I made a terrible mistake last week....pet owners please read.

ambro51

Its taken me a week to be able to talk about this. I made a terrible mistake last weekend....and it will haunt me all my life. Im not looking for pity, not looking for answers....I just want to let others know what happened so when its THEIR turn, it dosent happen to them.

My wife was away for the weekend, and I was in charge of our cats. We have 11 that live at the house, and we love them all dearly. Lupe, our oldest, a sweet little calico which I brought home 17 years ago, as a kitten, was a diabetic. We also have two other cats that are taking meds. My wife was always the one doing this, and though I had done the insulin shot before...something in my head..God almighty I cant believe I done it...I gave her way too much insulin. Not having my reading glasses on perhaps, making a mistake on the dosage where it was supposed to be on the syringe, and my inexperience..... The shot was given at night, and I went to bed. In the morning....she was in spasms and cold. Though I rushed her to the emergency vet...it was not in time for the damage I had done.

Anyway Lupe died at the emergency vet as they tried to get her stabilized. It is heartbreaking. Not only to lose a beloved pet, thats heartbreaking enough, but to know you are the cause of it....My God thats horrible.

Look. I dont want pity. You dont even need to post on this thread. The hurt is there, the damage is done. BUT BUT BUT I want all you guys to realize that when its your turn to give your pets their meds...BE CAREFUL AND DO IT RIGHT. Learn from my mistake. When you are doing those meds....remember this post and understand that these dosages are small and need to be correct. If you DONT KNOW.....find out.

Its been a real bad week and the only thing that has made it better has been knowing she had a great long life with a lot of love.

(I know this isnt coin related but please Mods let this run, if one pet is saved because of this, Ill feel much better)

Broadstruck

RIP Lupe

kaz

That's really sad. It's very easy to make a mistake with small amounts of injectable meds.

mdwoods

Oh I'm sorry, losing a pet really hurts. They become part of the family.

lkeigwin

So sorry to hear that, Ray. My condolences. We lost our beloved 11 yr old rottweiler last Nov. I know how hard it can be.

We have an 18 year old "kitten" with a thyroid condition and we are careful with her medication. We will be even more vigilant now, after reading your heartbreaking story.

Try not to dwell on it. It was an accident. You are a kindly animal lover and your wife and other pets know it. Spread a little extra love around, among those with you today.
Lance.

NotSure

Sage advice. My deepest condolences.

touche

We have two stray rescue Maine Coon cats that mean everything to us. There's a reason Lupe passed, perhaps she was in pain. Thanks for sharing.

Barcat

Terribly sorry. A pet is family.

djdilliodon

<< <i>Its taken me a week to be able to talk about this. I made a terrible mistake last weekend....and it will haunt me all my life. Im not looking for pity, not looking for answers....I just want to let others know what happened so when its THEIR turn, it dosent happen to them.

My wife was away for the weekend, and I was in charge of our cats. We have 11 that live at the house, and we love them all dearly. Lupe, our oldest, a sweet little calico which I brought home 17 years ago, as a kitten, was a diabetic. We also have two other cats that are taking meds. My wife was always the one doing this, and though I had done the insulin shot before...something in my head..God almighty I cant believe I done it...I gave her way too much insulin. Not having my reading glasses on perhaps, making a mistake on the dosage where it was supposed to be on the syringe, and my inexperience..... The shot was given at night, and I went to bed. In the morning....she was in spasms and cold. Though I rushed her to the emergency vet...it was not in time for the damage I had done.

Anyway Lupe died at the emergency vet as they tried to get her stabilized. It is heartbreaking. Not only to lose a beloved pet, thats heartbreaking enough, but to know you are the cause of it....My God thats horrible.

Look. I dont want pity. You dont even need to post on this thread. The hurt is there, the damage is done. BUT BUT BUT I want all you guys to realize that when its your turn to give your pets their meds...BE CAREFUL AND DO IT RIGHT. Learn from my mistake. When you are doing those meds....remember this post and understand that these dosages are small and need to be correct. If you DONT KNOW.....find out.

