My final arrangements for Miss Jingles and Jezebel

My Final Arrangements for

Miss Jingles and Jezebel

Long before the passing of my beloved girls, I made my decisions regarding their euthanization and final disposition of their remains. As I had done with all of my past pets, I would definitely be present during the euthanization procedure. They had been wonderful, loving and loyal companions. They were my "kids," and it was very important to me to be with them at the end...I'm sure if they could, they would have done the same for me.

Unfortunately, they both had to be euthanized within six weeks of each other, which I had not expected. I knew the end was nearing for Jingles, who had been fighting a lengthy battle against degenerative myelopathy. Jezebel's terminal illness was unexpected, and I had to euthanize her six weeks prior to Jingles.

I am thankful that I knew exactly how I wanted everything handled in advance, when able to think clearly, and not have to make last-minute decisions I may have regretted later. In both cases, my girls let me know "when it was time," and I knew they would, as my past pets had done. Jezzy was beginning to suffer and was eating very little. Jingles had given up her fight...she was tired. I was able to spend one last night with each of my girls, and had made an appointment for early the following morning to euthanize, informing my vet that I would be present for the procedure.

Perhaps this may sound strange to some, but I will mention a couple of things anyway, in case you are thinking of doing something that others may think "strange," but would be a source of comfort to you. The night before I PTS each of my girls, I gave them a bath, so they would be "spic and span" when they arrived at The Bridge. In their cases, I was able to do this, and the blow dryer felt good to them. This was probably due to my Mother telling me as a kid, to "make sure you always have on clean underwear...." LOL. I took each of them for one last ride around the lake...something they always loved, then stopped at a local florist to purchase the large beautiful roses I wanted to go with them.

I also didn't like the idea of my girls' bodies in a freezer at the veterinary clinic, with bodies of other pets on top of them, waiting for pickup by the crematorium...this bothered me. As their owner, I wanted to handle their bodies myself...I had to be absolutely certain that they were handled gently and with total respect. I phoned the crematorium the day prior to euthanizing, letting them know that I would be transporting my pet's body to them, and the approximate time I would arrive. I also told my vet about my plans. I brought along a blanket, and also a large plastic bag which my vet and I fashioned into a diaper after the euthanization, in case of urine/bowel contents leaking during the drive to the crematorium, which was about a half-hour drive. I had to drive myself, and was very much okay to do this, but someone else may not be. If you plan to do the same, it may be best to have someone drive you, if you are too upset to drive yourself. You surely don't need to have an auto accident.

AN UNTHINKABLE EVENT

I wasn't going to include the following in this article. After giving it careful thought, I felt it should be included. It is not meant to scare you...unexpected things can happen, and is not intended to place blame on anyone. However, it should serve as a headsup and underscore the importance of being present when your pet is euthanized. If you honestly cannot bring yourself to be present during the procedure, then please spend at least 1/2 hour with your pet afterwards, rather than simply drop off your pet, and leave.

I euthanized Jezebel on September 9, 2003. As I have always done, I was present during the procedure, and spent at least 1/2 hour with her afterwards. Jezebel appeared to go down quickly. My vet checked her heart several times...there was no detectable heartbeat. My vet, who is a sweetheart, and has gone the extra mile for me many times, explained she was giving Jezzy double the dose of the euthanasia drug she would require, to ensure it would do the job. During the time my vet and I stayed with Jezzy following the euthanasia, I noticed no involuntary movements, her eyes appeared glazed, and I closed them..she was perfectly still. My vet and I carried her out to the car in a blanket I had brought along, and placed her on the back seat. I looked at her for a couple of minutes, then placed the roses I had bought on top of her, noticing nothing unusual. The blanket I had placed Jezzy in did not cover her completely. Part of her chest, legs and nose were exposed, but I had covered her eyes.

The drive to Abbey Glen normally would be 1/2 hour. However, I encountered a lot of traffic, it was slow going, and ended up being a one-hour trip. I also was in dire need of a container of coffee, and made a brief stop for that. When I came back to the car, I checked Jezzy again, and there was no movement at all.

When I arrived at what is really a funeral home for pets, I checked Jezzy again, seeing nothing unusual, locked up the car, went inside to sign the papers and pay for the individual cremation, which took about 1/2 hour. The Grief Counselor notified the man at the crematory building that I would be coming in with my pet, so he was ready as soon as I drove up. The Grief Counselor walked me to the door, and asked if I was okay...I was. She stood by the door watching me as I walked to my car. I opened the back door to look at Jezzy again. Much to my horror, the blanket was moving up and down. I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me, but they weren't. I pulled the blanket off of her, and could see her chest heaving, her eyes were open, I could feel the warm air coming from her nose, her paws were warm, and her tongue and gums were pink. She was still alive but non-responsive. The Grief Counselor who had been watching me, yelled "what's wrong?" I could barely get the words out..."Jezzy is not dead, she's alive." She ran out to the car to take a look and said "this is not a good state for her to be in"...it sure wasn't. I told her I would be back with Jezzy in a couple of hours, and made the trip back to the veterinary clinic, now getting stuck behind a zillion school buses...arrgh!

