Hi R.,
I am terribly sorry to hear of your upcoming loss of your pet. I am sort of in the same boat right now. I have a 13 yr old Chihuahua, Clyde, who has a number of health issues, is on medication daily for the remainder of his life and I am weighing out whether or not to have him put down or not on a daily basis. It is an extremely tough decision to make. I've thought alot about how I would handle it with my 3 yr old son Jacob, as he loves our Clyde very much, even though Clyde is quite tempermental. I continually have to tell Jacob to leave Clyde alone. That he is old and tired and that he hurts alot. When that inevitable time comes, I am just going to let him say his goodbyes, sort of as Dawn B explained in her post and lovingly explain to him that Clyde is going or has gone (whatever the case may be) to live with Jesus now. My Mother passed away in '92 with a brain tumor so she has never met my children. However, I do keep a big picture of her in our living room and I talk to my son about her sometimes and let him know that she lives with Jesus now. I'll take on any questions he may have as they come as honestly as I can, and in as simple of terms as I can find. I have been teaching him about God and Jesus since he was born so I'm hoping that will help somewhat but I know there is no one easy way but to be open and honest as this too must be part of lifes learning experiences. God Bless you and your family. You and yours will be in my thoughts and prayers at this difficult time in your lives.
T.