I had to put to sleep an old dog today. He was 17 and ready to go.

It was sad and difficult as it always is – to say goodbye to an old friend. What made today a little different than normal was the despair and feeling of helplessness that the owner was feeling.

Vets as a rule tend to act as pseudo-therapists in these situations. The dog usually, as it was in this case, was ready to move on. The owner, however, was not ready. I was there to help him with that letting go process.

Now, most owners have already come to conclusions and have made their peace with what has to be done. Today, not so much. You see, the dog was not only 17 years old, but was in the end stages of heart failure. He probably wouldn’t make it for the next few hours. There was nothing I could do short of send him on emergency to the cardiologist – and maybe say a little prayer – it couldn’t hurt. It was very clearly out of my hands to save this pet.

The main point of this story is the owner. He was distraught about the dog, yes. But, even more, he was worried about his daughter. “You see, today is my daughter’s birthday and she’s coming home from college today. Is there anyway he’ll last until tomorrow?” He was crying. “Unfortunately, I can’t promise that,” I replied. He cried more. What I saw was a man that so loved his daughter he would do anything, spend anything to keep her from the pain of a memory of her dog dying on her birthday. You could almost feel his inner conflict of doing the right thing for the pet and sheltering his daughter from pain. His grief was palpable. 

Wow. Now that’s a father. My heart went out to him, the dog, and his family.

We talked a little about the need to end this dog’s suffering above all else, that his daughter would hurt, but would also understand because she loved the dog so much. A sense of peace fell over him as the realization of this truth became clear. He made the decision to put the dog to sleep. It was quick and painless for his old pal.

I’m not sure what all this has to do with pet insurance, if anything. I do know that the bond we have with our pets and our kids is close and real and special. Maybe that’s what we’ll need to always remember as we build this company.

Truth and love … sometimes that’s all you have to help you when making some of life’s toughest decisions.

Love to you, your kids, and your pets,

Dr. AJ