Putting my Westie to sleep on Wednesday - need an opinion

If it should be that I grow weak?
And pain should keep me from my sleep;?
Then you must do what must be done,
?For this last battle can't be won.
You will be sad, I understand;
?But don't let grief then stay your hand.?
For this day more than all the rest,?
Your love for me must stand the test.
We've had so many happy years;?
What is to come can hold no fears.?
You don't want me to suffer so?
The time has come, please let me go.
Take me where my needs they'll tend,
?But please stay with me 'til the end?
To hold me close and speak to me
?Until my eyes no longer see.
I know in time you will agree,?
It was a kindness done for me.?
Although my tail its last has waved,
?From pain and suffering I'm saved.
Please do not grieve that it was you
?Who had this painful thing to do.?
We've been so close, we two, through the years;
?Don't let your heart hold any tears.

- Author unknown.

My childhold dog was put down in a similar fashion as a result of cancer.  We made him his favorite meal, beer  (yes he loved beer) and just pet him and talked to him all day before the vet came to the house that night and put him to sleep.  Still one of the best days and worst nights of my life but I know he appreciated us all being there as Jay said earlier I have no doubt he would have been their for any of us.  Take care!

It is the worst man but I went through this last year.  Me and my wife with our first dog, 8 years old had bone cancer.  I was working but left to go with wife to vets and she took it better then me I think. 

The worse part for me was how much I enjoyed coming home each day from work and having my dog waiting tail a wagging, couldnt be happier to see me. We have since got new black lab puppy and it is really awesome coming home to a dog again.  It will get better in time.

don't know what i'd do, i can't have a dog cuz im single and work outta town often, not fair to the dog imo.

If it should be that I grow weak? And pain should keep me from my sleep;? Then you must do what must be done, ?For this last battle can't be won. You will be sad, I understand; ?But don't let grief then stay your hand.? For this day more than all the rest,? Your love for me must stand the test. We've had so many happy years;? What is to come can hold no fears.? You don't want me to suffer so? The time has come, please let me go. Take me where my needs they'll tend, ?But please stay with me 'til the end? To hold me close and speak to me ?Until my eyes no longer see. I know in time you will agree,? It was a kindness done for me.? Although my tail its last has waved, ?From pain and suffering I'm saved. Please do not grieve that it was you ?Who had this painful thing to do.? We've been so close, we two, through the years; ?Don't let your heart hold any tears. - Author unknown.

If it should be that I grow weak?
And pain should keep me from my sleep;?
Then you must do what must be done,
?For this last battle can't be won.
You will be sad, I understand;
?But don't let grief then stay your hand.?
For this day more than all the rest,?
Your love for me must stand the test.
We've had so many happy years;?
What is to come can hold no fears.?
You don't want me to suffer so?
The time has come, please let me go.
Take me where my needs they'll tend,
?But please stay with me 'til the end?
To hold me close and speak to me
?Until my eyes no longer see.
I know in time you will agree,?
It was a kindness done for me.?
Although my tail its last has waved,
?From pain and suffering I'm saved.
Please do not grieve that it was you
?Who had this painful thing to do.?
We've been so close, we two, through the years;
?Don't let your heart hold any tears.

That's beautiful.

Killer_B, i have a 3yr old german shepherd and i am dreading the day i have to make that decision with her. one thing i know for sure is that she is by my side thru good times and bad  and i love her to death.i know i will be there to hold her and talk to her when the time comes(i wouldnt think twice about it).man i never thought i could love a dog this much until i got her. i feel for ya dude. best wishes and  to you and Angel.

Just took her to vet to see what they thought of her condition. Vet says we don't have to act yet. Her labored breathing may be a positional problem in bed. She sleeps on the couch tonight. When her head is elevated on the arm of the couch the wheeze is minimal.

This thread just brought tears to my eyes. Im so sorry for your loss. I put my german sheppard down of 16 years in july. We were best friends and we did everything together. She had cancer in her snout. Vet came to the house and i cried harder tahn when I loss my parents and I couldnt understand why. I read its another kind of love they dont put you down and you can tell them anything and they dont judge you. They are always happy to see you and when your feeling down somehow they make you feel better. My dogs name was frosty I had her cremated 242.00.. i miss her every day. Once again I know how you feel. God bless...

My gal and I had to euthanize our cat last year.  The worst part was the drive to the vet knowing what was going on.  We both cried the whole way, cried during the process, and cried for 15 minutes as we said goodbye when she was gone.  

Westies are great dogs.

keep her as long as you can and look into other treatment options...essaic tea...medical and herbal... not all vets are the same...

This thread has me thinking now.

First off I want to wish you and Angel the best K_B during this difficult time.

I have not had a dog in years until recently. My daughter brought home a dog 6 months ago that was on the way to the pound. I told her we can foster her until we find a good home, I have an animal rescue friend that was going to help. Turns out our home became her home.

I don't even want to think about when the time comes. Majority of the time I work from home so we spend a lot of time together. She is laying next to my chair as I type.

I never thought I could get so attached to a dog again. Dogs truly are mans best friend.

I hope she goes into remission and lives a longer life...

She's still hangin' on. Eating and drinking great and still happy but it's definitely taking a toll on her, spends even more time on the couch (which is remarkable in itself:). I wish remission was a realistic hope, but unfortunately it isn't. I took her to my grocery store that I visit the bakery every morning before work for a croissant. I had 3 girls that ask about her everyday come out and meet her (one at a time), it was awesome! Everyday is a gift (for all of us), thanks michael (and everyone else too that showed great compassion). It's going to kill me losing her but it's been a great privilege being her Daddy. 

Thats tough man. Feel for you

Man I hate to sound so pessimistic but since you seem to know that the end is so near, why keep putting it off? I know that you want to spend as much time with her as possible but I mean the sooner the end comes, the sooner you will be able to move on. It seems like you are just delaying the inevitable...don't get me wrong man, I am not trying to sound like a dick by any means but I feel like you are almost torturing yourself dragging this out.  But whatever you decide I hope it works out with you, your family and your pup for the best. 

I went to the vet with her on Wednesday to see what they thought planning to do it on Wednesday night (if she thought it was time). I will not let her suffer. The vet said she still has a good quality of life. She still gets excited, eats good, she's not in agonizing pain. The vet also said she'll let me know when she doesn't want to fight anymore. I'm the kind of guy that hates putting things off that need to be done but it's not her time yet and I'm fine with that. 

 This is the way to go, without a doubt.

Check out the Rainbow Bridge on the net.

It may offer you some hope/comfort during troubling times.

May God Bless Angel