A sad day...

[Sharon Isley]

One of our cats has had serious bladder problems, and last night wet all over himself, the sofa, and apparently even my son and his blanket. I had to take him in to be euthenized this afternoon, because after a 2 year struggle with this problem it is clear that its only getting worse. It's bad enough to have to lose a pet. The reaction of my kids is worse, especially my 12 year old son. Some days, I wish I wasn't the mom.

[Barbara Philipp]

Oh Sharon, I am so sorry, a couple of years ago I had to have one of my Love birds euthanized, I was heart broken. She was only 6 inches tall and weighed only ounces. That small but a big, big part of my heart. Its tought loosing an animal. The hurt is core deep. I am sorry for the love loss in the family. Hope today is a healing day for you and the family.

God Bless

[Belinda Y. Edwards]

Those days when we hate being mom -- -hmmm- that could be the title of a book. Those are the days that they didn't tell us about.

*hugs to you*

Hang in there, mom - you are loved.

[Barbara Moulton]

Putting a pet down is an incredibly hard thing to do. It is a different kind of grief because animals are with us everyday. And when they are gone there is a big hole in our lives.

When we put Becky down, Leisha and I were particularly hearbroken. I could not stop crying for days.

I do think that these times when children go through a loss of a beloved pet, are important times. They learn that it is ok to grieve and then to learn that wound does heal over time.

May God give you strength and wisdom.

[Sharon Isley]

Thanks ladies. My son had been very clingy all night, he really wants to be comforted. Its so hard. I still fight my own impulses to withdraw when I hurt, and that doesn't help him. And deep down, I feel so horribly guilty because I did this. :(

[Barbara Moulton]

Thanks ladies. My son had been very clingy all night, he really wants to be comforted. Its so hard. I still fight my own impulses to withdraw when I hurt, and that doesn't help him. And deep down, I feel so horribly guilty because I did this. :(

Yes...the guilt is really hard to deal with. If Becky (our Golden Retriever) had simply died in her sleep I would have felt grief but not the incredible guilt. Taking her to the vet in the car, seeing her tail swishing gently as she walked into the vets office...even though she was in great distress and pain,her tail was still up and wagging slowly.

We made the decision to end her life and the vet said it was the right thing to do. I had a hard time dealing with it because she could have gone on for a few more months.

I still can't think about that day without feeling very sad.