End of Life decision

The weather has been crazy wild.  I have family in north Georgia.  Spent most of last night texting between different family members about how they were holding up.  My father, stepmother, and my sister and her family live in Rome, GA.   My sister is a labor & delivery nurse (manager).  She was at the hospital with my nephew.  They had moved the patients and the babies into the hallways away from windows.   My parents were at their home (on a mountain) because they have dogs and didn't want to leave them.   They were hungered down in an interior bathroom riding out the storm.  Pretty scary stuff.  

I know they are all safe, but at this point I don't know how much damage they sustained.  Hopefully, not much.  I am also thinking about all the hikers who are out on the trail in GA, NC, TN, and VA.  I am praying that nobody has been hurt.

My partner and I have two dogs and a cat.   One of the dogs has chronic kidney disease.  We are at the point where we are doing once a day subcutaneous fluid.  We take turns doing the actual procedure.  At first, I was really apprehensive about doing the needle insertion, but have gotten much better at it.   The cat also has kidney disease, but has not had the issues that the dog has.

We also have another dog that has transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder.  We found it last October.  She has done surprisingly well.   She was taking a 1 ml dose of NSAIDs along with another med to help coat her stomach.  The past week has not been good.  She pretty much is sleeping most of the time.  Up until last week - she seemed to be doing well.   She is barely eating one meal a day at this point.  Can't even really get her to eat any treats.   We have stopped the meds to see if that would help with appetite.  My guess is that the cancer has spread and it is a matter of time.  I spoke to the vet about the next steps.   I do not want her to suffer at all.  I asked the vet when I would know when it was time and he said I will know.   She is still drinking and urinating ok.   I am torn as to when to go to the next step.  I do not want to jump the gun, but I also do not want her to be in any pain.   Hard to know when.  As soon as she has issues drinking or relieving herself - we will make the call.

I am heart broken about what comes next because she has been such a wonderful part of my life for the past 13 years.  She hiked the entire AT in Mass with me, except for maybe one section.  Had she been younger when I started my hiking journey - I would have taken her with me.   I look at her and I just start crying.

The one thing that I do like is that we can make the decision before she begins to suffer.   I was with both my mother and her sister when they succumbed to cancer and they both suffered.  Had I been able to help them not suffer I would have done it.   Making the decision or watching them suffer.  Both are difficult, but the latter causes them pain and the former causes you pain.  I would have gladly taken the pain.