Pet euthanasia
It is all too easy to get caught up in the fight to keep your pet alive when you know there is no hope of him recovering. In all cases, the fundamental principle is to do what is best for your pet, even if the decision is painful for you.
It is important to speak to your vet and ask yourself the following questions when considering euthanasia:
- What is the current quality of your pet’s life?
- Is he still eating well and affectionate? Is he interested in activities around him?
- Does he seem tired and withdrawn most of the time? Is he in pain?
- Is there anything you can do to make him more comfortable?
- Are there any other treatment options available? If a behavioural problem has led to this decision, has an expert been consulted?
Warning signs to look out for:
- Not eating or drinking
- Withdrawn and lethargic
- Neglecting himself or incontinent
- Signs of pain (crying out when touched) or unable to get comfortable
- Unwilling to move about or hold his head up when at rest
Some people feel the need to ‘replace’ a pet immediately in an attempt to fill the emptiness, while others may feel that they will never be ready to bring another pet into their home. It can be a good idea to wait a while to get another pet, as it can be difficult to make a good judgement whilst coming to terms with your loss.
Some people may find it difficult to be without a companion, however, remember that they are all individuals and a new pet will not be the same as the old one.
5 Comments
I had to have my darling Guinea Pig called Honeynut put down just before xmas. She was very special to me and was over 7 years old, I also got her from a rescue home. Although it was a hard decision to make I knew that she was starting to deteriorate and I had to put her needs first. Although I was very sad it was crucial to me that she didnt suffer as your pets put all their faith in you to make the best decision for them. I adore guinea pigs and I will be rehoming some more needy pigs as I find them such a pleasure to have.
On Mon March 12th, my sister made the hard decision to have her beloved cat Malley Cat, put to sleep. He had been ill for some time, and she had done everything to try and make him well again. Up until Monday, he had a good quality of life and was not suffering, but despite the vets best efforts, he was not getting better and that Monday morning, he was beginning to suffer. She made the right decision at the right time, for Malley Cat. Despite being heartbroken at losing her gentle friend, she took some small comfort in knowing she did everything she could possible do for him, and he is at peace now. That night, her other cat Spooky, who never sits on her, but prefers to snuggle up next to her, stayed by her side all night. He even climbed on her lap, curled round and kept nudging her hand. Malley Cat was a gentle giant, who was well loved and had a happy life, although Monday was a devastating day for my sister, she has 15 years to look back on all the times his antics made her smile and laugh and all the affection and love he showed her.
When the day comes that you have to say goodbye to your beloved pet, it is really, really hard, and I can understand why some people say they will never have another pet as they can't go through that again, but although that time is hard, some people forget about all the happy years they spent with their pets and all the joy it brought to them. Losing a pet is indeed hard, but remember, the good times far outweigh the bad, so don't be put off inviting another pet to share your life with :0)
We had to let our lovely Staffie, Sasha go, she had lymph cancer and would have soldiered on for us despite not being able to eat properly. It broke our hearts but we couldn't see her suffer, she was such a loving, faithful companion despite being ill-treated in her earlier life, we never regretted choosing her and giving her her forever home.
Our next Staffie also came from Wood Green, she is totally different in so many ways but we love her so much and she returns that love. I will never regret choosing my dogs from re-homing even, I feel honoured to have been able to have them in my life as they give to me more than I can ever give to them.
On wednesday 28th march i had to say goodbye to my lovely cat sooty it was the hardest decision iv ever had to do i miss her so so much the house seems empty without her, i still keep talking to her she followed me around all the time, i keep crying alot to, .my heart seems broken and i feel so guilty it wont go away, she wasnt well i took her to the vets three times and in the end she went blind all of a sudden and had blood in her stools, on the last couple of days she wasnt eating and very slow on her feet, i know it was the right thing to do but it dos,nt seem to help or make it any easier
Peggy was a beautiful black and white lurcher. I took her to the vets last year in September with a cough. the vets tried antibiotics to start with. They were very confused about what was wrong with her. They decided to take x rays and to examine her throat,but every thing was clear. They then put her on steroids to see if that would make her better but it did not.She was on steroids until Christmas and seemed reasonably happy. After Christmas she started to go down hill and lose a lot of weight and her cough became worse,and she was put on a higher dose of steroids.It was the end of february that she started to go off her food and March when she started to have pain. I took her to the vets which I had all through her illness and they gave her another x ray which showed she had cancer and a bad infection so the difficult decision was to have her put to sleep which we did,we could not let her suffer. She was a lovely dog well trained and we loved her. We miss her so much.She died on March 6 and we are still grieving for her.