Thinking of you and your family right now *Hugs*

It's never an easy decision to make, but you will make the right one for your boy.

When I had my old boy put to sleep, the vet gave him a little injection in his back leg to relax him, then he put the other needle in his front leg, he didn't cry, he didn't make a sound, he just went to sleep peacefully x

Just letting you know our thoughts are with you and hoping the memories will put a smile on your face even if it is through tears

Oh hun my heart goes out to you it really does...
We are in a similar position in the fact that our Remy has a possible lung mass and although she is still happy and walks about (occassionally runs!!) she is aging before our eyes and it breaks my heart, knowing that sooner or later we may have to make that awful decision
You always want one minute longer with them, but I always think that it is best never to let them suffer, because the trust and loyalty they give you freely doesn't warrant that. Remy's eyes are bright like buttons so I know she is not in pain.
I think you will know when the time is right and we will all be here for you xxx

My heart really goes out to you as well.

Just over 4 years ago now I had to have my beloved Westie, Scruffy, put to sleep. She had been taken ill very suddenly, was fine when I left her that morning and by 4pm I was holding her as the vet gave her the final injection. We held her (my husband and I), told her how much we all loved her, and she carried on wagging her tail as the vet gave her the injection.
Her tail stopped and she went really, really peacefully. The vet checked she had really gone (by listening to her chest) and then quietly left the room so we could have some time alone with her.
She was only 8 and I thought my heart would break.......
Less than a year later, my yorkie was taken ill. She fought like a tiger and the vet tried everything in his power to keep her going and get her through the terrible illness. He said there was one more thing he could try and we felt we owed it to her to let him try.
He rang us the next morning to tell us that she had died overnight - we were devastated once again.
However, the point of this post is to tell you that I feel much much better about how Scruffy went (i.e. with us holding her and telling her she was loved) than the way Meg went - on her own in a cage at the vet overnight.

In your heart you will see in your dog's eyes when the time is right for him to go, and you will make the right decision.
Be strong for him as it is the last thing you can ever do for him so he knows how much you love him.
Your wife will be strong too - it's afterwards you will need lots of support and help, because it is truly horrible in the weeks and days following.
Some people want to rush straight out and get another dog.
Others feel they can never have another dog.
In our case, we already had other dogs and although it helped in some ways, we still miss our little girls even now 4 years later.

Whatever you decide, take care of yourself and your wife - take time for each other and to grieve properly, and when the time is right maybe you can add another dog to your lives.......

Thinking of you and your lovely old boy at this terrible time.
Love n hugs.

i'm so sorry you are facing this with your precious boy. i had to have my beloved 14 year old lurcher put to sleep last year, happened to be on valentines day too. i was so worried about taking him to the vet as he never liked it since losing an eye 7 years earlier. i had convinced myself it would be horribly expensive to have the vet come to my house and i was so relieved when i found out it was around £80.

my leo had a similar problem to your boy in that he had almost lost the use of his back legs. fortunately he was always a lazy old thing so the time he spent sleeping was fine by him. but after worrying that i wouldn't 'know' when the time had come, he showed me in his usual dignified way.

i spent the last morning with leo giving him little bits of all the things he loved. cat food, biscuits, little pieces of chicken. we just lay together and i hugged him.

at 11.30am the vet came to my house with an assistant and they spoke gently to leo first, stroking him and telling him it was ok. he lay on his bed with his head on my lap and me telling him i loved him as he went to sleep. as sad as it was, it was also incredibly peaceful and has left me with huge gratitude that i could do this for him.

whatever you decide to do i know you will do the right thing. xx

He will never be forgotton. Me & my wife first got Max a month after we moved in together. Since then he's been our rock. Over the years we've had no choice but to relocate all over the country, leaving our family and friends behind for sometimes over a year. Now, only a few days after we've made a final move back to Warrington (the town in which we got him in) and only month after we got married, he's come to the end of his journey. He's got us through the those difficult times and now his job is done. I don't usually buy into those sort of thoughts but the timing is too much of a coincidence. At the very least its a nice outlook on his time with us. We will miss him but never forget him.

To everybody else who has posted, thank you very much. I don't want to sound over the top but if it wasn't for this forum I don't think I would have come the realisation that I have today. You've given me to time to prepare and make the most of the days / weeks that I have left with Max.

A face to the name...

Hi,

It's an awful time for you making that decision. I would definately say look at his eyes. They will tell you when the time is right. We had our Springer pts at the end of June, he was sufferring from cancer. We knew we didn't have long but one morning I just knew he had had enough. The sparkle was gone. I spent his last day giving him his favourite food, taking him one last walk then my OH took him to the vets, he made an appt at the end of surgery so it wasn't rushed. My OH sat on the floor holding him whilst he slipped away peacefully. Then we cried likes babies (and I have children!). In fact the tears are streaming whilst I type!

It's so sad and such a hard time but you have given him a great life and are allowing him to go with dignity, your friend could ask for no more.

Hugs to you both at this sad time,

Ali xx

he's a beautiful boy. brought a tear to my eyes seeing his face. big hugs to you and your wife. xx

Well I do buy into those things, and I think you're right, his job is now done and what a fantastic job he did I'm sure for both of you. I'm so glad you have now found the strength to look deep into those eyes of his and listen to what he's saying. We are all here for you, each and every one of us, whatever you may need. xxxxxxxxxx Such a lovely boy who did such a great job, he looks tired now, you enjoyed the best of him, now let him get the best from you when his time comes, which I know you will. My thoughts will be with you, I know how very hard it will be.