Its been a real bad week and the only thing that has made it better has been knowing she had a great long life with a lot of love.

(I know this isnt coin related but please Mods let this run, if one pet is saved because of this, Ill feel much better) >>




I am very sorry to hear this I know how it feels to lose a pet. I had a dog named tabby that we had for 14.5 years. She got out one day in a bad rain storm (scared of thunder) and i searched for her for hours on end and couldnt find her. Amazingly we got a call and she was at someones house near by and i picked her up. I was so happy and she was to be with all of us but just 1 month later she had to be put down She just snapped out of no where and started barking and crying for no reason. The vet said that she developed nuerological (sp) problems and there was nothing we could do. Then 1 month few days later my father passed from ALS

bidask

We are driving across country now on our way to the Oregon coast.

I have my family, 2 dogs and african grey,

One is a 11 year old german shepard. She is like a person, smart as a whip. I had her in mind when I planned this trip so she could be at the ocean one last time ....

Sorry for your loss.

MilesWaits

I am sad for your loss and more importantly, your guilt.

You gave your best. Period. Your heart is intact and beating strongly.

Cuidado,
Miles

DUIGUY

MidLifeCrisis

Mar327

I know you wrote that as a warning for others and don't want pity. What you're finding from other pet owners is empathy - we all know how things can happen in the blink of an eye. Lupe is waiting for you and knows you did nothing intentionally to hurt her, only tried to treat her with love, and there is only forgiveness. Please don't allow yourself to feel guilt very long.

Our 13 year old dog became ill in January and the last week of March, it progressed fast. I took him to the vet March 31 and she put him down while I held him in my arms. My face was the last he saw and my voice was the last he heard. I cried like a fool for 3 days and felt guilty for killing him for awhile. I know the circumstances are different, but I no more killed my dog than you killed your cat. Mine had to be done and yours was an accident, but at that age with diabetes, her suffering is also over.

I feel your pain and I'm sorry you have to deal with it. The ache in your heart will heal with time. Give your other animals your love and know she approves... she's going to purr in your arms when you get to the Other Side. Heaven without our pets wouldn't be heaven, it would be hell... so I know they're there.

ambro51

thanks so much, one and all...for the kind words.

its tough to cry like a baby when youre 55 but Ive done a whole lot of that.

just please everyone be careful with those meds. dont make the mistake I did. please.

lablover

I'm so sad for your loss. Please, do not beat yourself up as your intentions were good. I'm 57 and can tear-up or cry in a moments notice when thinking of loosing one of my labs.

So, go ahead and cry...I'll cry with you.

pakasmom

My sincere condolences, Ambro...

dirtybird

I'm sorry for your loss and thanks for your post. Being an animal lover and pet owner I can understand your situation. Again...sorry for your loss.

magikbilly

OOohhhhhhhhhhh. I am sorry to read of this. I did something very much the same so I can empathize.

Hang in there,
Eric

Connecticoin

Hmmm -- I actually thought this thread would be coin related.

For example, my dog once got hold of a raw DMPL Morgan when she was a puppy and turned it into junk silver.

drfish

I'm a veterinarian and this is unfortunately a common mishap.One of the many things that is unique with cats is that some diabetics will start producing insulin again(often these diabetic cats never require insulin again)..So if the cat is now making insulin again and the owner gives an injection of insulin, the cat's glucose drops dangerously low.I always send an oral syringe and instruct owners to watch for signs of low blood sugar (loss of coordination/weakness/seizures) and have them give karo syrup by mouth.Sometimes this heads off a disaster like yours.....Don't beat yourself up over this accident.Your kitty felt very tired,fell asleep and just never woke up.She didn't suffer-it was a good way to go.

BillyKingsley

I'm so sorry for your loss, Ambro.

The same mistake can happen with humans as well, it's important for all of us to be carefull with our medicines...sometimes we don't pay much attention or ignore them totally.

Again, I'm sorry to hear of your loss.

1intheneck

The cat lived to be 17 years old? Wow, that's pretty good! Don't beat yourself up. Accidents happen.

