Hard Choices

The title of my post sounds like the title of a cheesy teenage romance novel...maybe something you would have seen in the old Sweet Valley High series from my youth.  In reality, the hard decision to which I am referring came this morning when my husband took our oldest dog Casey to the vet when he woke up with a raging eye infection.  Casey was sick with anxiety last week while we were out of town and our house sitter had a rough weekend filled with trips to the vet and to the pet ER where Casey needed IV fluids and other palliative care.  Less than a week (and a little over $1K later) Casey was back at the vet this AM with a corneal ulcer and infected foot (IV site from last weekend's ER visit).  It was at this point when my husband and I were at our wits end with his behavioral and health issues that the vet delicately broached the subject of whether it was time to put him down.  Out vet informed us that we will not likely be able to find Casey a new home since he has so many health problems and that shelters are really worse for a pet's quality of life.  My husband and I were not prepared and the shock was awful.

When you adopt a pet, you do so with the knowledge that you will likely outlive him or her.  However, that fact is the last thing on your mind when you're playing with an innocent, adorable, energetic, little puppy.  This morning we decided that the decision whether to put him down deserved more prayer and discussion, so we decided to treat his current infection with a follow-up appointment scheduled for Monday.  This weekend will be a very tough one for our family.  We are praying for peace and discernment concerning the future of our beloved pet.