Putting a Pet Down
What to know when making the toughest decision
by Becky Mokkenkamp
(as shown in Prevention Magazine, May 2006, All Rights Reserved)

Pancho was bloated and had been moaning for hours when her owner took her to the vet. Alison Benton knew that her 13yo Boston Terrier was gravely ill, but she was unprepared for the diagnosis of terminal congestive heart failure.

"There was kind of disbelief," she recalls. "Then I cried." Medication eased Pancho's discomfort, but she became progressively weaker until she was unable to walk to her water bowl. Finally, Benton and her husband decided they needed to end the dog's suffering, though it meant ending her life. Now, two years later, Benton says that putting Pancho down was the kindest thing they could have done...

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