Euthanasia, Help me to accept I did the right thing Options

[sheps mama]

I am new to the forum & don't know if I am using it properly, please bear with me. I have just lost my precious Old English Sheepdog, Shep. He was 14 1/2 years old and I don't think I will ever feel normal again. The vet advised us over a month ago to put him to sleep as old age was wrecking his body. He was having problems walking at times but his spirit was willing - it was just his body that was letting him down. He was clearly suffering froom old age but because we were with him all the time, it seemed very gradual to us and not as bad as the vet made out. We love this boy with every bit of us and now the pain is just too much to bear. He was the most loving, giving creature and now I feel that I have let him down just when he needed us most. We did the inevitable yesterday and I feel like someone has ripped me apart from the inside out. I have cried, screamed and shouted and nothing is making this feeling of overwhelming guilt & sorrow go away. How could I have believed that we were doing this for his good? I held his head in my hands as he slipped away and now his face is haunting my every moment. I knew I would never ever be ready to accept that it was his time but now I feel that he wasn't ready either - the way he looked at me as he slipped away - I will never ever forgive myself. I feel that life has just lost it's sparkle and I will never here or see my precious boy again. Can someone please help me believe that we did the right thing before I lose my mind altogether?

[Daisy's Mommy]

I am very sorry for your loss. I wish I could say that the pain goes away in time, but it doesn't. It does, however, get less acute.

When our furbabies are terminally ill or at the end of their life and are also in pain, the most loving thing we can do is to help them leave this earth without fear and extra pain.

The time is right, I believe, when you, as a person, would want to die if you were in the same condition as your pet.

Unless an animal is screaming in agony, it is impossible to really believe that we are making the right medical decsion, but if the decision is made with love and without self-interest, I believe that the decision is morally correct.

You were there with Shep during his last moments, ensuring that he left without fear and demonstrating your great love for him. Your grief now is the price we all pay for having enjoyed the wonderous bond we share with our furbabies.

There is no easy way to say good-bye to someone we love so much.


Daisy's Mommy
Grieving since April 1, 2006, after almost 12 years of love and joy.