poorly border collie !!!

My beautiful 14 year old border collie, jessie, has just been diagnosed with a chronic heart condition that means that at some point in the next week i have got to make a decision that i have been dreading!!!!!

I know she is 14 but she has been with me since the night she was born and my husband had to help her out of her little sac as her mum was so tired.

I dont know how im going to do it. I cant bring myself to tell the kids, ring the vet and agree or look her in the eyes and tell her we are going walkies when i know its one walk she wont come back from......

She isnt in pain but she is soooo tired and has now started having mini fits when she gets excited (every time she sees me she goes hyper and then fits) it is the most horrible horrible place to be. I hate being a grown up.

I want to cry but i dont think i have any tears left...

Im going to miss her so much it hurts but i cant let her suffer any longer.

xx

I promise you will know. Do some serious soul searching about the quaility of her life and also about the discomfort you and your family are experiencing while trying to figure this out. There will be a moment when you decide that enough is enough for your pup. When an animal is "put to sleep" that is exactly what happens. They fall off to sleep. No more pain and upset. We are all going to go someday and you, my dear, have the opportunity to end whatever pain this pup is in, when it is time to do so. It is such a powerful time, but also a huge responsibility - very difficult, at best.

Decide what "quality of life" means to you, doggie wise. How much do you want her to tolerate?

The process is painless for the pet. The emotional part is not painless for the humans.

If one can spare a pet from struggle, one should.

Good luck. It is a tough call. You owe it to your widdle puppy, that 14 y.o. border collie friend and love of your life.

I truely empathize with you and you have my prayers and a HUGE cyber-hug for your hurting heart.

While it is a very very difficult decision to make it sounds like you already know it's 'time'.

I just went through this in July with my 17 yr old cat Dusty. She had congenitive heart failure and severe osteoarthritis.

I already knew her time was short and had the appt. already set up on a Thursday, a week from the last recheck appointment. I spent that weekend with her letting her enjoy eveything she was capable of enjoying and spent alot of time petting her, talking to her, taking lots of pictures of her, and making her last days as enjoyable as I could and basically saying my goodbyes while she was still with me. (My eyes are tearing up as I'm typing here). Anyways that Sunday night I guess the stress and excitement of her weekend just got to her and she had a bad night with difficulty breathing, so that Monday July 2, 2007 at 4:45 p.m. I said goodbye to my beautiful, wonderful, furry companion for the last time.

It was a very difficult decision to make, my heart is still hurting over her but I know she is no longer in pain, she's not suffering, or enduring the medications and the side effects. I know she knows I love her and did everything I could to help her. There just comes a point when we know we're keeping our pet alive more for us than for them. When I finally realized it had come to that the decision was clear what was best for her, not me. It still hurts and I miss her terribly but I know I did the right thing for her.

I have to quit typing now before my tears short out my keyboard. You are in my thoughts and prayers.

Have you consulted a doggy heart specialist? The same medicines given to humans for things like congestive heart failure (e.g. beta blockers) have found their way into canine medicine.

Otherwise you are down to deciding when puppy's quality of life is such that it's time. Compose a list of triggers (e.g. unable to walk, eat etc). When the triggers fire off then the time has come. It's still difficult.

I am so sorry that you have to make this decision, but you will know when it is time. I will keep you & your pup in my thoughts and prayers tonight.