In nearly 80 years of having dogs as pets - as well as horses and cats - apart from one occasion the time has come in their lives for us to make the ultimate decision. Apart from young dog Shandy who got on the scent of a bitch on heat, crossed a road, was hit and killed - all our animals have lived long and happy lives, much loved. Sometimes the ultimate decision has been taken out of our hands - our old border collie got dementia, Molly the greyhound got collapsed lungs at 14 years old, galga Carmela had a stroke and a brain haemorrage, Ben a lab x, galgos Sahara, Polar and Bracken developed inoperable cancers - see photo above - podenca Bebe died at 17 of old age).
It's never an easy decision but at least we can choose to end the pain of their suffering, unlike with human life. And we know we have given them the best lives, with comfy beds, regular meals and lots of love.
In the coming months we will again have to make the ultimate decision regarding our much loved blind Podenco Bo. In February he was diagnosed with an inoperable stomach tumour. 2 months on his stomach is huge - the size of a football each side of his body. Yet he continues to eat 2 hearty meals/day, toddle onto the lawn to the toilet, dance, bark at visitors, his quality of life hasn't really changed from before the tumour.
We should have gone on holiday recently but decided not to put him through a 3-hour car journey into a new 'home base' - he is totally blind so the smells and surrounding would be completely unfamiliar. We can go on holiday another time, we don't know how much longer we will have Bo. So we take each day as it comes and enjoy his company and his cheeky quirky personality, despite the enormous baggage he carries around in his stomach.
He's not in pain, although he's on CBD oil for pain relief just in case, he doesn't sleep more than usual, he's the opposite of depressed...so his time to leave us has definitely not come yet.
Here's an interesting article on the subject of when to make the decision for your pet.
Comments