How Do I Know When it’s Time for End of Life for My Pet?
When one of our furry family members we love most in the world seems to have aged overnight, or has suddenly become extremely ill, we are faced with a choice. Sometimes this can be such a surprise to us and we don’t know what to do. As a veterinarian for the last 27 years, I am hopeful this blog post can shed some insight and help you in your decision making process.
After working now with thousands of pet owners during their time of grief, please know that each decision about euthanizing your beloved pet is an individual one and that no matter what it is, that decision is to be respected, and you are doing your very best with the information that you have.
I’d had her for 14 years. She had been my first child…..only she had fur. As a Border Collie, there wasn’t much she could not do. Hike for ten miles? Yup. Keep up with my two kids? Yup. Herd the two kittens around and nestle them into her furry belly to sleep? You betcha. She was my huge love and an integral part of our household. I had noticed she was getting very arthritic as she aged, but a little bit of antiinflammatory medication really seemed to help. Until the fateful day when we discovered she was urinating blood everywhere. She had a bladder tumor and was extremely uncomfortable. We took her in for an ultrasound and we knew it was her time. In our minds, here was no other choice for her, but that did not make the grieving any easier.
As you begin to assess whether to euthanize your pet, or as some call it “put their pet down”, I recommend to consider what animals in the wild would do….. I have noticed that many pet owners have reported that when its their pets time, suddenly the pet will try to “go away to die” and will end up in a strange place, such as behind the water heater in the basement or under a bush in the corner of the yard …. only to be brought back by their concerned owners. I believe this correlates with their wild ancestors who innately knew it was their time and would crawl off to pass away on their own. Some people then go to extraordinary measures to keep their pets alive. This is understandable when we look at the stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance. It is very easy to not realize what is happening with your pet at first.
Consider looking daily at their quality of life in three different main areas: social, emotional and physical. For the social aspect, is your pet engaging with the family or doing any activities that they used to like to do? For the emotional component, do they seem happy? Is their tail up and are they responsive to you? For the physical aspect, are they eating any kind of normal food in enough quantity to keep their weight on? Are they drinking enough? Do they keep losing weight? If your pet is a cat, do they seem in pain or have difficulty jumping up like they used to? If a dog, do they have difficulty getting up, or walking? Dogs with arthritis can often be found circling a lot longer before they slowly lay down, often due to arthritis or discomfort. All of these can be indicators and help you in your decision.
If your pet has been diagnosed with an illness or disease process, ask your veterinarian to consult with you about what to look for as the illness or disease progresses, what are worsening signs or symptoms? Can your vet help give guidance on when to say when?
The best is to try to objectively mark down on a calendar “good day” or “bad day” for your pet. When the bad days outnumber the good days, often its time to consider euthanasia.
Copy and paste the url below into your browser for a sample quality of life assessment from Dr. Alice Villalobos, a pioneer in animal euthanasia. You can print and fill this out daily and use this as a guide to help gauge how your pet is feeling more objectively.
https://360petmedical.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Quality-of-Life-Scale.pdf
No matter what you decide, you love your pet so incredibly much, so be kind to yourself in this process and know that you are doing the best you can with the information that you have at this time.
With Love to You and Gratitude to All Animals Big and Small,
Dr. Deborah Rotman
Pet Euthanasia: How to Decide Between In-Home or at the Veterinary Hospital
Provides insightful information about how to decide if its best to euthanise in a veterinary hospital or at home. Provides pros and cons of each.
The time is near for your beloved pet, and its so hard to decide what to do with the euthanasia. In-home or at the veterinary hospital? Here is some information that might help you in your decision.
In-home euthanasia veterinarians will often take at the very least several hours, and sometimes several days before an appointment is available. Thus in a pet emergency, taking them to the veterinary hospital or to an animal emergency clinic is always best. For example, if the pet has collapsed, is in extreme pain, is having troubles breathing, or is continuously seizuring and will not stop, these are some common examples of an emergency where it is best to have your pet seen as soon as possible by a veterinarian, whether for treatment or for euthanasia. Some people prefer euthanasia at the veterinary hospital as they do not want to be present with their pet or they feel their pet really enjoys being there and that it would be good to end the pets life there. Some of the potential challenges at the veterinary clinic, or emergency hospital, are that there are usually other clients in the waiting area that you will have to see on your way into and out of the building. You would have to drive both before and after the procedure while upset, or arrange for a ride home afterwards. Often not all of the family and family pets are able to be present. Additionally, there will be smells and sounds of other pets, sometimes in various stages of distress which can be upsetting for your pet who is already feeling ill. Some providers are reluctant to allow you to remain with your pet for the entire procedure and they may require the pet be taken out of the room while a catheter is placed.
In-home pet euthanasia provides a very different experience. It allows your pet to remain in a familiar, comfortable environment surrounded by the people and animals they know and love. It allows family members to be present for the entire procedure if they choose, and to grieve openly and not worry about having to see other people. It also means not having to drive to and from the appointment while upset. Children and adults both may be present or step out of the room at any time during the procedure. Other furry family members are allowed to say goodbye in their own way and innately have a better understanding of what has happened when allowed to sniff the pet after it has passed. If you desire cremation and transport, those arrangements can be made for you. Being in the home also allows you to spend as long as you need with your pet in their favorite place before, during and after the process, whether that is inside the home or outside in the yard.
If you would like to learn more about our process click here
Whatever you decide, you are doing it out of love and what you feel is best for your pet and that is what matters most.