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when do you put a pet to sleep?
I know this is a downer of a topic, but it came up in conversation at a Christmas dinner (yes it was celebrated early) at my IL's today.
They have an old dog named Bill. He's a great ole boy who has had an awesome life and been well loved, but his hips are failing, he has some nasty arthritis and he's going blind and deaf. MIL said that she thought he had years left in him, and while I don't think he's quite in the "it's time to go" category yet, in all honesty, I think it's probably soon. (In case you're wondering, I didn't debate the point with her there and then at the dinner table - I'm not that callous lol - but it's made me think about things.)
I don't think they need to have Bill put to sleep tomorrow or anything, but if he keeps deteriorating at the rate he is now - he's literally worse every time I see him - then I would say it will probably need to happen within a year. And you never know, he might surprise me and have a turnaround and live happily for years longer, and I'd be thrilled if that happened! But...I don't think it will.
I know that having to get a pet you love put to sleep is unbelievably hard (I've had to do it three times - twice for incurable, painful illness, once for age), but I absolutely believe that it's the right thing to do when your animal is suffering. I believe that in nature, an animal that reached that state would, sadly, be taken down by predators or the elements anyway, so to me it's the natural and humane thing to do. However, I know that some people would rather wait or let the animal pass away in it's sleep, and to them that's the natural and humane thing to do.
So I'm curious - when do you put a pet to sleep? Have you ever had to do it? Do you think it's kinder/more responsible to make that decision, or do you think a pet has the right to live until its body simply gives out?
Re: when do you put a pet to sleep?
Newlyweds since 2007
Oh I totally agree. I'd never presume to tell them that they needed to put Bill down (once he reaches the stage where I think it needs to happen). I think Ben is a little concerned though - apparently his parents had another dog some years back that ended up suffering a great deal (totally blind, deaf, incontinent, in pain all the time) but his parents didn't want to put him to sleep. Bill was Ben's dog as a teenager, and he loves him a great deal so he doesn't want to see him suffer like Chad (the other dog) did.
I totally agree too.
This past August we said goodbye to one of my beloved cats. He was diagnosed with CRF (Chronic Renal Failure) earlier in the year and the vet advised us from the get go the chances were slim that he would recover. We did what we could to make his time with us comfortable. With CRF, one minute they feel great and the next minute they are down. It was a total emotional rollercoaster. We knew the time had come when he would wobble and fall, his appetite was down and became aneimic. It's definitely a hard decision to make and do not envy anyone that has to make the call. For us, though this may sound strange, our cat had his way of telling us, it was ok. Before he passed he actually looked at us and gave his two meows and put his head back down. It still makes me sad talking about this, as I miss him so much. but I know now he is at peace. He is fully in my heart with wonderful memories.
Even though they have four legs and fur, they are still part of your family. It's always a diffcult decision and some could tend to be more selfish about how they feel. It should always be what is best for the animal.
Thank goodness I've never had to do, although watching one beloved pet die in front of me and finding two others who had passed only hours earlier is no better, I think.
That said, when their quality of life is compromised and they are suffering, I think that's the time to let them go. If I ever had to make that decision, I hope to find a vet who'll come to the house to do it, rather than having to take my furbabies in...I know there are some that will do it that way.
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There are definitely some who will do this. My mother's beloved golden retriever was very ill (and I suspect old, although we weren't really sure - she was rescue dog that we literally found on the side of the road), she couldn't move much and refused all food. We had a very wonderful vet who knew what that dog meant to my mom and that the dog was terrified of vet visits, so when my mom called him up to make the appointment, he volunteered to drive the 30 minutes to our house and give her the injection there so she wouldn't be terrified in her last few minutes. He even carried her to the grave we'd dug (we lived on several acres and it's the kind of thing you can get away with in rural areas). He was a really wonderful vet.
sadly, I've thought about how we'll be facing this decision w/our pets about the time Annalise is old enough to comprehend what is going on and be really sad about it (5-7 years old)
it's a hard decision and something I get asked all the time. it's SO hard and so personal. but i think if the pet is suffering and there is nothing you can do to relieve the suffering, then it's time. also depends on their quality of life.
there are things your ILs can do to help their dog. i don't think being blind and deaf is that bad. honestly blind dogs do incredibly well and learn to "map" things out in their brains so they know exactly where they are even though they can't see things. things like texture, hard wood, carpet, rugs etc teach them where they are. being deaf can be hard on the owners more than anything b/c they can't get the pet to respond anymore. but it doesn't make the dog any less happy and i don't personally think it decreases their quality of life much. but the arthritis - that can be hard. it can be debilitating. at some point they can't even get up w/o being painful..and then they get bed sores...etc. but there's a lot that can be done these days for their arthritis...their are NSAIDs they can take, adequan injections that may help...and surprisingly, acupuncture can make a dog that can't even move get up and move about. that's partly why i believe in acupuncture b/c obviously the dogs don't know what is happening so it's can just be the placebo effect.
in any case, it's tough, especially when you love them so much .... some people are too quick to jump to this and unfortunately sometimes some wait too long IMO. but when they're "family," it's hard.
Jaime & Brent
Oahu, Hawaii | Sept. 9, 2005
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This is a bit why I'm getting worried, actually - I'm not so terribly concerned about the blind/deafness (as you said, that can be worked around), but the arthritis is literally getting worse by the day. Watching him struggle so much to get up from his bed makes me wince, the poor boy.
I knew they could give NSAIDs, didn't know about injections or even think of acupuncture (although to be honest, I very much doubt there is anyone in my little town who does that kind of pet therapy - this is farm country lol). If it comes up in conversation, I'll definitely mention those things to Ben's parents as ideas for pain relief - thanks Jaime!