Cilla, I'm a big believer in at-home care. Many years ago one of my cats had distemper. I took her to the vet, who, of course, said it was useless and wanted to put her to sleep immediately. I refused and we got into quite an arguement. I took her home, gave her water and liquid baby vitamins with an eyedropper every half-hour, kept her warm, and cuddled her. She got through it just fine. About a month or two later, a friend who worked for the vet and knew of our words, stopped by my house and asked what happened to the cat. "That's her," I said, referring to the kitty who was happily running all around. She couldn't believe it.
There's a lot to be said, I think, for an animal being at home with loved ones and getting much care and attention, versus an institutional environment.