This is a topic that I purposely chose to avoid for quite some time because I believe that it is one of the most difficult decisions a pet lover has to make. Emotionally speaking, all the preparation in the world is not going to make it any easier when you are faced with a dying pet and you are trying to determine if it’s time to let go.

Here’s a true story. About four years ago, I lost my pet rabbit Max. I had Max for six years. He was a very cute dwarf rabbit with an incredible personality. He got along very well with my cat, Mollie. During her life, Max always had one medical problem or another. She was always going to the vet for stones, and digestive problems. One day, I noticed that her eye was bulging out a bit. This got worse and eventually she started to lose her balance. After several visits to the vet, he determined that Max had a tumor behind her eye and really would not last more than a few days. He wanted me to put her down right then and there. I just could not do it. She still was alert, and still liked to come out of her cage and play.I took her home. As expected, her conditioned worsened. When she stopped eating, I blended all of her food and fed her through an eye dropper. I just couldn’t let her go.  She lasted another four months with my nurturing but things were really getting worse for Max. I made three appointments to have her put down and kept canceling them. I know that it was her time but I became sort of selfish! Finally when she was almost totally out of steam, I made the appointment and kept it. Even though it was more than her time to go, the decision and process was very difficult. I was not myself for awhile after.

So if you are struggling with the question of whether or not it’s time, ask yourself these questions.

1. Is my pet getting any enjoyment at all from his day to day life or is his existence a painful one without any real quality of life?

2. Do his “good days”  outnumber his “bad days” or are is “good days” rare or nonexistent?

3. Is my pet in pain?

4. Has my pet stopped eating and drinking?

5 What’s my vets opinion? I would be very careful on this one. Some vets are very quick to tell you to euthanize your pet? I have another story on this for another time but keep this in mind. Trust your vet to give you an honest opinion and offer all of the pet medication and treatments available. If not, find another vet right away!!

This is one of the hardest things that a pet owner and lover has to endure. Make sure that you don’t make any hasty decisions!