When it's time to say goodbye to a pet

Lizzy 2003-2015

Last week was rough emotionally. One of my beloved bunnies, Lizzy, took a rapid downturn. She was unable to use her back legs and unable to eat or drink. By the time we got to the vet's office, her front paws were even weaker. Diagnostic testing could be done, but to what end? Even if the cause was discovered, what treatment could be done that would make any difference to a rabbit who was as old as the maximum average life span? There was only one viable choice given Lizzy's precarious condition, but it still wasn't easy. The vet reassured me that I had made the right decision given her symptoms and age. The entire staff were very kind and compassionate, but I still bawled like a baby and held her as long as I could until it was time to say goodbye.

The next day, my last bunny stopped eating for no apparent reason and began to show the same weakness in his limbs. So it was back to the vet again. I know I shouldn't have favorites, but in my opinion, Big Bun is the sweetest rabbit in the whole wide world, so I couldn't bear the thought of losing him so soon after Lizzy. Since being on medication, his appetite has improved but he is still weak and an aged rabbit as well.

I don't want to over spiritualize this, but I wonder if caring for our pets is a way of tending creation by caring for the creatures God has made? They are completely dependent on us for food and shelter, and we have a responsibility to treat them well. But there is something special when we gain their trust and affection, like a faint taste of the harmony that existed between man and animals in the garden. But the reality of the fall is only too evident when we have to make the decision to say goodbye to a hurting companion animal. So creation groans and we groan, too.

But it won't always be like this. A day is coming when all that is wrong with creation will be made right, and death, which is no respecter of man or beast, will be no more. This comforts me.