveland along! As Schmer said, "hug"! Love, Lis
I sent a comment by email. What a sad time for you. I'm so sorry. It does seem you remembered him and sent him off in just the right way. Love, Mom
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