Liz Buchanan BVSc MRCVS
Keymaster
In this case, it sounds as though your vets are working hard to keep your dog, your patterdale terrier, comfortable and it sounds frustrating and difficult that you had just reached a decision to let her go when she finally began to improve. Good questions for your vet might be; what do you see as being the best case scenario for her from here? And, if she were your dog, what would you be expecting, going forward, at this time? Often, the vets involved in a case will disagree about when the right time is because we all have different ideas about this, and that is okay; people do. Some objective thinkers find that it helps to use your gut instinct to assign a score - what per centage of her normal happiness is your dog at the moment? What per centage would you like to say goodbye at? - The most important thing is that this decision is a personal one; any time that euthanasia is performed for reasons of severe illness, it is a decision that we could not make for humans and a kindness to prevent final suffering, not a stick to beat ourselves with over the timing. I don't think people do instinctively 'know' as often as the media seem to suggest; there truly is never a good time to say goodbye. It's a tough time and whatever your call, you will do the best you know with the information you have and you are the people who know your dog best. If you type 'euthanasia' and 'put to sleep' into the blog, you will find many veterinary authors writing about their ideas on this subject; it's perfectly okay to follow the advice that resonates the most for you. It's also important to be kind to yourself. The word 'euthanasia' means 'good death'; wishing you and your dog all the best from here.
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