Was it OK to put your 19 year old dog to sleep?

This question can not be answered by anyone on this site. The only answer to this question must come from your heart; do you feel like you've done the right thing? Perhaps, but you must also remember that it isn't you own feelings that matter; if you can't decide if you did the right thing, ask the people who were attached to your beloved dog. See what they think; then ask yourself again.

It is very easy to convince yourself that an ailing pet will be fine because "she can still make it outside to pee" or "he still perks up at the sight of a ball". This is why veterinarians generally use a whole-pet evaluation to guide discussions of euthanasia. Could your dog still eat and drink normally, and was he/she maintaining a good body weight? Could your dog hold it until he/she was outside to use the bathroom? Did your dog still play, run around, and get excited like usual? Would your dog pick up on unusual events and stimuli (like squirrels in the yard or a new person visiting the house) and did he/she track these events (watch the squirrel, investigate the person, etc)? Did your dog want to be part of the family, generally moving to where the people were? If the answers weren't all yes, then your dog had significant loss of quality of life and euthanasia may have been the best choice.

After euthanasia of a pet, it can take time to grieve, and feeling guilty about 'giving up' on a pet or 'killing your dog' is common, even though you really didn't do either. Remember the good times you had with your dog and know that your dog passed peacefully from this life. There are many bad deaths a dog can have - wasted away, gasping for hours, in excruciating pain, alone and cold without anyone there - and your dog didn't have to experience that. Euthanasia is a gift that veterinarians and owners give, though it's often the hardest one to offer. If you are feeling very disconnected, unable to stop crying, can't find any reason to smile, or can't focus on the major things in your life like your job or your family, you may want to consider grief counseling. In many ways, losing a pet is like losing a friend or family member, and there is no shame in being sad that your pet is gone or needing to talk with someone about it.