About a year ago, I had a very old dog -- a pug who was nearly 16 1/2 years old -- who was deteriorating and obviously close to death. I didn't know this dog until December 2015, when I took him in almost at the age of 11. I got to love him and was sad to know the end was close, as all pet owners feel when that time comes. He was the only one with me when I had my sudden "breakthrough" improvement to my horrible psychological condition in October 2018 -- a moment I'll always remember.
In his final months, he looked bad. He had lost weight, had a little trouble standing up from a sitting/lying position (but could do it), and had lost a lot of fur. Just a year prior, he had looked almost perfect. But was it time to put him to sleep?
Some people who visited thought so, and in fact one person argued with me that I was being "cruel" by letting him live. I countered that the dog ate normally, could walk, didn't seem to be in pain, and still had quality of life. I said that the dog simply looked worse than he actually was, mainly because of the loss of fur.
One thing I didn't want was for this dog to spend his last moments in a cold, scary room in the vet's office. If I had to do it, I was going to, and I would have been there holding him. But it just wasn't quite time yet.
However, I set a deadline. We were going on a trip in mid-July. I wasn't going to leave this dog with someone else for 2 weeks in this condition. If he didn't pass away on his own before we left, I was going to finally make that dreaded trip to the vet and do the deed.
At 2am on May 31, I was about to feed him, and pulled out the last can of dog food we had in the house. Then I remembered that I had a leftover hamburger from about 36 hours prior. Hamburger was his favorite food. I heated up the burger and some rice, put it on his plate, and he very happily got up and ate it.
At 11am that same day, my girlfriend put him and his bed outside in the shade. It was a nice outside -- 69 degrees. An hour later, he died in his sleep. I can't think of a nicer way for him to have gone -- outside in his bed, on a nice day in the shade, just 10 hours after having his favorite meal.
I was sad but also relieved that I didn't have to put him to sleep. This was a much nicer ending than what he would have had if he lived another 6 weeks. I was happy I didn't listen to those who told me to put him to sleep a month or two earlier.
However, I didn't think about the fact that some pet owners don't want to be in the room with their pet being put down, because it saddens them. Apparently that's a mistake.
I found this article on the web, written by a woman named Tricia Mo'orea:
“Pets, it turns out, also have last wishes before they die, but only known by veterinarians who put old and sick animals to sleep." Twitter user Jesse Dietrich asked a vet what was the most difficult part of his job.
The specialist answered without hesitation that it was the hardest for him to see how old or sick animals look for their owners with the eyes of their owners before going to sleep. The fact is that 90 % of owners don't want to be in a room with a dying animal. People leave so that they don't see their pet leave. But they don't realize that it's in these last moments of life that their pet needs them most.
Veterinarians ask the owners to be close to the animals until the very end. ′′It's inevitable that they die before you. Don't forget that you were the center of their life. Maybe they were just a part of you. But they are also your family. No matter how hard it is, don't leave them.
Dont let them die in a room with a stranger in a place they dont like. It is very painful for veterinarians to see how pets cannot find their owner during the last
minutes of their life. They dont understand why the owner left them. After all, they needed their owner’s consolation.
Veterinarians do everything possible to ensure that animals are not so scared, but they are completely strangers to them. Don't be a coward because it's too painful for you. Think about the pet. Endure this pain for the sake of their sake. Be with them until the end.”
I agree with this advice. As sad as it is, you should be there to put your pet to sleep, as that's when they need you most.
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Originally Posted by Dan Druff
, I had him in my bedroom and he stayed with me till he was ready, i tried to grab him and bring him back but he was limp and convulsing. I left him in the dark and within minutes of leaving him he passed. It really felt like he was staying alive until he was alone. 
