I have never been able to bring myself to do it. My wife has taken on the burden of taking the pets for their last ride to the vet. I'm so bad that one dog we had, I would carry her down the steps to go outside as well as up the stairs to our bedroom at night. And she weighed 80 pounds! Well, we're there again with another old gal. Our walks have changed from over 2 miles to now barely the length of a football field. A few weeks back I took her with the younger dog on a longer walk with hopes that she could do it, her legs gave out and I had to call my wife to come get the dog as it was too far to carry her 75 pounds. I just can't do it. Are any of you as bad?
Absolutely not! I ALWAYS think of the animal first. People who say they love their pets and then slowly torture them to death , letting them suffer needlessly, are barbaric . Animals dying are part of life, if you can't stand the pain of losing them think of THEIR pain, let them go and do NOT get another pet.
As long as they can still make it to go outside, eat, and show some signs that they still have some enjoyment of life I put it off. If they give up, that is the time to gently help them leave.
A guy near me was prosecuted recently for not caring adequately for his pet's needs. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukn...efusing-to-have-his-beloved-pet-put-down.html
With us it's cats, and I'm the one that takes them to the vet to be euthanized. We usually have a gentle argument a couple of months before it needs to be done because she always refuses to see that the end is approaching. I look at it as a good thing though as I'd rather not jump the gun and mistake treatable illness as the end of a natural lifespan. Anyway, because I mentally prepare for the eventuality a couple of months in advance, by the time that the terrible day arrives I am able to simply shut down my emotions and do what has to be done. I allow myself to mourn only after the fact. I comfort myself with knowing that the animal does not know that it is dying nor that I am taking it for the last visit to the vet that it will ever have. All the emotionalism about this stuff is on the part of us humans. Oddly perhaps, that's comforting to me.
I've never put one of my pets down. I make them as comfortable as possible and let nature take its course.
