When it’s time to say good-bye to your family pet
Our family dog, Nala, was a part of our lives for 12 years. A gorgeous, pure bred Golden Retriever, her enthusiastic tail wagging and obvious zest for life not only endeared her to our hearts, but could melt the heart of anyone that came in contact with her. Ever gentle, yet always protective… she was quite simply, the perfect pet.
Within the past year, Nala’s age began to show more and more. It began with a noticeable stiffness in her joints when she would stand up after laying down for a length of time. Over the months, despite medication, the stiffness turned into what was clearly pain. We also became aware that her hearing and vision were impaired and getting much worse. Towards the end, she rarely got up except to go outside and to eat. We knew the time had come to make a decision. Difficult as it was, we chose to let her go with most of her dignity still intact.
One of the most difficult decisions a pet owner will ever make is deciding when, or if, it’s appropriate to consider euthanasia and to put their beloved pet down. Having just made this heart-wrenching decision myself in the last few months, I’d like to share my thoughts based on my personal experience.
Sarah on August 21st 2007 in Healthy Pets