Should You Put Your Dog to Sleep? A Veterinarian’s Advice
Believe That You Will See Your Dog Again One Day
Deciding if it’s time to put your dog to sleep (euthanasia) is agonizing. Here, a veterinarian describes how to know when it’s time to say good-bye.
These guidelines are from Marie Haynes, a veterinarian who had to put her own dog to sleep. This veterinarian shares her story of putting her dog to sleep, and offers information about pet euthanasia.
“If you can save your dog or cat even one day of discomfort, you must,” says Dr Haynes.
And that’s the number one criteria for deciding if you should put your dog or cat to sleep: if suffering is involved. If your dog is suffering in any way, then it may be time to decide on pet euthanasia.
One of the best ways to cope with your dog’s death is believing that their souls and spirits live on – and you’ll be reunited one day. Read Animals and the Afterlife: True Stories of Our Best Friends’ Journey Beyond Death to learn how some pet owners experience their beloved animal companions after they’ve passed.
And, here are some guidelines to help you decide if it’s time to say good-bey to your dog or cat to sleep…
Is It Time to Put Your Dog to Sleep?
It’s often difficult to tell whether a dog is in pain or suffering, says Dr Haynes, but there are some general guidelines:
- Is your dog’s appetite suffering? If so, this is often a sign of pain.
- Does it seem like your dog is enjoying life?
- Does your dog still do the things that bring her joy?
- Are you enjoying having your dog around — or is there more pain than happiness?
- Does your dog seem happy more often than not?
- Or, do you find that your dog looks distressed or uncomfortable most of the time?
Pet owners often want to be told what to do about putting their dog to sleep, but it has to be the pet owner’s decision. The vet only sees a snapshot of the pet’s life, while the pet owner has the big perspective. “I see a scared, sick animal in the hospital,” says Dr Haynes. “I don’t see a pet owner’s beloved dog.”
“You have taken care of your dog or cat all its life,” says Dr Haynes. “This is your final chance to take care of your pet. If you can spare your dog pain and suffering, then putting it to sleep is the ultimate gift – no matter how hard it is for you.”
The bottom line: when it’s time to put a dog to sleep
There will come a day when it is absolutely clear to you that your dog or cat is not enjoying life. That day is one day too late. If you can save your pet even one day of discomfort, you must.
Deciding on euthanasia is difficult, but it could be the most loving thing you do for your dog.
You can be present if you put your dog to sleep. Euthanasia is similar to falling asleep, and you can be with your dog when he or she drifts away. Remember that euthanasia is generally painless, and almost always goes smoothly.
To help you cope with with feelings of guilt, read 4 Ways to Deal With Guilty Feelings After Pet Loss.
How this veterinarian decided to put her dog to sleep
“My shepherd/cattle dog cross, Eddie, had a multitude of problems and I couldn’t decide if it was time for euthanasia. Then, one day he tore his cruciate ligament. He had already previously torn the ligament on the other knee and although it was healed he had severe arthritis in that knee. With both knees injured, Eddie was unable to walk. My decision to put my dog to sleep was finally made for me.
I went to my office and collected the supplies I needed for euthanasia. Eddie was such a good boy as I shaved his front leg and placed the needle in his vein. I will never forget the look of love and trust he gave me as I made the injection. Then, the life just went out of him and he was gone. Once he had passed away, his buddy Joey (my other dog) came in the room but he did not seem to care about or comprehend what was happening. Then, my two cats came in and I swear they suddenly had a look of glee in their eyes as Eddie was very much a cat tormentor!”
For help saying good-bye, read Letting Go of an Animal You Love: 75 Ways to Survive Pet Loss. I interviewed veterinarians, grief experts, counselors, and pet owners who survived their dog’s death for the best coping tips.
Are you still confused and unsure? You may find Can’t Take Care of Your Dog Anymore? Help for Pet Owners helpful.
If you have any questions or thoughts on putting your dog to sleep, please comment below.
Category: Dogs & Doggy Care Tips, Pet Care Tips
My stepdog is a 17 year old Boston Terrier. He’s nearly deaf, fairly well blind and has gotten so thin he’s literally skin on bones. He still comes out to greet me most days when I come home and he has an appetite. He has been peeing in the house for a while now and he’s pooping in our garage. He’s got a blocked out area where he can be but he still manages to get his mess all over himself. I’ve had to put animals to sleep before (and I worked in an animal shelter myself for many years) but I can’t tell if we’re at that point with him. He was in the vet recently for a swollen neck, but the vet said his heart and lungs sound good. His urine is thick and stinky and he’s drinking a lot so I suspect some kind of kidney failure. We have young kids, a 6 month old Lab pup and 2 cats. I don’t know if I’m thinking he needs to be put down mainly for our own quality of life or for his. Any thoughts?
