I just wanted to tell you that once again that I agree with everything
you stated in your email to me.  I agree that each animal and each
situation is entirely different and nobody else has the right to tell
you when to give the "mercy shot".  The person who wrote to you was
wrong for that.
 
The main point of my post on the subject was to express my opinion and
try to show both sides of the coin so to speak.  I do believe that some
people don't handle some situations in the best way, because often it
comforts them more than a suffering animal, but in your case and many
others this isn't so.  Our last little rat, Frisky has started having
seizures and acting different, jumping and trying to bite when I go to
touch her or hand her some fruit, which is not at all like her to do
that.  She was always very sweet and friendly and loved to be held, so
I know that it's the seizures affecting her.  She hasn't had any in a
couple days, but her personality has changed.  It's very hard on me and
my little girl because we are so attached and she has not lived very
long.  But I knew rats had short life spans when we got our first one,
but they are such sweet animals it's hard to not bring them home. :)  I
would never tell anyone to put their animal to sleep, because that's not
my place and I can't possibly know every situation.  We had to put one
rat to sleep because she was suffering and could hardly breathe and
stopped eating, so in her case I definitely felt we did the right thing
to end her suffering.  But with Frisky I'm not sure yet that it's time
because so far she is still eating and I haven't noticed any seizures in
the past couple of days, so I have been sort of waiting to see how she
does and whether she seems to be in pain.
 
I didn't mean to be so long winded, but I wanted everyone to know that
I do value the lives of animals very much.  One man wrote to me and
basically called me uncompassionate and he felt that I was advocating
euthenasia, which I wasn't.  I only think that euthenasia is neccesary
in situations where an animal is dying and in a lot of pain and really
has no quality left.  I, myself, wouldn't want to go through that, so I
certainly would not put an animal thru it.  That's, of course, my own
personal feelings on the matter.
 
Anyway I wish that these choices were easier for all of us, but they
aren't.  Life is too short as it is and it's always painful to say
goodbye under any circumstances.  When my Grandmother was dying and in
pain from cancer the last thing I wanted was to see her die, but I also
realized towards the last that she wasn't the same person anymore.  Her
life was already gone before she took her last breathe.  There is nothing
worse than seeing someone you love die and you are helpless to stop it,
but at the end I was actually praying that it would be over with faster
it every time I heard her make a sound like she was in pain.  That is
the most helpless feeling in the world.  For the man who called me cold
hearted...maybe if he experienced watching someone die he would realize
how deep my love and compassion for my grandma was.  People without
compassion don't rescue injured wild animals or handle dead mothers just
to save the babies inside her pouch.  The last thing I should ever be
accused of is being insensitive.
[Posted in FML issue 4348]