Again, I didn't mean to sound harsh if I did when I posted on your other thread. I didn't realize it IS the first time you've ever had to do this.
I went through this decision-making "is it time" process on my own for the first time when I was 24. I had to say goodbye to my female black lab who I'd had since I was nine years old... this dog had been there for pretty much EVERY major event in my life. When I finally let her go I cried for days from grief and then cried for months from guilt... because afterwards I knew that I had waited too long, she had been ready to go for quite some time and I had only seen what I wanted to see. I swore that I would never let that happen again. So far I have kept my promise.
The hardest part for me is when a dog gets into the car all happy to go for a ride when you know you're taking them to the vet's for the last time. Please be strong, Squishy, and don't doubt yourself. You have so many shoulders to cry on here when it is over.

Oh, I just previewed my post and saw what you wrote... have you considered asking the vet to make a house call? As I've said before, my folks have giant dogs and this is what they always do, so they can lay their pets to rest on their property. Most vets will do it, and if they charge it will cost about as much as the creamation would anyway, so it's sort of a "six of one, half-dozen of the other" type of thing money-wise.

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