What devastating news, I am sorry for you.  When Fergus had his second OSA diagnosis, we decided to give him the best week ever before we said goodbye.  He was still doing well...eating, running, etc. but it was just a matter of time before his leg broke.  We couldn't put him through that pain.

Someone on the site recommended making a list of all of his favorite things to do and eat.  We made sure we crossed all of these items off of the list.  We took daily walks down the driveway, ate lots of table food, had Frosty Paws as a main course, snuggled with his brothers both 2 and 4 legged, lots of kisses and MANY photos.  I was so glad I had the list to be sure I didn't forget something he enjoyed.

This part of your journey will be very hard but you are truly doing the best for Callie.  You will be freeing her from her pain, a final gift.  I will keep you and your family in my thoughts and prayers while you are going through this difficult time.

Tara & Spirit Fergus

I can't help you decide when Callie's time is done. Those who've already replied to you have done a good job of helping you answer those questions. As for your son, you might want to send some PMs to our members who have recently gone through this with small children. Spirit Chili Dawg's family has two little ones (ages 2 and 4) and Spirit Jewels had a family with 3-year-old twin boys. Spirit Bo's family had no human children, but Meghan teaches second grade (I think) and likely had some conversations with her class about Bo. 

You might want to make a new post and make sure the title asks about talking to preschoolers about this. I know that Spencer's family has 3 young ones and they are in your shoes at this very moment. 

Personally, I think you need to let your son know that Callie is not getting better. He is old enough for you to tell him a variation of the Rainbow Bridge, if it is something that echoes your beliefs. I personally cannot fathom an afterlife without our pets, and I don't really want to go there if they can't be there. If the dog goes before me, I want him to play hard with all our angels who are there. And then I really do want him to run like hell to greet me when I show up. 

The only thing I would really stress in terms of your son is not to use the euphemism "put to sleep." Children that young can't differentiate between these wiggly terms, and sleep is what he does every night. He shouldn't ever be scared to go to sleep, thinking he might not wake up.

Good luck to you, and I really encourage you to post with this in your title to get help from the real experts out there, the other parents of preschoolers.

Shari

Yes, cancer REALLY DOES SUCK!  I am so very sorry to hear this about your girl.  Like Shari mentioned above, we just went through this with my girl Jewels.  If you like you can read more about it here.  I must warn you that I wrote a pretty detailed account of Jewels' passing which seemed to have made many others here who have read it cry.  But it might give you an idea of what to expect when the time comes.  My girl passed peacefully in the comfort of our home.  Like everyone says, we cannot tell you when it is time.  But you will know because you are paying very close attention to her every move.

My twin boys are the same age as your son.  They weren't as attached to her as it sounds like your son is attached to Callie; probably because they are busy with each other and we also have another quadpawd to keep the presence of a pet in the house after Jewels passed.  So unfortunately I cannot give you the best advice in this regard.  My boys knew that Jewels was not feeling good.  After the vet left with Jewels (the boys were upstairs watching a video without a clue about what really happened), they saw me crying as I sat in front of Jewels' pillow staring at the empty spot where she last lay.  They kept asking me what was wrong.  Through the crying I would just say Jewels went "bye-bye" and that mommy misses her.  Of course, my boys were assuming that meant she would come back someday.  To toddlers, time is very relative.  So to this day whenever I am sad and my boys know it's because I miss Jewels they just keep telling me to not be sad because Jewels will come back.  I told them she went to Doggy Heaven, although I don't think they really understand what that means.   But they seem okay about her absence.  They just go about their usual business.  I think you will find that kids this age are very resilient.  Your son might be upset at first when Callie is gone, but you might also be pleasantly surprised at how he will bounce back.  They cannot yet understand the gravity of death.  You know your son best--so only you know how to handle this delicate issue with him.  

I know exactly how you are feeling right now and my heart goes out to you.  Don't forget we are here for you.  PM me if there is anything I can do for you.

Im so sorry!!

I cant help with the cancer but we have a 5yr old and a 3yr old and we have recently gone through this with their beloved pup Chloe (she was only 1) and while it is hard on kids they bonce back pretty fast – its much harder on us grown ups. Personally I havent mentioned to our kids about heaven etc I think that is too hard to explain to a child, and they can't understand why they cant visit if the person/animal is just somewhere else, but that is just our choice, our kids are very matter of fact about everything so we didn't think that would help much, but if you think that would help your son then go with that or the rainbow bridge, we all have to do whats best for our own children. We found the best way to explain it to the kids was that she got sick and her body just wasn't working properly anymore, you son obviosly knows Callie is sick so that might make it bit easier for you, not that these things are ever easy. Prehaps this is a good thing but they quickly forget about it, there are more important things to worry about in the eyes of a child after a few days. that may seem horrible but I guess thats the good thing about being a kid. It will also help your son deal with other losses through out his life. Our kids have lost too many pets and elderly relatives over the last few years but it has made them very resiliant.

Enjoy the time you have left with your girl and have lots of furry hugs and kisses 🙂 

Sarah