<text>THIS week I’ve had to make the difficult decision to put my much loved, beautiful 18 year old cat, Spice, to sleep. Although I know without a shadow of a doubt that it was the best thing for her, and she would have suffered greatly had I not made the decision, the guilt is incredible. Sadly, euthanasia is a part of my job that happens frequently. I like to think that I have always appreciated just how difficult the decision has been for owners. The extinguishing of any life, human or animal, dog or hamster, is always significant and demands respect and absolute attention. I rescued Spice eight years ago when she was 10 years old. Her previous owners, through no fault of their own, could no longer look after her. She was brought in to the practice I was working in, and as result of her age, we were worried finding a new home might be difficult…so I took her home that night. She had a number of health worries over the years, but more recently I diagnosed renal failure. Her blood results were not good at all. She was losing huge amounts of weight despite treatment, her appetite had all but disappeared, she was incredibly lethargic. I just knew the time was right. I chose to put Spice to sleep at home, in the living room, in her favourite spot. I know a lot of clients will come in to the practice facing the same difficult decisions. It must be the right thing to do, and at the right time. The guilt is illogical, but it’s still there. Are we doing the right thing? Should we try treating for longer? Will they suffer if we don’t make the decision now? It would be lovely if every pet passed away peacefully at home. Unfortunately that happens only for the lucky few. Whatever you decide, rest assured we understand the decision you’re wrestling with. </text> <text>THIS week I’ve had to make the difficult decision to put my much loved, beautiful 18 year old cat, Spice, to sleep. Although I know without a shadow of a doubt that it was the best thing for her, and she would have suffered greatly had I not made the decision, the guilt is incredible. Sadly, euthanasia is a part of my job that happens frequently. I like to think that I have always appreciated just how difficult the decision has been for owners. The extinguishing of any life, human or animal, dog or hamster, is always significant and demands respect and absolute attention. I rescued Spice eight years ago when she was 10 years old. Her previous owners, through no fault of their own, could no longer look after her. She was brought in to the practice I was working in, and as result of her age, we were worried finding a new home might be difficult…so I took her home that night. She had a number of health worries over the years, but more recently I diagnosed renal failure. Her blood results were not good at all. She was losing huge amounts of weight despite treatment, her appetite had all but disappeared, she was incredibly lethargic. I just knew the time was right. I chose to put Spice to sleep at home, in the living room, in her favourite spot. I know a lot of clients will come in to the practice facing the same difficult decisions. It must be the right thing to do, and at the right time. The guilt is illogical, but it’s still there. Are we doing the right thing? Should we try treating for longer? Will they suffer if we don’t make the decision now? It would be lovely if every pet passed away peacefully at home. Unfortunately that happens only for the lucky few. Whatever you decide, rest assured we understand the decision you’re wrestling with. </text>