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Jan 10, 04
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choosing life or death
i had to make one of the hardest decisions of my life today.
i foster sick cats and awoke to find one of them dehydrated and super lethargic... i did all that i know how and there was no improvement so i took him to the vet. they asked the question, but how can i decide between life and death for something that can't tell me how they feel and what they want? i've had many cats, some improve and can be adopted, some don't and die peacefully... i've even had a number die in my arms. i can deal with death, it comes with the territory... but this is different. i've never had to make this choice before. hopefully i made the right one. RIP Chico, you'll be greatly missed. 
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Jan 10, 04
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When my mom decided to put my cat (that I grew up with) down, I think that is exactly what was bothering me the most about it... I know how it feels, I wish they could tell me what they want because although they should not live in pain, who knows that is what they want to do?
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Jan 10, 04
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my dogs 17.. almost 18 now... every time we take her to the vet we say "ok, we're just going to let her go if she's in any pain.." and were all prepared to let her go... and put her down if needed
And every time she bounces right back...and her blood comes back perfectly healthy and no one believes she's that old. But, the point is, if an animal is in total pain.. yeah its time to let it go i think..
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Jan 10, 04
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I dunno, I've (thankfully) never had to make that decision...and while nothing should have to live in pain...every person (and creature) reacts to pain differently...there are always stories of people who by all rights should be dead from whatever is affecting them but they "were a fighter" and overcame it...others succomb more quickly...maybe a person (and animal) can tell when its too much, when its time to shut down, give up and give in...maybe for some pets spending 15 minutes a day with those that love them makes the pain worthwhile...I dunno, no-one should play G-d but no matter which choice is made you are to a degree...
...I think I'm gonna go hug my cat now...
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Jan 10, 04
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It's a hard decision to have to make but in the end its usually for the better
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Jan 10, 04
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my dog fucked up her leg and the doctor said it wouldn't heal without surgery... we were thinking of putting her down but my dad couldn't do it... we decided to see if it would heal on its own... and it did... really thankful we didn't put her down...
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Jan 10, 04
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that must have been one of the hardest decisions ever...i know that if i were put with a decision like that..i wouldn't be able to make it..i would make someone else make the decision..i hope i never have to go through what u went through~
but if it was in pain and not gonna make it on its own..then i'm think u made the right decision..u probably thought long and hard about it too..i wish we could communicate with animals..
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Jan 10, 04
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i'm still having a really hard time with this... whenever i think bad to the doctor doing the injection i cry...
this cat was leukemia positive for the last 6 years... his owners gave him up to a shelter i work at and if left there, he would have most likely caught a secondary diesease and died shorty due to his lowered ammune system. most leukemia positive cats don't live longer than 2 years at the most. (many only live a very short time after being diagnosed... and many are put down as soon as they are diagnosed which i am strongly against.) this cat has had many ups and downs in the short 3 months i've had him and throughout his entire life, but never a down such as this. as soon as i brought him into the vet they asked the question but i gave it time. x-rays showed that the right side of his heart was inlarged, and after hydrating him for a couple of hours on a drip IV he didn't look any better. but was he suffering? in reality the stress of this event would probably be too much for this cat and with the enlarged heart there was probably little chance for a full recovery... i've never seen this cat so unresponsive. ever. despite the fact that the vet and the tech tell me i made a good choice i can't justify that fact that i killed a cat. i killed a cat that i loved dearly... that slept with me... that i originally saved from death. as i sit here writing this my other cats are watching me and it saddens me to think that i will one day be faced with this decision again (i currently have 3 cats, one is FIV (HIV for cats) positive and my two others are 12+)
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Jan 11, 04
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oh lauren..this cat fought for it's life for so long..and u took care of him for a good 3 months..i think ur absolutely awesome for taking him in..ur decision was probably the best one..just think of how much stress u saved him..
and to his shitty ass owners who left him at the shelter( :finger: ).
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Jan 11, 04
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:)
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Jan 11, 04
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:( Lauren that's so sad, and such a hard situation to go through.
I think you knew deep down that it was the right decision to let him go, otherwise you wouldn't have gave the word. You're so good to your animals.. they are lucky to have you!
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