How do you say goodbye to the best friend you’ve ever had?  How do you say goodbye to the most loving loyal friend?  It is a difficult thing.  When we had to say goodbye to our beloved Golden Retriever Benson it was just as difficult for our family – even though we deal with this more often than most.   

There is a tool that may help you in your decision making process.  It’s called the Quality of Life Survey and it is a short list of important factors that make up the quality of life for your pet.  Our tip is too not rush through this, give yourself the time and space to consider each point.   We are always here for you.  If you need to talk to us please call the practice at (07) 5662 1234. 

Benson (pictured) came to us when he was 5 years old.  He was the most handsome ‘Goldy’ – he looked as if he just walked off the set of a Tom Hanks film.  Benson walked with a confident gait and always greeted everyone at the local park.  All the locals knew him by name.  But like all of us, age caught up with Benson. He was 101 in human years.  On his last morning, we took Benson to his favourite park and his now old and feeble paws shook as they touched the grass once more.  He was happy to the very end.  It was his time to go and he told us in no uncertain terms, he had a low score on the Quality of Life Survey.  What a privilege it was to have had such a special soul in our lives.  He will always be remembered and the love he gave us will live on forever.  Still miss you Benny Boy – see you at the Rainbow Bridge my friend, we know you will wait patiently for us when its our time to meet you there. 

If you are having difficulty with explaining pet euthanasia to your children, please see our blog post on guiding your child through pet loss.

Dr Ivor and Kathy