I did not even study my choices when, last Summer, the choice came that I pay $4,000 to save my dog's life with an operation. The damage to his stomach was dire, but, even so, I was assured he would be fine, after all, he was just 3 years old.
To my distress, I discovered blood when he would go to urinate after some time. My vet, a dear friend of ours, suggested a new battery of tests, but not long after after our appointment, Carl was unable to stand up from his nap. Because a spinal seizure had paralyzed him, he managed to pick up his head to gaze at me with his big brown eyes, but otherwise was completely helpless.
I was aching. I was crazed with the conceit of wheelchairs for quads despite the fact that his health deteriorated every day he remained in hospice care. No amount of money or canine wheelchair would give him the sort of life he was due, and I could not escape that. However, that didn't make thinking about euthanasia any easier.
I may have been gloomy, but not powerless. It gave me the assuredness to make the proper choice once I was aware of all my choices.
Just because you're reading this, I know that you want to arrive at the correct choice, and that you care greatly about the well-being of your pet. But where do you begin?
As with every personal issue, death is dealt with in a personal manner by everyone, however that doesn't mean that a roadmap can't help you arrive there more easily Your way is determined by the decisions you make, but it's possible to dispell the disquiet and pain once you know all of your choices, and where they will take you.
A good friend gave me a wonderful resource just before Carl died - Dr. Pat Bradley's book, More Than a Pet. Upon reading it, I was armed with enough informationto do the best thing. I strongly recommend working through this book or one like it so you can also make a choice in line with your values.
