Thank you so much for your thoughtful comments. A part that particularly resonates with me is that dogs do not have the ability to understand continual pain or the pain of corresponding treatments.

In the end, we did not base any of our decisions on finances (thankfully). We treated Godiva for a time with insulin to manage her diabetes. But, because of the Cushing’s, etc., the treatments made little difference. When we put her to sleep it was because she was dying miserably. And we simply did not want her to be in such pain. Interestingly, I kept seeking the moment when I would clearly know what to do. That moment came. But, of course, we still miss her. As I am sure you still miss your Pooches. Thank you for sharing your experience and your thoughts. It means a lot to me.

There is one thing that my brother told me that helped me cope that I’d like to share with you. He knows a lot about dog psychology, and seems to understand them better than people most of the time. They are simple creatures, you know, and that is one of the things that makes them wonderful. He explained to me that when humans get sick, they understand why they have to endure the poking, prodding and discomfort of diagnosis and treatment, and know that it is all with the aim of getting better. This knowledge helps drive a persons will to survive the whole process. But Dogs and cats don’t understand what is happening. In their minds, they are being tortured with needles and surgeries. And especially with incurable diseases, that at best offer a lifetime of treatment, it may help the owner by delaying their sorrow, allowing them to come to grips with the potential loss, but the pet just suffers and receives no benefit. So in a lot of ways, even with money as no object, the most unselfish decision you can make is to put your four legged loved one out of its misery. Any money you happen to save is just a side benefit.

Like you said it is difficult to have to make “life decisions for a vital being”. I think it’s one of the hardest decisions a person can ever make. I want you to know that in my humble opinion, I think you absolutely did the right thing. More specifically, you gave Godiva a good life and a loving home for a lot of years and in the end, even though it was painful for you, you made the right decision for her.

I hope you have a wonderful New Year and New Decade. Hope to hear more from you soon.
Love,
-France

I also LOVE your skin (blogskin, that is), but since you are wordpress and I’m blogspot, I can’t ask if you can direct me to the source.

Bravo on a great blog!