Hi everyone. I have a 14 year old Labrador named Andy. He has arthritis and thus has some trouble moving around and can’t go on walks anymore. He has been prescribed pain killers but the side effects eventually became to severe to continue using them daily. He now only has a painkiller when his joints appear to be really stiff and sore. He’s also lost control of his bowels. He still wees outside but very often poos inside by accident. When this happens he seems very upset and/or ashamed. He dislikes being outside and barks until he is let in. He also barks sometimes if there’s no one in the same room as him. However, he still has a good appetite and enjoys company. He seems happy spending his day sleeping on his bed or in my room.
These problems make me wonder if it’s time to consider putting him to sleep. My Mum flatly refuses to consider it but our last dog had dog dementia and was not put down until there was absolutely no choice. It would be the most heart-breaking decision ever to put Andy down but I don’t want to keep him alive for our sake if that’s not in his best interests.
Please tell me what you think.
Bill,
What a dilemma — I’m so sorry to hear about your lab! A week ago, we brought a black lab home from the SPCA, and were warned that most dogs do things that surprise their owners, no matter how old the dog/owner relationship is. It sounds like your dog pulled one of those surprises out of his hat.
I can’t tell you if you should put your dog to sleep, but I did have a similar experience with my cat. She had a run in with a bike that smashed her leg up; my choices were to amputate the leg ($1,000 plus meds) or put her to sleep. I chose euthanasia. That was 10 years ago, and I still feel guilty and sad today. I know I made the right decision, but my feelings of guilt and sadness about putting her to sleep haven’t gone away.
You’ll get different advice about whether you should put your dog to sleep from different people…but ultimately you have to answer to yourself. I chose euthanasia because it made the most sense at the time, despite my heartache. And I suspect I’d make the same decision today.
I think the pain and discomfort of putting animals through surgeries that may or may not be successful isn’t worth it — I think it’s stressful for both the animal and us. Prolonging life isn’t always the best solution.
But as I said; everyone has different opinions on when to put a pet to sleep! Some pet owners move heaven and earth — even going into debt — to keep their pets alive for another month or two. You need to make the best decision for you, regardless of what other people say or think.
I wish you all the best, and hope you come back and let me know how it goes.
Blessings and sympathies,
Laurie
I have a difficult dilemma with my nearly 7 year old chocolate lab. About two months ago he chewed and ingested one of his chew toys. This was extremely out of character for him as he has plenty of similar toys and has never destroyed a quality rubber toy. We thought that he was able to vomit the toy parts in his stomach and pass the other pieces with the vets help. We thought we avoided an expensive surgery.
Last weekend he developed some vomiting that we initially attributed to a new antibiotic he started for his seasonal ear infection. We discontinued the treatment and obtained an anti-nausea medication to soothe his stomach. He did not improve and his condition degraded to the point where he would not eat or drink (lost 10 lbs in one week). He was in severe discomfort when I took him to the vet yesterday evening. They diagnosed the problem as a bowel obstruction and performed the surgery Friday night. The doctor removed about a foot of intestine and stitched him back up. He is now at an emergency clinic for after care this weekend to monitor his condition. He was recovering well today but started to take a turn for the worse this evening. It looks like he has some complications that may lead to further surgery. We have already spent over $4k on this surgery and after care, and we cannot afford another surgery. My thought is that if the initial surgery did not work then there is a chance the second try would also fail. I feel terrible assigning a dollar limit to his life, but I see no other choice in this economy. Another surgery would likely prolong his agony in exchange for a chance at curing his condition. There could also be further complications leading to even more cost. Has anyone encountered a similar issue? Is this the right decision?
Stefanie – I’m so sorry I missed your comment! But, I couldn’t tell you if it’s time to put your dog to sleep. Only a veterinarian or animal specialist can help you make the decision. Euthanizing your dog is such a huge decision — you really need to talk to a specialist about your dog’s symptoms and behaviors. I wish you all the best, and hope you come back and let me know how it goes.
