Part of My Job I Hate

[Nyboy]

The last 2 dogs I had to put to sleep made it clear it was time. Both dogs where chow hounds, they lived to eat. When after 2 days of not eating they turned their heads when I offered chicken, it was clear what they where telling me.

 

[Smart Red]

What better way for your cat to go but in your lap.

No better way for man or beast than to pass in the arms of a loved one after a long and blessed life.

 

[Poka_Doodle]

Just found this. Never easy letting go, or for a vet to make the decision. Near brings me to tears thinking about when my dad made those decisions. But when a cat that loves treats makes you break the treat open for them to eat it, something hasn't been okay for a long time. And when they loose a lot of weight. Sure, it might be a minor issue, but always better safe then sorry. Turned out my cat had feline leukemia. I'd been telling my dad a.k.a. our vet for the entire summer, and when he finally realised it, it was much to late. That cat would die only three days later.

 

[ducks4you]

I have a good example. When our dog, "Rose" (Husky/GS x BC cross, 2007-2016 RIP) got sick from (my Vet thinks) bone cancer, we only saw her jaw fuse shut. She was breathing through a straw and GS Breeders (and Vets) are so desensitized to these abnormal genetic diseases that they are not as shocked as I was to realize that this could even HAPPEN. We had her on Prednizone, big doses, and she was really miserable. One night we were leaving to go out to dinner and DH said to give her a Vicodin, His dose. I thought it might kill her or make her feel better. She had been in so much pain that we saw the happy dog we had had one year earlier when we came home. THAT told me that is wasn't right to keep her on bandaid medicine that had only partially fixed the atrophy in her jaw muscles. I had my Vet come out and she was put down in my arms about a week later.
We also put down on 27yo QH bc he had 5 ailments, including arthritis, and developed a 6th one. We had had a horse that developed Cushings (aNOTHER ailment I wasn't familiar with) and he went down and it took forever for him to pass. MY QH had been my babysitter loyal companion from the time we retrained him as a 7yo, and I did NOT want to watch him suffer.
It sounds grim, but I have our GS/Collie cross, "Xena" (1998-2008, RIP) buried under four 16 x 16 cement pavers, Rose is next to her buried under the same, and I plan to buy 4 more of the same pavers for my dog, "Pyg", who will be 10yo in November, when her time comes. Fortunately, she still runs and plays and does her "Pyg jobs" around the farm.

 

[Nyboy]

Poka sorry about your cat they are very good at hidding sickness, by the time they showing any sign illness it is usally at the end.

 

[Poka_Doodle]

Poka sorry about your cat they are very good at hidding sickness, by the time they showing any sign illness it is usally at the end.

Thanks, issue is that he hid it for a couple years, but then for two months, it became more and more clear it was an issue.