It was the best of times, it was the worst of times
Dirk passed away at home where we held him and cuddled him till he breathed his last breath.
Before we let him go, a visit to the vet confirmed that he was deteriorating rapidly and in addition to his CKD having progressed he also had a suspected tumour. For my partner and me this was a sign that it was time to let Dirk go. Even if he was not terribly unwell and not suffering much, we also did not want to let it get to a stage where he would be suffering a lot.
As heartbreaking as this decision was, and I know many of you will also face this decision, it’s a day we knew was coming and we had prepared for it.
Saying goodbye to your pet is a very personal decision and the final months, weeks and days with your pet are an emotional journey.
For me, it helped that my partner and I had talked this over beforehand and taken a few decisions about how we wanted to say goodbye.
We felt strongly about letting Dirk die at home and then taking him to the pet crematorium ourselves. We were able to take his ashes home the same day.
Dirk’s final day
In typical Dirk fashion he was happy to greet the vet and very chatty and cuddly. Caroline was compassionate and made sure we had all the time we needed. Dirk was at ease with her and the whole process, from sedation to euthanasia, was incredibly peaceful. This mattered to us, as it was our last memory with Dirk. It was a beautiful goodbye and I’m sure this will help us during our grieving process. We cannot thank Caroline enough.
It was the best day, because we still had Dirk.
It was the worst day, because it was our last day with him.
Dag lieve Dirk
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