My beautiful burmese girl Violet was put to sleep today. She was 12, and had been suffering from arthritis for years. She still got around okay, until last Wednesday when she was limping badly. The vets did x-rays and found it in her front legs as well as her back and hip, and put her on the only medications she hadn't been on. The past few days she wouldn't sleep and her limp was getting worse to where she couldn't walk and she was incontinent. The vets said she wasn't going to have a quality life, so this morning I said goodbye.

I feel so guilty, I don't know if I made the right decision in letting her go. She managed to have her breakfast this morning, before I took her. She rubbed my face with the top of her head at the vets, like she always did. She got upset with the needle, and I wanted to tell them to stop. But I didn't, and all I want is her back. I had her for exactly half my life, I miss her 'talking' to me, and sitting in my lap. She always waited for me at the end of the driveway when I got home, and slept on my bed everynight. She was always spoilt rotten, my daughter has been crying for her all day and wants her to 'wake up.'

Does it get easier, I'm absolutely devastated and I hate myself so much for having her put to sleep.

Please do not feel guilty ~ You did the right thing ~ remember that you knew your sweet girl better than anyone and would never do anything but make a decision based on love and the truth you know within your heart. My babies gave me the last head butt too ~ to say it's ok I can go and I love you ~ It is the hardest thing to do to lose an animal angel friend who has known us so well and been through everything with us. God Bless you ~ You are not alone ~ Stay "here" and you will not have to walk through this by yourself ~ Blessings to you ~

Your lil "cat angel" Violet doesn't blame you and you shouldn't blame yourself. Three weeks ago, I had to let my ##er spaniel Bailey go to the bridge, after 11 yrs with her, and right after she turned 13. Within 2 days after she started bleeding from a wart on her leg we found out she had liver cancer. Rather than subject her to surgery just to be able to keep her for a couple of more months, I let her go. Please know that everyone "here" knows the hardest decision you made. I hope you know you did the right thing and yes, it will get easier with time.

You are in my thoughts and prayers.

I too had to help my baby to the Rainbow Bridge this week. She was 16, and had brain cancer. I thought the radiation would be too much on her (she was also diabetic and arthritic). I waited a day to decide, and on that day she had improved a little. So, I thought, she will get better and I won't have to let her go.
The next morning the vet called to tell me she had a seizure.
We went in, and I knew she was ready to go. She was waiting for us so she could say goodbye. She had three more seizures after we got there. We knew she was ready, and we helped her go.
We held her as the vet gave her the shot. I watched her breathing stop.
I know how painful it is, but your baby, like mine, wasn't really enjoying life anymore. I'm sure they both appreciate this biggest act of love we could have done for them - we were selfless in this decision. We would have wanted them to stay, but knew, for their sakes, that letting them go would be better for them.
Take care of yourself,
Brandy

Violet, I think you are so brave to have faced the truth and did what you did. I have to admit that my family and I were terribly worried that we would be faced with having to put our dog down because of his cancer.

The vets began to tell us that we should put him to sleep but we honestly didn't have the heart to do it. With our dog's cancer, he didn't even suffer that much until about the final week of his life-we knew we were buying him time but we still hoped for a miracle. Since he was out of remission at least 3 months IN to his chemo, the vets would have put him down then, but he lasted an extra 7 months or so and died on his own terms. We knew when he was vomitting and not eating anymore that he was ready to go, but we had hoped he would do it himself. So I would talk to him every night and tell him that whenever the time would come for him wanting to leave us, we wanted him to do it on his own, not with the help of the needle.

I have never had to put an animal down but I can completely imagine the horrendous guilt I would feel about it too-but if you feel that it was completely the RIGHT thing to do, then in the end, you just gave your pet the right to a better life even if it means they are far away from you.

Let me tell you, it could work both ways-if your pet would have passed away without your putting him/her down, you would have felt guilty as well-you would have questioned if you were right to keep him/her alive and not go with euthanasia...so either way, guilt has a way of coming in regardless of the situation.