I put my 14 year old lab down today. It was even tougher than I thought.
I feel in some ways I let him down over the past few years. As life got busier with family, I didn't spend as much time with him. He would often watch me work on my tank...I could almost read his mind..."why do you spend more time with that tank than me".
About 18 months ago he had a stroke. I found him in the morning laying with vomit on one end and crap on the other. He was disoriented and could barely stand. I took him into the vet and over the course of a few days he started getting "better". Although in reality, he never fully recovered. Since that time, he had slowed down to the point he was almost a fixture in the family room. Often I had to give him a pat to wake him up to go out or wake up to eat (he always had a healthy appetite though). His back hips/legs slowly got worse. He had difficulty getting up. Sometimes he fell. In the past couple months, each time I gave him a pet to wake him up, part of me was hoping that he would just pass peacefully in his sleep.
Despite all of his health problems, it was obvious all he wanted in life was to please. He was always up for a good petting and a treat. I knew this day would come, figured it wouldn't be easy....but the bottom line is, it sucked. I had the vet come over while the kids were out of the house. I knew they wouldn't understand the situation. As if being there when the vet did the deed wasn't bad enough, breaking the news of Cosmo's passing to my kids was terrible.
Anyway, I found some pics of Cosmo from the day I picked him out as a 7 week old puppy...I actually visited his litter several times from the point where they were less than a week old (Maybe I will scan some puppy pictures and post them). It's funny because the breeder sort of set me up with Cosmo...I couldn't decide which puppy I liked best. But she decided Cosmo fit my personality the best. I guess she was right. He was always a very loyal laid back friend.
Here are some pics of Cosmo, my best friend:
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I feel in some ways I let him down over the past few years. As life got busier with family, I didn't spend as much time with him. He would often watch me work on my tank...I could almost read his mind..."why do you spend more time with that tank than me".
About 18 months ago he had a stroke. I found him in the morning laying with vomit on one end and crap on the other. He was disoriented and could barely stand. I took him into the vet and over the course of a few days he started getting "better". Although in reality, he never fully recovered. Since that time, he had slowed down to the point he was almost a fixture in the family room. Often I had to give him a pat to wake him up to go out or wake up to eat (he always had a healthy appetite though). His back hips/legs slowly got worse. He had difficulty getting up. Sometimes he fell. In the past couple months, each time I gave him a pet to wake him up, part of me was hoping that he would just pass peacefully in his sleep.
Despite all of his health problems, it was obvious all he wanted in life was to please. He was always up for a good petting and a treat. I knew this day would come, figured it wouldn't be easy....but the bottom line is, it sucked. I had the vet come over while the kids were out of the house. I knew they wouldn't understand the situation. As if being there when the vet did the deed wasn't bad enough, breaking the news of Cosmo's passing to my kids was terrible.
Anyway, I found some pics of Cosmo from the day I picked him out as a 7 week old puppy...I actually visited his litter several times from the point where they were less than a week old (Maybe I will scan some puppy pictures and post them). It's funny because the breeder sort of set me up with Cosmo...I couldn't decide which puppy I liked best. But she decided Cosmo fit my personality the best. I guess she was right. He was always a very loyal laid back friend.
Here are some pics of Cosmo, my best friend:
Rest assured, you did the right thing for your friend... "Quality" of life is more important than "Quantity".
