re: How do I know when it's time to put my dog to sleep? UPDATE

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We put our 16 yo Jack Russell to sleep a month ago. Wife and I got her 2 months after we got married. It was a very hard decision, but a friend of mine who is also a vet, gave me some good advice. He said when your pet stops being a pet and becomes a patient, it's probably time to look at end of life options. He asked me what were my expectations of continuing giving her all these meds. He said we both know what the eventual outcome is going to be. Putting her down was extremely rough for wife and I. My kids said it was the first time they'd ever seen me that upset. Initially I felt guilty, but after a week or so I realized we made the right decision.

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last month we had to put down a great little terrier. She was only a year old but had mega esophagus and pneumonia. It was a three week onslaught of watching a beautiful puppy go from seemingly normal to terminally ill. It was horrible, but when I made the decision the vet completely supported it which helped with the guilt. Miss that fricker. I bawled like a baby in the lobby when I had to settle up, holding an empty leash and collar. There were lots of people in there too. We adopted two other girls about a week and half later, a catahoula and another terrier to go with our 12 year old lab. The new life has helped tremendously.love em. Dogs add so much.