I didn't like knowing the exact hour and day of my dog's death. Before we put him in the car to go to the vet, he peed on the grass and I thought "this is the last time he will ever pee in his life." When he pooped the night before, I thought, "this is the last time he will ever poop in his life." When he drank water before the vet, I thought about it being the last time he will ever drink water. It was the last time he would ever sleep in the bed with me and roll in the grass and be held by me, etc etc. He sat outside in the sun before the appointment and I thought about him never feeling the sun on his body again (in that form.) All that was so hard.

These types of thoughts are not uncommon. I think that they, like many similar thoughts, help divert us from our true feelings - the deep sadness that we will never see our beloved friend on earth again.

My dog died in my arms with the vets help, while having a seizure, related to a terminal liver condition. It helps me to remember that after my dog's last moments with me, she enjoyed her first moments free from pain and sickness, safe at home with God.

Daisy's Mommy

Boo-Boo's Mom,

Yah, I know......but whether we 'get' to think about these things beforehand, or reflect on them only afterwards if we didn't know when our beloveds would leave......it's just as hard.....just as hard. I've had it both ways and they're both equally sickening to the heart.

It's very normal to think that...but think how your pet feels now!! No pain, no infirmity, only happiness and waiting for you. He's probably with you right now and you can't see him but you can feel his presence. I feel Precious with me all the time. Patches, the new addition, sometimes looks up and swishes his tail and looks like he can see something I can't, and that gives me such comfort because Precious never went away, he's still with me and it matters so much!! That's why I mentioned the book on another thread, it's opened my eyes to so many new possibilities of pets (and humans) still being with us after they are no longer here physically.
Lisa