Paris – That’s a tough position to be in! I encourage you to apologize to your boyfriend — because it really isn’t your place to tell him what to do with the family dog. I totally understand that you want the best for his dog, your boyfriend, and his family….and I hope your boyfriend understands that. You don’t want anyone to suffer more than they have to…..but you also have to find the balance between being honest and supportive of what he thinks is right. Now that you’ve said your piece, he knows what you think — and maybe now’s the time to support whatever decision he and his family will make.
I wish you all the best,
Laurie
My boyfriends dog is a bassethound of 13 years. For the past three and a half years i’ve seen this dog go from good to bad.
His parents sleep downstairs as it can’t get up the stairs or down them. Its a lovely dog but it has started taking fits over the past couple of months and it pees on the floor randomly. It keeps his parents up most nights. It has recently started howling when his parents go away and its just me and my boyfriend. Its walking in an angle slightly and struggles to get off the couch and also struggles to get its legs over the door step sometimes.
Everytime i’m at his place he tells me she’s getting worse and in my eyes i feel she’ll go at any moment and i can completely understand with any pet owner that they don’t ever want to put a dog down but the question i’d ask them if i could without hurting them is – would you wish to be put down if you were a dog in the condition that its in?
i need advice for what to do/say. I feel sorry for his family and the dog but i don’t know what to say or do to make it sound like it may be its time to go because its not her fault for whats going on at the moment.
I lashed out at my boyfriend over it and completely regret it as its not my place to say she’s had her life
any advice would be appreciated so much. thank you <3 xx
I have an 11 year old Golden Retriever mix who has pretty severe hip displaysia. He’s on Rimadyl and Phycox (supplement) but they are not very effective. He’s also tried Metacam and that also was ineffective. He cannot sit comfortably and mostly stands with his back legs sort of buckling in slo-mo. He poos like a horse – walks and it comes out because he can no longer do the poo crouch. He’s had a couple of accidents in the house already. He sleeps most of the day and then is up a lot at night and has a high-pitched whining that he does. He will sometimes stand at the dog door and stare at it as if wondering why he is there. If I tell him “go on out” he will but if I do not – he will stand there for a really long time before making a decision. He still loves food and greets me at the door when I come home and for some inexplicable reason – can even manage to jump onto the couch. He doesn’t play anymore and I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen him wag his tail – usually he is only using his tail to balance himself. Is it time to put him down? I’m concerned that it is too soon and also for my other dog that is 13 that is pretty used to having him around and how would she cope with him being gone?
I’m so sorry to hear about your dog — and I’m sorry I didn’t have a chance to respond to you earlier, Kathy!
Often, we need a vet to help us figure out if it’s time to say goodbye to our beloved pets. We can’t figure out how the dog is feeling or if she’s in pain….but a vet might be able to read the signs better.
Again, I am so very sorry I didn’t get to your comment sooner. If you’re still around, please let me know how things are going with your beloved dog.
Sincerely,
Laurie
I have a schnauzer mix, she is 15 1/2 yrs old. She was diagnosed two years ago with spindle cell on her left back hip. I had it removed. It grew back in the same place last Oct 2009, this time it grew much faster than the first tumor. Its quite large right now and I’ve found what I believe to be a fatty tumor growing on the opposite side of her body around her ribs. She was doing well until this past August she lost her balance and fell off a wall in my back yard. From that moment on her health has seemed to go down hill. She was hacking,vomiting and just acting like she wasn’t feeling well. I took her to the vet and they put her on prednisone and tramdol for the pain. The thing is she still eats and drinks, and never seems to complain about being in pain except when you try to pick her up. She has since started having diarrhea it has lasted 5 days so far. She’s been having alot of gas. She’s always letting me know when she needs to go out but has been having accidents 1 and 2 in the house. My vet told me I should think about putting her to sleep, its so painful to think about it. But I don’t want her to suffer. But even looking at the questions from this article I can’t seem to determine if she is in pain, like I said she doesn’t complain. She is moving slower than she use to and her breathing is loud when she does rest. She seems to just lay around now. If I mention to her a walk though she is right there waiting to go out. I’m so confused. I was going to take her back to see the vet tomorrow but would like all the input I can get. Please help.
