We said goodbye to Bailey yesterday. It is so hard to determine when to make that choice. As expressive as Bailey was, it was tough to tell if his days were net-positive or not. He was still getting a lot of pleasure out of meals, cuddles and scratches. We took him to our wonderful vet a couple weeks ago to have a look and discuss options. We considered doing it then, but it appeared Bailey wasn't ready on that day. We switched his meds up slightly and got a beneficial response. He even hopped onto the couch one night.
The short-term response from the meds faded as expected, Bailey's struggles increased and we went in. I'm sure it was the right time. I have no regrets about the decision or the process. It was necessary, peaceful and deeply loving.
We are experiencing intense but unconflicted grief. There is no anxiety, no discord, no misgiving. There is only the sadness of missing a dear friend, knowing a wonderful life has come to an end.
I'm grateful Eli got to meet him. I wish the boy could have memories of Bailey. Eli did see and acknowledge his presence, so perhaps some of that sweet dog's essence was passed on to our child.
