That is one of the most difficult decisions to make. My family told me to put my little Shih Tzu down a year before I actually was able to. He didn't seem to be in pain but he was not himself. He was 15 years old and was slowly gaining more and more disorders. When his vision was poor and then he lost his hearing I knew I could not let him go on like that. He hardly knew me any more and was getting confused. That is no way to live. You can't compare a dog to how you would treat a human. Of course we don't put down our elderly (at least not in this country.... yet) but when an animal is suffering either physically or emotionally it is time to say good bye.
I now regret not doing it sooner. Animals cannot express what they feel to us and I'm sure they do not understand why they have pain or things are not working. At least we can tell someone but they cannot. We can only go by the few symptoms we are able to see. I have never dealt well with death and he had been a part of my life through so many difficult times, it was heart breaking to let go. I truly believe God has a place in heaven for animals that have been good companions for their humans so I will see him again someday and in the mean time he is happy and playing with the kids up there. |