Thank you,
im sorry for your unfortunated situation, i had to reply to this as i had a 6 year old chiuhahuha called peanut who was put to rest on saturday & i am absolutly devistated.
peanut had the exact problems, out of nowhere his back legs stated to buckle & not do what the front ones do & soon after coudlnt get up & down the stair as he was small i carried him everywhere, then he had two fits i was beside myself, then the front legs started to go & he couldnt control his front paws it was awfull but the vet told me he had a brain tumour & there was nothing i could do, i tried to keep him at home & tend to his every need by taking for a wee & to the food & water bowl but then on the friday night he tried to follow me everywhere, even when i laid him in his bed he would follow me with his eyes to make sure i wasnt leaving him then started with diarrhea with blood init & seemed to pant alot & just couldnt get comfortable so i stayed up with all night hugging him & telling him how much i loved him, he was just like one of my children, i was devistated but we made the decision that we would let him rest in the morning as i couldnt watch him suffer anymore, that was nearly a week ago & ive cried every day , ive felt anger, ive felt guilt & most of all feel empty & want my baby back but i know i done the kinest thing for peanut i think he was fedup, frustrated & most of all in pain & now he is free from pain & no doubt still sitting next to me making sure i dont leave him, bless him x
My 11 year old germanshepard zac has an appointment at the vet to day to be put to sleep and i dont know if i am doing the right thing.It was about 5 months ago when he had a fit and ever since then he has not been the same.2weeks ago i think he had another one when we were out and ever since then his back legs have buckelled and he can not walk propperly but he does get his good days when he looks his normal self.this is the hardest decision ever because before this happend he used to sleep upstairs on my mams bed but now he cant get up the stairs so we have leave him down stairs by himself and it is heart breaking.
My 3 yr Gordon Setter mixer was recently diagnosed with lymphoma. He has lost weight and has been sneezing and seems very congested. I can hear him wheezing when he breathes. Yesterday he had a bloody nose. On a good day he will eat a small handful of kibble. We have to feed him while he’s laying down on the floor because his legs don’t seem to be able to hold his body weight anymore (he only weighs 26lbs.) I have to carry him up and down our stairs because it’s very hard for him to walk. I know what I need to do but it’s such a hard decision. He’s just a pup and my family is so sad.
Dear Elizabeth,
How sad, for your Greyhound and your family. A brain tumor and radiation is a huge decision to grapple with, especially without your vet’s guidance!
I think you need to trust your gut instincts on this. I don’t know if it’s better to put her to sleep or have her go through radiation treatments to prolong her life. There are so many questions, such as for how long does she go for treatment? What is her expected life span? Will the treatments reduce her quality of life? How expensive are they? Will she live for another month without pain, or another ten years?
The difficult thing is that the vet probably won’t have any definite answers for you.
All I can do is say that I don’t believe euthanasia is a cruel thing to do in most cases. It’s often a very kind thing to do for a dog you love, because it may end her pain and suffering.
I have a cat, and have had many cats that I loved so much throughout the years — but we’re getting a dog next week! But, as painful as it was, I often chose euthanasia over prolonging my cats’ lives. When they were old and sick, I thought it would be better if I just let them go.
Often, putting your pet to sleep is the final act of love, kindness, and compassion — especially their lives have lost their luster.
I’m sorry there aren’t any easy answers, and hope you come back and let me know how things are going.
Blessings,
Laurie
Dear Gill,
I’m so sorry to hear about Rascal. It sounds like he’s in rough shape, and nearing the end of a good long life!
My best advice is to take him to the vet, and get him checked out. I don’t know if it’s time to put him to sleep.
But, I do know that euthanasia is NOT a cruel thing to do in most cases. It’s often a very kind thing to do for a dog you love, because it may end his pain and suffering.
Often, putting your dog to sleep is the final act of love, kindness, and compassion — especially if life has lost its luster.
Please take Rascal to the doctor, and get a professional, in-person opinion. I’d love to know how it goes; please do come back and update me.
Blessings,
Laurie
We have an 11-year-old Italian Greyhound. She has always been really healthy and active, but about two weeks ago she had a massive seizure and was diagnosed with a large brain tumor. We have been going back and forth about whether to get radiation treatment (the local vet is on vacation so we couldn’t start yet anyway). She has been on steroids for the last two weeks and seemed to react really well. She stopped the problematic behavior she had right after the seizure (head pressing, pacing, loss of balance). She seemed almost back to normal the last day or two, but this morning she started having seizures. She had 4 seizures (one to two minutes each) about 30 minutes apart. My mom got her some seizure medicine, but she doesn’t seem right. It could be my imagination, but I feel like her nose and eyes are really twitchy. She has also been very lethargic from the steroids. We definitely don’t want her to suffer, but a lot of websites say dogs don’t remember having seizures or really suffer from them. That seems hard to believe, though! She seems to know she isn’t quite right because she isn’t eating normally, and she just stares at us in a weird way like she’s trying to tell us something. We don’t know what to do. We greatly appreciate any advice!
