In which Omega wonders where this post is going

[OmegaSquad]

Yeah.....not a good week or so.

On top of the irritations of work (WHY DO STUPID PEOPLE INSIST ON MAKING LIFE DIFFICULT?!?!) and winter (START YOU GODDAMN CAR!!!!!!), tragedy befell the Omega household when my dog Lou got caught behind a UPS truck backing up. I wish I could say he never knew what hit him. Unfortunately, that was not the case as only his back end was crushed...

Took him to the vet. News was of course not good. Crushed pelvis, internal injuries, shock, etc. Choices:

A. vet stabilizes him, sends us to orthopedic vets who piece his hip back together with dental floss, duct tape, and twine, months of rehab, and probably life-long arthritis assuming he EVER walks again....oh yeah and $5-10K of expenses.

Or B. The final solution (the bad one, not the I'm leaving the internet only to show back up a month later one). Two kids, mortgage, and credit cards along with not wanting to put him through that suffering forced the latter choice.

Been a week now...I'm not really over it. When I spent last year away from my family while Aidan was in school out-of-state, Lou was there. When I got home from work, Lou was there. Bedtime, Lou was there at my feet. I had Lou before I had kids. There hasn't been a time since I've lived in NC that Lou wasn't there. Now he's not.

I realize it's a dog. The logical, practical part of my brain tells me that. Still, he was family. It's hard to realize that part of your life is gone forever. The doc tried to remind me that at least my human kids were healthy and they are what's important. True, but it doesn't really help....

I feel better writing this out at least. Still, its really hard to drive past the blood stain in the road every day.

Omega One Out-
Time after time

[NatureJunkie]

I have been with many cats and one very beloved dog in that final visit to the vet. In every case, I was grateful that I could be there for them and provide a kindness that we humans will not even allow for each other. But in all of those cases, there was no possibility of recovery ahead, only misery. Your situation, measuring the possibility of recovery against an investment of enormous cost, is probably the very hardest decision any animal caretaker has to make. I hope I never have to make it. My heart goes out to you, for the difficulty of your decision and for your grief.