It's so hard to say goodbye...

This is a difficult time at our house. Our dog, Maxx is nearing the end of his life. He is 12 and would be 13 towards the end of this year. In his life he has suffered through numerous skins afflictions as well as three surgeries for cancer. Recently he has begun to have trouble walking and falls a lot, especially on non carpeted floors. We took him in for his annual vet visit last Saturday and I thought that we might not leave with him. Our vet was very compassionate and told us that he would not say that it would be wrong to put him down. My husband was squatting down and holding Maxx and when the vet said that, tears began to run down my husband's face as well as mine and the vet's. We decided to take some medication with us that might relieve some of his discomfort and reassess at the end of this week. There has not been any improvement, actually he seems to be falling more and when he does, he just lays there and looks at me with his big brown eyes and waits for me to help him get up. Maxx is not 'just a dog' he is a member of our family and this is not an easy decision for either of us to make. I am praying that my husband will gather some peace about what needs to be done so that Maxx will not suffer. It is truly not easy to say goodbye to a member of our family.