My daughter has lost two lifelong pets in addition to the many farm animals etc. Each time, we have said goodbye as a family. We believe in our family it was our duty to surround our pets with as much love as we can as they ease out of this world and into the next.
The first time, it was our cat Cissy. She was old as dirt. My husband had inherited her from an elderly relative when he was 12. My daughter was about your son's age when Cissy developed a severe hernia. It was going to cost $500 to operate on her and she was in her mid 20's. We were going to pay for the surgery when her blood panel came back showing she had thyroid issues and would slowly die over the next year. So we decided it was time to say goodbye. We explained to my daughter that it was the slow unpleasant death that made us decided it was time and as a family we went in. My daughter had gathered up a bunch of Cissy's things to surround her with in her final moments. The vet explained to us that sometimes they just go to sleep, and sometimes there is movement etc. Cissy just went to sleep, then went limp. My daughter wanted to touch her, then hold her, but then it got messy as Cissy released her bodily fluids. The vets took her in back, cleaned her up and brought her back for us to take home.
My daughter had many questions about where she went, if she was Ok. She wanted to be involved in the burial and asked over and over again about Cissy and if she was OK. She still talks about that cat today 6 years later, but in a good way. She was not traumatized by being there at all and felt very included in her passing.
Our dog Mugsy had many of the same symptoms as HQ. He was 14 when he finally lost interest in his food. That was when we knew it was time. My daughter could not cope with having him cremated, and because we were building our houses on the farm at the time we had the backhoe dig a hole. We had prepared her for months that he would not make it much longer so she knew it was coming. She was 12 at the time. He just quietly laid his head on my lap and let go. My daughter was stroking his head and crying but she was there to see that Mugsy was at peace with his passing and truly ready. We loved him as a family, we said goodbye as a family. It took a lot longer for her to get over Mugsy. We even took some of his fur to Build a Bear and make a dog to hug when we were missing him. I had gotten Mugsy a year before she was born. She called him her Brother. She still misses him and cries for him sometimes 2 years later. We had gotten another dog a year before he died, we didn't want to bring a new dog into a grieving home.
Hope this helps.
Laney
The first time, it was our cat Cissy. She was old as dirt. My husband had inherited her from an elderly relative when he was 12. My daughter was about your son's age when Cissy developed a severe hernia. It was going to cost $500 to operate on her and she was in her mid 20's. We were going to pay for the surgery when her blood panel came back showing she had thyroid issues and would slowly die over the next year. So we decided it was time to say goodbye. We explained to my daughter that it was the slow unpleasant death that made us decided it was time and as a family we went in. My daughter had gathered up a bunch of Cissy's things to surround her with in her final moments. The vet explained to us that sometimes they just go to sleep, and sometimes there is movement etc. Cissy just went to sleep, then went limp. My daughter wanted to touch her, then hold her, but then it got messy as Cissy released her bodily fluids. The vets took her in back, cleaned her up and brought her back for us to take home.
My daughter had many questions about where she went, if she was Ok. She wanted to be involved in the burial and asked over and over again about Cissy and if she was OK. She still talks about that cat today 6 years later, but in a good way. She was not traumatized by being there at all and felt very included in her passing.
Our dog Mugsy had many of the same symptoms as HQ. He was 14 when he finally lost interest in his food. That was when we knew it was time. My daughter could not cope with having him cremated, and because we were building our houses on the farm at the time we had the backhoe dig a hole. We had prepared her for months that he would not make it much longer so she knew it was coming. She was 12 at the time. He just quietly laid his head on my lap and let go. My daughter was stroking his head and crying but she was there to see that Mugsy was at peace with his passing and truly ready. We loved him as a family, we said goodbye as a family. It took a lot longer for her to get over Mugsy. We even took some of his fur to Build a Bear and make a dog to hug when we were missing him. I had gotten Mugsy a year before she was born. She called him her Brother. She still misses him and cries for him sometimes 2 years later. We had gotten another dog a year before he died, we didn't want to bring a new dog into a grieving home.
Hope this helps.
Laney
