Probably the hardest thing for a pet owner to do is to say goodbye to a beloved pet. I have had to do it several times and have been devastated and inconsolable on all three occasions. The vet, however, did make me feel a bit better the last time by telling me that we all must go through it, and to focus on everything we had together. He said that for him, it was a daily agony that never got any easier, but was always an important part of this sometimes cruel thing we call life.
He was right, but that doesn’t mean I don’t miss the little guy that I had to put down last month because of a crippling cardiac condition. Things spiraled quickly as the medicine he was forced to take had side effects, and they were quietly killing him. I just couldn’t win except to let him lose, and I miss him terribly. Still, the decision I made was the best for the cat even though it wasn’t the best one for me. (Tears fall as I write this.)
I knew he didn’t have much more time, but it was a killer decision because he was so adorable. I was told he would soon need painful weekly draining of fluid from his abdomen and that the quality of his life would change imminently and drastically. Still, I was selfish. I didn’t want to let him go. I still don’t, even though I did.
The only words of advise I can offer in these dreadful moments in the valley of decision is to make the choice that is best for your pet, whatever that might be. Try not be selfish. I know it is difficult because we love our pets, but it is the very least, if not the last kind thing we can do for they who do so much for us.