Losing Our Fur Family

There is nothing easy about losing a family fur member. The grief and pain over saying goodbye to them is extremely hard. Even harder is making that decision for them when they cross that 'Rainbow bridge'. Once that decision is made and carried out there is no coming back. They are gone forever. It is important that it be made with their interest foremost. We don't want them to suffer and when their quality of life is no longer there and they can no longer function it is time.

We just lost Bozley in the photo above to a major stroke. When it happened we rushed him immediately to the vet and when we arrived he was so weak he couldn't move anything but his eyes. It was clear to us and his doctor he was not going to recover from this sudden stroke. Our Sarah had at 14.5 years congestive heart failure. Several medications were given to her to prolong her life and keep her comfortable but at the end she grew weak and lost interest in eating, drinking or moving. She was not in pain but there was nothing left for her and it was time to let her go. She clearly was ready.

There is always that nagging question could we have done one more thing that might have helped but sometimes even when faced with the obvious it is hard to let go. That is when we have to say what is best for our beloved fur family member and not be so selfish that we keep them that extra few moments because it so hard to say goodbye that final time. They won't be coming back and the decision is ours to make for them and it has to be the right one.

I tend to tell them goodbye by telling them how good they are, have been, and how much I love them and it is my hope and faith that I will see them again. That I don't want to see them suffer any more and this will relieve their suffering. Finding that appropriate time without guilt is important and I consider them and not my own selfish desires to keep them around longer. It never gets any easier and as we face two more future goodbyes it is none the less hard even leading up to that time. Our vet has told us that one day Echo won't be able to get up due to his disease and then it will be time. We do not look forward to that time arriving because each day he seems to get a little more unstable and weaker.

They tend to let us know when they can't go on if we just take the time to pay attention to their desires. This is the one decision that when arrived at is non-reversible so we have to be very careful when we make it for them. They have been there unfailing in loyalty and love for us and in the end we need to be there for them decide for them and not just ourselves. It is painful but they let us know if the time is right or not and they are ready to die.

RIP Clarence, Ben, Gypsy, Sarah and Bozley - all magnificent family members who remain in our memory and heart for as long as we live.