October 27, 2025

From past experience, having to put your pet to sleep is a difficult and emotional decision. While I am glad to be able to have this option, it is harder on you than your pet. My feeling is, my fur baby has given me so much that I want to be able to make their end of life as easy and painless as possible.

When is it time?

When people ask me about knowing when it’s time, I tell them that I have found the pet lets you know when they are ready. It is important to remember who you are doing this for. If your beloved dog is suffering, delaying letting them pass is only doing it for yourself. It is so hard to say goodbye. If you think about how much they may be hurting, you owe them the love of letting go.

What are some of the signs?

• Pain- if they have been on pain medication that doesn’t seem to help make them comfortable.
• Eating- Most pets lose their appetite, which normally eating is something they look forward to.
• Going potty- Can they still go to the bathroom?
• Socializing- Are they still interacting with you? Are they hiding?
• Mood- Are they happy? Wagging their tail? Do they still enjoy going for walks or playing with toys?
• Quality of life- Are they enjoying life?

What to look for:

• How is their health different from the past?
• Are the bad days more than the good days?
• Are they sleeping more, not enjoying the things they usually do?

You know your fur baby better than anyone. Changes are usually gradual, so you may not notice at first.

Make those last days special

A trip to the vet when you see changes is a good idea to see what is going on. How much you want to dive into the cause can depend on the costs and what you want to put your dog through. Lab tests can be very helpful to tell you how sick they are. This has helped me make that tough decision.

Our sheltie had swollen lymph nodes. Dog Emergencies I took him to the vet. We were immediately sent to the University of MN Vet clinic. I had to leave him there for the day for tests. He was so sad to be left there. I felt so bad leaving him.

He was diagnosed with Lymphoma. They gave him two months to live. We were offered chemotherapy, but it would only give him a couple more weeks at best. I declined. I didn’t want to leave him at the clinic one full day a week. He would be anxious, sad to be left and probably wouldn’t feel good from the medications. I took my feelings out of the decision. This was about what was best for him.

We chose medications to keep him comfortable. We took him for car rides. He had DQ fries and ice cream. When he started getting weak, we carried him more to go out and go potty.

He stopped eating, was having trouble standing at times and the happiness in his eyes were gone. He looked deep into my eyes. I knew it was time.

I stayed with him to the end. His eyes were fixed on mine as the medication was put into a vein. His eyes gently closed and he was gone.

I cried long and hard, but I knew I had done the right thing. I never wanted him to suffer.

It never gets easier. Our pets never live long enough, but for all their companionship, the least we can do is not let them suffer and linger in pain.

Kelly