My dog acts considerably more distraught when she is anxious than when she is in pain, which is also typical for pets who are dying. How was his behavior? Was he nervous in the exam room? Did he give you that “This is terrible!” look? Now, think back to when he was last hurt, perhaps scraping his paw, or straining a muscle after running too hard. Think about the last time your dog went to the veterinarian. Frankly, anxiety can be worse than pain to animals. When considering euthanasia, you should be as concerned about your pet’s anxiety as you are about their pain. If you’re interested in learning more about pets’ pain and suffering, read chapter five in Temple Grandin’s book Animals in Translation. We react to Fluffy’s cancer diagnosis much differently-Fluffy doesn’t know she has a terminal illness, so it bothers us more than it bothers her. In addition, animals do not attach emotion to their pain like humans. This is vastly different from prey animals, such as rabbits and guinea pigs, who must hide their pain to prevent being attacked. Many professionals believe carnivorous animals, such as cats and dogs, do not “hide” their pain, but are not as bothered by pain as humans. Pain is one of the most important topics we discuss in veterinary hospice care. The common diseases articles in the education section on our website contain information about specific changes you can expect with various medical conditions It is important to understand the disease process your pet is experiencing to properly evaluate their quality of life. Alternatively, an older Labrador retriever with arthritis can be maintained at home with adequate pain management for an extended time period. For example, a pet owner should make the decision to euthanize a Yorkshire terrier with congestive heart failure before painful symptoms, such as difficulty breathing, arise. Their response is also highly dependent on the disease process at hand, making in-depth discussions with your regular veterinarian an important part of the process. Like humans, every pet will experience and react to changes in their body differently. Assessing your pet’s quality of life, which is subjective, and highly dependent on your dog or cat’s disease process, their personality, and your personal beliefs, is difficult. You have probably heard the term “quality of life” in conversations with your family veterinarian or people close to you. After all, you know your pet better than anyone-including your veterinarian. Some owners need time to come to terms with their pet’s decline, while others want to prevent any unnecessary suffering at all.Įvery pet owner is different and entitled to their own thoughts and beliefs. During this subjective time, however, the family has to make whatever decision is best for them. Prior to this time, veterinarians may refuse to euthanize a pet because they still have a good quality of life, but after this period passes, we may advocate for euthanasia, because their sustained suffering is obvious. Rather, there is a subjective time period, which may be hours, days, weeks, or months, when euthanasia is the appropriate decision. There is no perfect moment to make this ultimate choice, unless the pet is truly suffering-something we are trying to prevent in the first place. The hardest part of the experience is making the actual decision, and I’m asked on a daily basis, “Doc, how will I know when it’s time?”Īs veterinarians, our job is to help a family make this difficult decision. They forget that euthanasia is a gift that, when used appropriately at the right time, prevents further physical suffering for the pet and emotional suffering for the family. Families may feel that they are letting their pet down, or that they are causing their best friend’s death. Deciding to euthanize a pet can feel gut-wrenching, murderous, and immoral. This might sound blasphemous to some, but to many, it’s the cold truth. We have heard from countless pet owners that the death of their pet was worse than the death of their own parents.
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