[dkn]

I'm with you.

With cats, I find it's different. They tell you when it's time by withdrawing and being very reclusive, nearly catatonic. When we had to put down our last family cat (this would be our third over the course of my life) I decided I wanted to face it head-on and offered to take the cat to the vet to be euthanized. I held her as it happened and it was very, very hard. But at least I knew it was the right thing to do, if not the right environment to do it in.

With dogs, they might be in terrific amounts of pain, but they still want to be with you no matter what. When I try to put myself in that situation, I still want to be with my family through to the bitter end. I don't think I want to be euthanized unless I'm a vegetable. But, a dog doesn't have that higher understanding of what is happening or what the options are.

A very difficult decision to make, but it's difficult because we love them. I think your dog would always appreciate you for that.

[AIMunchkin]

My cat stayed by my side to her last day, whereupon she decided to hide in the box I had prepared for her body a week earlier.

She had wasted away to 2/3 her normal weight and was having a horrible time breathing, it was time, and it sucked, even recalling it sucks.