Should euthanasia ever be considered for ailing pets?

[missbettie]

Aw Nakita sounds so lovely! i'm glad you were able to be there for her until the end.

[Firestorm]

apsen231 you gave Nakita the very best life and did what was in her best interests at the end.
We have been in a similar situation with our companion who also developed cancer and you're right, they do tell you when its time.
Take care

[aspin231]

Thanks All for the kind words. They mean a lot.

[cobweb]

Yes, so sorry to hear about this, aspin x

[AzureAngel]

All I am going to see is that I have seen people and animals come back from the most extreme of circumstances healthwise. I do not believe anyone has the right to kill that which is alive. As long as an entity is fighting for its life it still has a chance to reclaim it. I don't believe anyone should make that choice for it apart from itself. I am not attacking anyone, but I believe if you are ok with it it is only to make yourself feel better so you do not have to watch them suffer.

[harpy]

What about if it isn't fighting for its life and shows signs of wanting to die, or says it does in the case of a human?

[Firestorm]

All I am going to see is that I have seen people and animals come back from the most extreme of circumstances healthwise. I do not believe anyone has the right to kill that which is alive. As long as an entity is fighting for its life it still has a chance to reclaim it. I don't believe anyone should make that choice for it apart from itself. I am not attacking anyone, but I believe if you are ok with it it is only to make yourself feel better so you do not have to watch them suffer.

We had a companion dog called Max, we got him when he was 8 weeks old. We loved him very much. When he was 14 we noticed a lump on his shoulder so we took him to the Vet who did an x-ray which showed that he had a tumor wrapped around his shoulder and lung. The vet also told us that even though it was a large mass, he was in very little pain but eventually it would kill him. We took him home and cared for him for another year, taking him to the vets every 2 weeks to make sure that he was ok and not in pain (and when he started to feel pain we got him pain killers as the vet said it still was not his time - that he would let us know when it was). After about 9 months it started getting a lot harder for him to walk and I came downstairs one day to find him stuck halfway up the stairs - he had managed to come halfway and didn't have the strength to go further. The vet still told us that it was not time.
Another month or 2 later, we woke up and found that he could not walk. The leg with the tumor would not work and he couldn't even stand. We decided to give it 24 hours to see if it was a temporary thing. I spent the day holding him up in the garden so he could urinate and holding him up in one hand with his food/water bowl in the other so he could eat/drink. The next day (fathers day) he was no better, he couldn't stand, walk or breathe very well. The look in his eyes told us that he had had enough. We took him to the vets that day, who agreed that the time had come to put him to sleep.We broke our hearts holding him in our arms as he passed away. It was the hardest and most upsetting decision we have ever had to make, it was one of the worst, if not the worst day of my life. I miss him more than most friends/relatives who have died.
I know you are not attacking people with you post but I find it insulting that you think the only reason I would believe in euthanasia is to top myself having to see another animal suffer. I dont enjoy watching animals suffer, but the reason thatI believe is euthanasia for pets is to STOP THE SUFFERING.
If we had not made the decision that day (and believe me I would have happily carried on caring for him indefinitely), he would have spent the next few weeks in incredible pain, breathless without the ability to stand, walk, crawl, piss, shit or eat without human intervention. I dont consider letting an animal suffer that way to be a kind or Vegan thing to do. Would you?

[cobweb]

I think that part of the problem is that animals usually have an inbuilt instinct to 'fight for their lives'. I've only ever seen this diminish in very very depressed animals. Many very sick animals that I've spent time with will still be fighting to survive, but at the same time pleading for an end to the pain/suffering/misery.
Animals probably don't have the ability to consider the future or the balance of probabilities, so they can't weigh up their 'options' so to speak. Therefore, even if suffering terribly they will most often still use every ounce of energy they have left to survive. I personally don't necessarily believe that animals can or will 'know' or 'tell you' when the time is right for them to go, and that is why human carers have to use judgment, using the information available to them in a compassionate yet logical way.

[cobweb]

and, by the way, I sometimes hate the idea of 'playing God' so to speak, but on the other hand I have met many people in whose shoes I would have certainly chosen euthanasia for their suffering 'pets', but who put it off because they wanted to make themselves feel better by not taking that decision.........which is worse?.