AuroraBorealis

Sorry to hear that "ambro" and thanks for sharing even if not coin related perhaps a good deed is done to help someone else... Me and my wife know exactly how you feel and the darn animals are like family...

All the best...AB

1Mike1

Not mine - I borrowed it from a website - sorry to hear about the loss of your friend

zeebob

I miss all of my pets that have died. They get so attached to us humans and we to them that the grief is real, deep and lasting. I'm sorry for your loss and I empathize with your guilt. But hang in there. As my four year old (human) daughter knows, we aren't culpable for accidents only things done "on purpose." Go easy on yourself. All of us make mistakes. And thank you for the heads up on dosing pets and being vilgilent with our responsibilities to others. Nice way to turn a tragity into something positive for the rest of us. My hat is off to you sir.

mikeyg

thank you ray for sharing.Gives many of us something to think about.

jhdfla

Ambro, so sorry to hear of your loss. We're the same age, and I lost a cat who was close to me who was about the same age around 7 years ago, and the loss was as great as for any human family member. Cats are truly unique creatures in the way some of them are able to connect with humans on a level that for lack of better words is magical. My heart goes out to you, I understand completely how you feel right now. In time it passes some what, it's always a good thing to have more than one cat around, it eases the pain a little.

John

pennyannie

I am sorry for your loss.

messydesk

So sorry about Lupe. We lost Basil just over 5 years ago. I was out of the country when it happened and couldn't be with the family. That sucked.

grote15

I am very sorry to hear about the passing of Lupe...and though I realize you are blaming yourself as the cause of her death, you need to understand that other than the Lord everyone makes mistakes, and that if it weren't for you and your compassion in the first place, Lupe would not have enjoyed 17 years in a loving home along with the rest of your cats...most cats are not anyway near as fortunate to find a home like yours...you can't crucify yourself because of human error, no matter how much it hurts.

diamondman

My sincere condolences, it is always rough losing a pet/family member.

ThePennyLady

Wow, Ambro, you write so eloquently about such a difficult and heartbreaking time - thank you for sharing. We too lost our beloved German Shepherd a few years ago, and have never gotten over it. Pets become such a huge part of our life and mean everything to us, so it is awful when they're gone. I/we feel your pain and understand. Thanks for reminding us how precious our critters truly are....

And to keep this a little coin related (ok, token related), here's one in memory of your little kitty and for all the puppies that have passed ....

mrearlygold

Oh my, so sorry.

blueifalcon

I am so sorry to hear this.

...With time comes healing and one day you will meet your pet again, in a better light and place

chaze215

So sorry to hear this. Stay strong ambro.

icsoccer

Pets are family.

melvin289

I have a bad hip and sleep with a heating pad on top of the bed covers on my hip. My cat will come and lie on me with her feet on the heating pad. I went into the bedroom the other day and saw the cat lying on the heating pad on the bed and looked at me like, "Why is thing not warm?" You guessed it, I turned the pad on low and left her there. The things we do for family members.

So sorry for your loss.

Ron

EVillageProwler

This is a very tough thread to read, but it comes at a fairly appropriate time for me. I have two dog-ters. The elder one (Missy) I keep at my house, but I actually am co-parent with my ex-roommie.

Missy will soon be 15, and has been showing her age for a couple of years now. Her quality of life has diminished dramatically over the past year, the details I prefer not to have to think about now. For two years, I resisted my ex-roommie's preference to have Missy be put down. Now, after discussing, I finally agree that Missy cannot suffer through another winter. We want her to have another summer, but she spends most of her day gated in the downstairs bathroom (to protect the house). I have a very busy and stressful job, and my ex-roommie lives ~ 2 hours away.

At night, Missy sleeps on the floor in my bedroom. The other dog-ter (Linda) sleeps on the bed with me. Missy cannot, because she is too difficult now.

Missy's birthday is July 5th. She will be 15 that day. The vet will come over on the 6th.

I will have Linda observe so she will know that Missy will be gone.

EVP