That is a tough call. I was in the same predicament you were in except it was liver shunts. My Brandi was a rescue that I got when she was 7 years old. She was actually diagnosed later in life at the age of 12. Because of her age and other medical issues, I decided to treat her medically instead of putting her through surgery. For a full year, she lived free from pain with medication and her special diet and then her pain came back with a vengeance.
I mistakenly held on too long thinking she would pull through. She had done it before so I just kept treating her with pain medications because I didn't want to let her go. In hindsight allowing her to linger on haunts me more than her actual dying. The thought that I was responsible for prolonging her pain still causes a great amount of guilt for me.
If your baby is in pain and there is no hope for recovery, then you have to weigh her pain and quality of life against your desire to keep her with you. I can tell you from experience, if she is in pain, the guilt you'll feel may be more devastating then actually letting her go. |