[cobweb]

P.S - sorry to hear about Max, Firestorm. Our dog Tamzin had to be PTS last year, she was almost 17. She weighed 40+kg, and by the last few months of her life I was having to physically pick her up often after she fell. Sometimes I had to carry her in and out of the car as she was no longer safe to manage the ramp that we'd made her a few years before.
She had her Spleen removed, her womb removed due to a Pyometra, and Breast lumps removed, plus a large fatty mass on her head and one on her leg. We would have done anything for her, but in the end the cancer moved to her lungs and she was having a lot of trouble breathing. I know exactly how it must have been for you with Max . xxxx

[Firestorm]

Thanks Cobweb

[missbettie]

we put my very old dog lili to sleep this year and her brother i think 2 years before? and my guinea pig on mothers day this year.... sorry to hear about Max....we all know (well most of us) how it feels. but we also know how good it feels to have them in our lives... worth the pain...

I miss Taz.... she was so precious....not that i ever met her, but she just seemed like an awesome baby.

[AzureAngel]

As I said its not an attack on anyone, I only voiced my opinion. Mine is that we treat animals as we treat ourselves and in this we have to assume they will make their decisions as well. I have seen animals go to a safe place to die and then give up on life because they know it is the end. It has happened to 2 of my dogs in the past. I firmly do not believe we can make an educated decision to decide something has to die. If you can do it to a person then you can do it to an animal. I cant to it to either.

[missbettie]

^ i think thats a good point, and a lot of us are pro- euthanasia on people too. So that may be part of where we differ.

[Firestorm]

As I said its not an attack on anyone, I only voiced my opinion. Mine is that we treat animals as we treat ourselves and in this we have to assume they will make their decisions as well. I have seen animals go to a safe place to die and then give up on life because they know it is the end. It has happened to 2 of my dogs in the past. I firmly do not believe we can make an educated decision to decide something has to die. If you can do it to a person then you can do it to an animal. I cant to it to either.

I do like what your saying and I truly hope you never have to see an animal that you care about crying in agony, because then you might have to make that decision.

[AzureAngel]

I do like what your saying and I truly hope you never have to see an animal that you care about crying in agony, because then you might have to make that decision.

I did not make the decision uneducated. I have seen many pets die in the past. 2 of which were very close to me and it took me a long time to get over it. One was lost to a stomach cancer (a little doberman pincher) and the other after it was attacked by a dog (a cornish rex cat). I still remember how sad the little guy (Bacchus the dog) sounded every night before it crawled into its favorite place in the garden to shake off its mortal hindrance. We tried everything but it was just his time. The cat (Sammy) was so brave though, we even had him on a drip to try and get some fluids and painkiller into him. He just lay there, didn't make a sound. He was way to dignified for that. (I remember if we didn't put marmite on the toast he would not eat it. He would just push the plate away! ) The next day we found him at the bottom of this laundry basket/cupboard we had. It was his favorite place. So no, my decision is not made because I am ignorant to the pain of loss. It is because I cherish life and realize that both we and them only have one and that it is worth fighting for even if the end result is only death.

[Firestorm]

@AzureAngel: I apologize if any offence was caused, it was not meant. We just have differing views on this.

I am very sorry about Bacchus and Sammy.X

[AzureAngel]

@Firestorm - no please, know this about me. I don't get easily (if at all) offended. Especially not when people speak from what they believe in firmly. I appreciate and both applaud you for it. I tend to write a lot to make sure I am portrayed clearly in what I am trying to say. I am new to the whole forum thing so I am sure my responses will get more concise.

And to all who have lost pets in the past. My heart goes out to you. There is nothing worse than losing that to which you gave your love and received theirs in return.

[Firestorm]

^^

[Stacy]

When an animal's quality of life has diminished, then I think it's the best option for them. When your friend can no longer walk, go to the bathroom, eat, or having functioning organs, then it's time. I want my animals to leave this earth with dignity.

[teacup]

We have the ability to save our beloved animal friends from great suffer and a cruel, anguished death and the (maybe) associated fear. I don't know if it's right choice, but I'm going with my gut in this issue. It feels wrong to my to watch an animal suffering when I can avoid it, especially when I'm responsible for its welfare as it's the case with pets.

So I agree with answer 3 and I wished we could render our human family members with the above-mentioned destiny the same favour.