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I've had about 8 dogs over the last 40 years, all of which I truly loved and appreciated for their companionship and contributins to our family. One of the responsibilities of owning a dog or cat is knowing and agreeing when, what and how to handle medical problems and end of life details with these pets. We get attached to them as if they were human and fear the lose when their are gone, but understanding and forming a plan early on has always worked well for me.
My basic plan for pet care is to pre-set a dollar amount I will spend for medical problems based on the pets age and future quality of life (a range). I also agree with my wife on when and how to have the pet put down (method).
Bottom line here is..there is no easy answer to the end of life question. If you have some sort of plan it makes it easier...just get some balls and do the right thing for your pet and your home life.
I always plan on getting a new pet to replace the one that is gone, or get a new one when you know the old pet is approaching the end.
My last Golden Retreiver (only 3 years old) got hit & killed by a truck while chasing a rabbit...that one really hurt and was difficult to reconcile because I let her off the least to play.
Take very good care of your best friend. Bill
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