If your dog has had a good life then, although we dread it happening, we have to accept that death is inevitable. Making your dog comfortable in old age is part of you caring for him. Seeing your dog suffer in old age is not an easy process to go through, in fact it is very traumatic and you have to ask yourself this. Is your dog suffering unnecessarily and can I make him comfortable without suffering more pain? If the answer is no, then you must take the courage to discuss it with your family and your vet about having your dog euthanized. Asking your vet or taking the decision is not an easy process; it takes courage to take your dog to the veterinary surgeon and ask them to take the life of your dog. Pentobarbital is the most commonly used euthanasia agent and is given intravenously at 200 times the strength once used for general anaesthesia. Grief affects all of us in different ways. We have recently lost our Golden Retriever Dog, Julius, in his fourteenth year.

So here are a few ways that I know helped me in the grieving process: