When Should You Put an Animal to Sleep?
One of the most painful tasks of pet ownership is the ultimate question of asking when should you put an animal to sleep. Sooner or later in the special and close relationship between a beloved pet and its owner, the time will come when the aging animal is in pain or dying, and keeping it alive is not just prolonging the inevitable, but causing unneeded suffering. It is difficult to know when you should put an animal to sleep or if it’s something that you should even be considering.
The timing of when to put an animal to sleep is a decision only a pet's owner can make. You may have already had this conversation with your veterinarian, or he may have hinted at it if your pet is really in a bad way.
Just remember that in your heart of hearts, you’ll know when the time has come. It will become obvious when he no longer responds to treatment, and his pain and suffering can’t be helped by modern medicine.
If you suspect it might be your pet’s time, it’s also the time for you to have a frank conversation with the vet. How is your pet doing? What kind of quality of life does he have now, and what will he have in the future? How painful is the pet’s condition, if he’s suffering from a malady that makes the hard knocks of old age even more painful.
Make up a list of questions for your vet. He or she can help you determine if there are treatments that can extend your pet’s life and alleviate his pain, or if treating his condition will have little effect.
A Thorough Examination
Your vet may conduct a complete physical exam of the pet to see how he’s faring. He may ask you questions to determine how the pet is getting along with the functions of every day life.
Is he eating? Does he have any trouble going up and down stairs? Is he able to eliminate outside, or in a litter box, or does he “miss” the right place to do his business more often than not?
With some basic testing, such as bloodwork and X-rays, your vet will be able to determine the cause of your pet’s condition, and advise you of likely treatments, their expense, and what kind of result you can expect from it.
What to Consider in the Decision
Armed with accurate information, you’re now able to weighs the pros and cons of treatment, and the likelihood of it extending and improving your pet’s life. One consideration is if you can afford extensive and expensive doctoring.
It’s not a bad thing to weigh the financial costs of treatment versus what benefit your pet might gain. If the cost is high, and the outcome for the pet only temporary, it may not be worth the financial expense your family would have to endure.
There are other people, though, who would pay any price and sacrifice anything to keep their pet alive, even if the rewards of that life are somewhat dubious.
Don’t Minimize Your Emotions
Don’t just blow off your furry family member, and try to condemn your pain at the parting with some blithe, “Oh, it’s just an animal. What’s the big deal?”
It is a big deal. A pet is a member of the family, and with many pets, it’s a relationship of years, even decades. Even the most hard hearted anti-pet people, when they live with an animal so long, become attached. The animal is part of their lives.
That’s why, after a pet dies, so many people who weren’t the pet’s primary owner, are surprised by how grief-stricken the owner may feel.
The first thing they should realize is that it’s perfectly natural to be upset about the death of a beloved pet, or to be agitated and grief-stricken at the idea that it’s time to put the four-legged family member down for its own sake.
No one wants to terminate the life of a much loved family pet. But first give yourself the time to allow for your feelings of pain, grief, and impending loss. It’s as natural and right for the pet’s human family to feel that way as if a human member had passed away.
Remember, he’s relied on your for everything, and give you much comfort, companionship, and joy. He also relies on you to make the decision for him when he can’t do it on his own.