Hi i have a much loved jr called rascal he’s 18 yrs old ive had him since he was 8wks hes been my life long companion throught school leaving home and gettin married and having my kids hes my baby boy and im unsure of what to do he still eats well and enjoys a walk around our garden but he cannot see or hear anymore and hes has growths all over his body which he wont stop chewing and hes making them really big he falls over sometimes cause his bk legs are weak im struggling to make the decision if im keeping him alive for me and im being cruel do u have any advice for me i would really appreciate it
Brenda,
I’m so sorry to hear that you lost your dog. It must have been so sad to hold him as he left this earth….especially after all you’ve through together.
I totally agree; it doesn’t seem fair that our dogs, cats, and other beloved pets live such short lives. They come and go, like a shooting star through our lives.
In sympathy,
Laurie
This past Thursday I had to put my beloved 8-1/2 year old Westie, Kasper, to sleep. His troubles started in July when I noticed he hadn’t been eating his dog food. Then my parents returned from a two week vacation and commented that he looked really skinny. He started vomiting and I took him to an emergency vet clinic. They said he might have Cushing’s disease from too many cortisone shots (he had to take shots occasionally to combat his numerous allergies). They gave him an anti-nausea shot and a hydration pack and sent us home. He still wasn’t eating, so I would take him each day to my parent’s house so they could hand feed him. He liked cut up hot dogs and chicken the best. He refused to go on walks. He started moving around less and less and I would pick him up to take him outside to go to the bathroom. Then he started urinating inside the house, which he never did before. A neighbor of my parents, who is also a vet, thought Kasper had a urinary tract infection and gave us a 10-day supply of antibiotics. He seemed to get better, then one Saturday, he got really bad. He started backing up and yelping occasionally. He would sit there and shake like he was cold. Then we noticed he wasn’t urinating. Took him to the vet he has seen his entire life. At first the vet thought he had an infection of the prostate gland. He admitted Kasper to the hospital for a couple of days and gave him IV antibiotics and pain medication. He inserted a catheter to relieve his bladder. He let me take Kasper home for a day while we waited on lab tests to come back. Kasper quit urinating again. So we put him back in the hospital to be catheterized again. Tests came back…..invasive cancer. His weight went from 25 pounds to 17 pounds. I made the decision to put Kasper to sleep that afternoon and I held him and comforted him while the doctor injected him. He had been the best dog in the whole wide world and I wanted to be with him at the end, like he was there for me through my divorce, my kids growing up, and sicknesses. I didn’t want him to suffer. I know it was the right thing to do, but I still feel like I have been hit by a Mack truck. I miss him so…. I think it is terrible that dogs are such wonderful companions and live such short lives!! It doesn’t seem fair.
Dear Claire,
It sounds like you’re dealing with the exact same thing Shawn is! Her story is right above yours.
Your boyfriend doesn’t want to lose his dog, who is a huge part of his childhood. It’s almost like taking that final step into adulthood and closing the door on who he was before….and he’s not willing to take that step.
I’m not sure how you can help him realize that putting his dog to sleep isn’t cruel — it’s often a very loving, compassionate thing for a pet lover to do. But after you point out that his dog is not enjoying a good quality of life, there’s not much you can do. He knows how you feel; he may even know that putting his dog down is the best decision.
He’s just not ready to make that decision — and there’s not much you can do to convince him that putting his dog to sleep is a final act of love and kindness.
This may be a decision your boyfriend has to make on his own, without you trying to convince him of anything. I know you love him and want the best for him, but you can’t force him to see things your way (or see reality!). He’s not ready to let his dog go yet…and I don’t know how you can convince him to be ready. He’ll have to come to that decision on his own.
I’m sorry I can’t be more helpful; I wish you all the best.
Blessings,
Laurie
Me and my boyfriend have a 18 year old mongrel and over the past year or so he has deteriorated quite a bit. He’s a lovely dog and he still likes to eat his food and play about from time to time however he constantly poos and wees in his bed and on the floor, we can’t leave him for longer than 4-5 hours. His back legs are very weak, he’ll still get out of bed but he can’t stand around for long and will drag his back feet until they bleed if he walks about outside. he doesn’t go on walks anymore and can only make it to the back yard/ garden.