As awful as this experience was, the only thing that was on my mind, was to get Jezzy back to that clinic before she totally awakened, and didn't want that to happen...don't know if it would have, or what kind of condition she would have been in. When telling my story to some others, some said I was a strong person...I am. However, this was a tough situation even for one who is strong. Someone else said they never would have taken their dog back to the vet if this happened to them...they would have taken the dog home and let nature take its course. Another person said they would have totally fallen apart. I want you all to know that when you are faced with a bad situation, you CAN keep your druthers, face it head-on, and do what you must do...the courage is there...you don't have to muster up one bit of it.

The odds of this happening to you are very small, but the possibility is there. I had heard of stuff like this happening, and had seen a report on the evening news shortly before this happened to me. I never would have taken Jezzy home with me, and would tell everyone else who may face a situation like this, not to do it either. Remember why you took your pet to the vet to be euthanized, and that will keep everything in perspective. It would be horrific to return home with your pet, and let nature take its course..don't do it!

I am very glad I stayed with Jezzy, and had decided to transport her body to the crematorium myself. I don't want to think about what would have happened if I left her body at the clinic for pickup by the crematorium, and was placed in the freezer when still alive. Would someone have noticed? I don't know. Again, I don't blame my vet at all...it was simply an unfortunate event, and she did everything possible to help, as horrified as she was, and was "there" for me in so many ways during the last several weeks of Jingles' life. This experience was a "lesson learned" for me. When I had to PTS Jingles, October 28, 2003, the vet and I stayed with her for a very long time. She was checked and rechecked countless times. After 1/2 hour, I checked her paws, and they were cooling down. I checked her tongue, which was becoming discolored (blue) and also her gums...I knew she was on her way to The Bridge for sure. Do the same for your pet...you can do it. My vet even checked her heart again, after placing her in my car.

Sometimes "funny" things can happen too. When I arrived with Jezzy's body at the crematory building, the big metal door swung open, and a totally poker-faced young man stepped outside. He leaned up against the door, with his arms folded in front of him, which kinda reminded me of the "friendly undertaker" in a horror movie. Having seen more than enough sad faces and tears that day, I looked at him and said "smile, it's a beautiful day." I'm sure he thought I was nuts, and that's okay too. I knew that if they smiled, most people would be major upset..not me, I was more than ready for a pleasant face! He was really a very nice guy, and helped me place Jezzy on the table, and arranged the roses I had brought to go with her. We chatted awhile, and being very inquisitive, I had some "strange" questions answered too.

When I had to do this all over again six weeks later with Jingles, I asked the Grief Counselor handling my arrangements, to please ask the man at the crematory building to "smile" when I arrived with Jingles' body. Without any hesitation, she phoned in my request. When I arrived, the door swung open and a young man stepped out, flashing a big smile, that made me smile. He carried my little girl like a baby, supporting her head, into the crematory building.

At a sad time, I can't begin to tell you how caring this young man was. He told me how pretty Jingles was, and I told him all about her. We chatted for quite some time about dogs, and I had a few much-needed laughs. He was excited about the new rotty pup he had just gotten, I enjoyed hearing about it, and was very happy for him. While this may not work for others, it worked for me. Employees at facilities like Abbey Glen, are trained to take their cue from you, and handle each situation accordingly. I didn't want to dwell on Jingles' death, I wanted to talk about her very long life, and who she was.

If you are worried about whether the cremains you receive are actually those of your pet, because of horror stories you may have read or heard about, check out various crematories well in advance. The crematory I used was Abbey Glen. You can visit their site by going to my Pet Loss Resources page. This will give you an idea of what services are available...there are many other pet funeral homes like this. You can have your own private individual cremation viewing, by appointment, in a very nice viewing room (with close friends and family in attendance if you wish) for an additional fee. This will allay any fears you may have. The same accommodations are available for individual burials. Included in the individual cremation fee, was a nicely finished wooden mahogany urn containing my pet's cremains, along with a certificate. Facilities like this will assign a Grief Counselor to you, who will help you every step of the way when making your arrangements, and will offer you further help and assistance afterwards, if needed.

Having decided on my final arrangements well in advance, made two very stressful days, less stressful. Being totally comfortable with those handling their cremations, and knowing that the cremains I returned home with were those of each of my girls, was a huge source of comfort to me. Never worry about what anyone else may think. It's your pet, and your peace of mind that counts...nothing else. It's all about what feels right for you. Know what YOU want well in advance, give plenty of thought to all the details, and make your choices carefully.