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Drmurrayhospicevet John Murray, DVM | Hospice Veterinarian
đŸ©ș End-of-life pet care
đŸŸ Stories | Advice | Insights
📍 Chicagoland Area

Anticipatory grief is one of the hardest parts of loving a dog through the end of their life.They’re still here. Still s...
08/16/2026

Anticipatory grief is one of the hardest parts of loving a dog through the end of their life.

They’re still here. Still sleeping beside you. Still having good moments. But you can already feel the goodbye coming.

You may find yourself grieving changes before they happen, watching more closely, questioning every good day and every hard one.

That grief is real, even before the loss. And sometimes, it begins long before the final goodbye. đŸ€

PetHospice EndOfLifeCare

08/14/2026

I know this can be incredibly hard to watch, and I don’t share these moments lightly.

I’m sharing Otter’s euthanasia for educational purposes because so many people have never seen what the process actually looks like. And sometimes, the unknown can make an already heartbreaking experience even scarier.

My hope is that by showing these moments openly and respectfully, pet owners can better understand what happens during euthanasia and see that the goal throughout the entire process is comfort, peace, and dignity.

Although Otter’s euthanasia was behavioral, the process you’re seeing here is very similar to what may happen when saying goodbye to your own beloved pet.

Thank you for allowing me to share Otter’s story and for approaching these difficult conversations with compassion. đŸ€ŽđŸŠŠ

EndOfLifeCare

08/12/2026

Otter didn’t know me, and because of his behavioral history, safely handling him while awake wasn’t an option.

After sedation, I checked his palpebral and deep pain reflexes to make sure he was fully anesthetized before proceeding. Only then could I safely touch him for the first time.

And while this was a behavioral euthanasia, this part of the process isn’t unique to behavioral cases. These are the same steps I take to make sure any pet is deeply asleep and comfortable before moving forward with euthanasia.

Safety may look different in a behavioral case, but the goal is always the same: a peaceful, gentle passing without fear or pain.

Follow along for the next part of Otter’s story.

PetLoss VetMed

08/12/2026

One of the hardest realities of shelter medicine is that every kennel, foster home, and resource is limited.

When one dog needs months or even years to find the right placement, there are other dogs waiting for that same space and opportunity.

That doesn’t make these decisions easy. It’s exactly what makes them so difficult.

Grateful to Dark Horse Dogs, NFP for being willing to have these raw, honest conversations and allowing me to share them.

08/11/2026

This is one of the harder conversations around shelter euthanasia.

In this moment, Dark Horse Dogs, NFP explains the reality open-access shelters face: they have to take the animals that come through their doors, while working within limited space, foster homes, staff, and resources.

When a dog cannot be safely adopted, keeping them indefinitely isn’t always a realistic option. And sometimes, making a decision for one dog also means considering the many others still waiting for help.

I’m grateful to Dark Horse Dogs, NFP for allowing me to document and share these conversations. They’re uncomfortable, but they’re important.

Veterinarian

08/10/2026

Behavioral euthanasia can sound scary when you’ve never seen what the process actually looks like.

This is the first step.

For Otter, the goal was simple: keep him comfortable, minimize fear, and allow him to slowly fall asleep surrounded by someone he trusted.

After giving the first medication, I stepped away and gave him space while it took effect. There was no forcing interaction and no need for him to be afraid.

For a dog who spent so much of his life battling fear and anxiety, his final moments were quiet and peaceful. ❀

This is what compassionate behavioral euthanasia can look like.

Rest peacefully, Otter.

08/08/2026

Otter was already scheduled for behavioral euthanasia because of a history of unpredictable aggression.

One of the patterns the shelter had seen was that he would approach people, show interest, bark, and then sometimes attempt to bite or make contact. Because his responses could change so quickly, even seemingly normal interactions could become difficult to predict.

This visit was not about deciding whether he was a “good” or “bad” dog. It was about meeting him myself and making the safest, most compassionate plan possible for Otter.

He had also been on a CHILL protocol for the previous 24 hours and was receiving the highest medication dosage used during this visit, so what you’re seeing is him while heavily medicated to help reduce fear, anxiety, and stress.

Behavioral euthanasia can be incredibly difficult to understand from the outside because these dogs can still have moments where they appear curious, social, and completely normal.

This was my first interaction with Otter. More of his story to come. ❀

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