I think it’s time to say goodbye to him but my boyfriend (who has had him since he was 1rs) can’t bear to see him go and won’t even take him to the vets. It has caused big arguements between us and i feel that he’s had a good life. I don;t know if he’s in pain or not and i’m at a loose end.
Any comments are welcome
Dear Shawn,
I’m not sure what to say…it sounds like your husband is putting his own pain and denial ahead of what’s best for your dog — and for your family. I totally understand why he’s doing it; it’s SO hard to decide to put your dog to sleep! But, it sounds like he’s not facing reality.
He might be afraid of the grief he’ll feel when your dog is gone. Indeed, it’s a very painful thing, to lose a pet. Sometimes men don’t express their emotions well; your husband might be doing everything he can to avoid those emotions.
You need to convince him that putting your dog to sleep is a final act of love and kindness, and the best thing for your whole family. How do you do that? It depends on your husband’s personality. Some people accept professional opinions without argument, so you might ask your vet to talk to him. Other people need difficult decisions to be made for them, and are grateful if their partners just put their foot down. Others might be swayed by the effect the dog’s existence is having on the kids……
How you convince your husband that it’s time depends on him, on you, and on your relationship. I wish I could give you the words to say, but it really depends on how he responds to persuasion.
Another possibility is to talk to him about why he’s so determined to keep your dog alive. Has he lost a dog in the past? I know a man who lost his dog 25 years ago, and refused to get another pet. He said it was so painful, he could never get another dog again. That’s what I was talking about earlier, about men and expressing pain. If my friend could mourn and express his pain, maybe he could love a new dog.
Anyway — it might be worthwhile to ask your husband what his reasons are (besides the obvious “the dog is still getting something out of life” reason). Maybe ask him to give you 3 reasons, and maybe the deep reason will come out.
I hope this helps…and wish you all the best.
Blessings,
Laurie
Dear Linda,
I’m so sorry to hear about your toy poodle…the poor little guy was a senior citizen! He lived a long, happy life. He was ready to go; it was his time.
Putting your dog to sleep is often a final act of love. It’s a way to show him that you care, and send him gently into his final rest. You did the right thing. His quality of life wasn’t nearly as good as it was even a few months ago…his poor body just couldn’t keep up with this world.
I hope you’ve found peace in your decision.
Blessings,
Laurie
I was hoping for some advice. We have a 15 yr old Welsh Pembroke Corgi that cannot walk. He is on heart, pain and liver meds. He is having chronic bladder infections. He pees and poops and gets covered and stinks. He so getting snappy. I know it is time to let him go but the problem is my husband. He is convinced that he is getting something out of life. He refuses to put him down. I was hoping for some advice as I am getting concerned for my children. So far we have kept them separated and my husband does everything to reduce the dogs impact on the family including daily bathing him ect. I need for this to be over. Any advice to help someone would let go of their best friend would be helpful. I am out of ideas.
We have had to let our little sixteen year old toy poodle be put to sleep. most faithful little companion ever we all loved him so much. he was suffering from severe chronic separation anxiety scratching the door till his paws bleed. he also started messing in the house. he was taking medication for his back legs as muscle wasting. he had a large boil on his bottom that would grow then burst then fill back up again the said he had to many hormones the vet fitted hormone replacement in his neck which seemed to be working. We then noticed a foul smell coming from his mouth took him to vets he found very large tumour in his mouth I have never smelt any thing like that smell. did we do the right thing. we all crying all the time. Can you tell me if the smell coming from his mouth was the smell of cancer. He also lost lots of weight. Miss him so much.
Thankyou so much Laurie,
Well i did it!! Havent stopped crying since but i feel so relieved.
My vet sedated her so she fell fast asleep and didnt know at all what was going on.
Myself and my 12 year old son held her while she fell asleep, my son was so brave and i am so proud of him.
My other boxer Floyd is a bit quiet and off his food but its understandable. He has never had so many walks!!We take him 4 times a day now to keep him occupied.
I am so happy i made the right decision, and i dont dread coming down stairs in the morning anymore.
She was a very special dog and she will never be forgotton.
Thankyou so much for helping me make the right decision.
Thanks again
sarah