The way I have chosen to have their "goodbye procedure" for my ducks has been same day and not planned in advanced. I want to give them as much of their life as I can. We are very fortunate to have a 24/7 emergency vet, so I have no pressure to decide in advance. I waited until their disease got to the point where I felt like it was significantly interfering with their quality of life. With all 3 of my ducks it has been slightly different. For one she was standing in corners, staring at walls, not following the other ducks. She seemed disoriented and her personality was much different. With another her respiratory infection had progressed to the point that her breathing was difficult, and she was clearly uncomfortable. I felt unkind to keep her alive until she passed naturally. Another had stopped eating and was lying down most of the time because her condition was very painful.It’s always so hard to say goodbye to these lovely, beautiful creatures in our lives. I’m sorry you had to go through that and I totally understand. I do want to ask you how did you know that they were approaching the end. I’m watching Sally like a hawk (excuse the pun) because the second I see her get lethargic or listless, I’m going to have to get her put down quickly. Because then she would be showing signs of going into sepsis, which is not how I want her to die. I don’t want her to die at all, but there’s only so much I can do. Is that what you were faced with? Or was it better planned?
I feel like some pain for my pets is ok. I have pain everyday and I'm ok with it. But for my pets when they can't eat, or move, and there is no chance of recovery I feel like it is time to let them go.