How will I know when it’s time to euthanize my pet?
Part One: The Options
When your beloved dog or cat becomes seriously ill, you’ll probably have to make many choices concerning care. One of the most painful decisions you’ll have to make is this:
When is the right time to euthanize? How will I know when it’s time?
Euthanasia–also called putting to sleep or putting down–is a common practice which helps a sick or injured animal to pass away gently without suffering. It’s usually done by a veterinarian in the office or animal hospital and sometimes during a home visit. A sedative may be injected first followed by medication that causes the animal to become irreversibly unconscious and die.
There are no right or wrong decisions when they’re made with the animal’s best interest in mind. There are options, however, and a few possible paths to take:
- Care for your pet conservatively. That is, make sure he’s comfortable and happy for as long as possible with little intervention. You might try inexpensive medication or treatment if recommended and, when the animal’s quality of life shows signs of decline or suffering, euthanize. This option may be chosen especially when financial means are limited.
- Another option is as above, though you may go further with care but stop when it becomes too expensive or time-intensive. For example, you might try a short course of chemotherapy for cancer treatment if prognosis is good, but you would say no to surgery or amputation if you just can’t afford it. At this point, euthanasia is chosen when the quality of life is in question or to prevent any serious decline.
- Yet another option is to provide all possible forms of treatment and care, regardless of time and effort involved or financial cost. At some point, if the animal is suffering in any way and quality of life is questionable, you elect to euthanize.
- Finally, “pet hospice” or palliative care is an option for those who are either opposed to euthanasia or who prefer to allow an animal to die naturally, if possible, while providing various degrees of care and pain management to prevent suffering, as needed.
There are many variables and degrees of care possible, and these are just general guidelines. It’s important to discuss options with your veterinarian and all family members, including children, though parents should take the lead in decision-making. Remember that these decisions are very emotional for many of us, and it’s even possible to change our minds after the initial shock has worn off or information is digested.
No matter what you choose, some guidelines to measuring quality of life in your pet can be very helpful. How can you know if an animal is suffering or in pain? Some believe that animals instinctively don’t show pain or discomfort so predators can’t easily take advantage of them. Other schools of thought propose that animals don’t feel pain as acutely as humans do because of their different nervous systems or psychological reasons; human pain and suffering may be compounded by how we think about it and respond to it emotionally. I think it’s a little of both.
Here are some guidelines that may help during your difficult time.
Dr. Alice Villalobos offers a Quality of Life Scale that many pet parents have found invaluable when faced with decisions.
Doc Truli at VirtuaVet offers excellent Pet Quality of Life guidelines
The ASPCA: End-of-Life Care FAQ
From Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine: When is it time to say goodbye?
Read about my own personal decision in When is it time to euthanize?
Comments are always welcome.
©Leah McClellan
Dear Leah,
Having just found your website, I was interested to know how things turned out with Elliot?
Yours,
Doc Truli
Hi Doc Truli,
Thanks much for asking. If you like, you can read the story here at Peaceful Planet: http://peacefulplanetcommunication.com/2010/09/03/funeral-for-a-cat/ This pet site isn’t active at the moment; maybe some day I’ll get back to it. Thanks for stopping by. I’ve taken a look at your site as well–looks good! Also just re-read my post and see that I linked to you–it was awhile ago but I thought the name sounded familiar!