04/27/2026
This is Juliette.
She was euthanized on Christmas.
If I’ve been quieter lately, this is why.
On Christmas Eve 2025, her mom called me, barely able to speak through the sobbing. We had to switch to text because she was choking on her tears. Juliette was over 10 years old (around 13), heavily pregnant, and shutting down. She couldn’t move, could barely open her eyes, and was clearly dying.
Her mom rescued her years ago and gave her everything she could—home-cooked meals, a bed, and love her entire life. Now she was watching her suffer with no way to help.
At the ER, they found all the puppies had died inside her.
The first quote was $7,000. The second was $4,000.
Both options were emergency surgery to remove her uterus with the deceased puppies inside. No guarantees. Only more pain.
I told her the most I could offer, and the most humane option, was to let Juliette go—to end her pain in the arms of her family.
They agreed.
Juliette passed on Christmas, held and loved.
This didn’t have to happen.
It was an accident, but this is why spay and neuter matters.
I understand people who say not to own a pet if you can’t afford care. But millions of animals are euthanized every year simply for not having homes. Juliette had love, and that matters.
Instead of judgment, we need community.
If you have the means, help. Support rescues. Support shelters. Help your neighbors. Donate, volunteer, share.
This is burnout. This is compassion fatigue.
People in animal welfare and veterinary medicine face extreme mental health challenges. Su***de rates are 3–5 times higher than the general population. Around 80% of veterinarians experience depression.
We are losing the people trying to save them.
Juliette mattered.
She was loved.
She deserved a better ending.
Please help change stories like hers.