Is euthanizing your pet the kindest thing to do?

Question

I have an old black lab named Lucy who I honestly love with all my heart. She's starting to have a hard time going up and down stairs and she has a lot of lumps all over her body as of the past year. I know the time is going to come when she'll be in a lot of pain and my family has always believed that euthanizing old animals to end their suffering is the most humane option. I'm so heartbroken at the thought of losing my best friend and want to know what others' thoughts are on putting animals to sleep.

Answer

It's never an easy decision. But they have their own way of telling you when the time is right.  As a vet tech I have this conversation with clients all the time. The best thing to do is evaluate her quality of life.  Is she still eating and drinking, does she seem depressed or happy.  The hardest part for us as humans is letting go and realizing that sometimes it is the best decision for the animal even though it's absolutely heartbreaking for us.  Unfortunately it's never an easy choice to make... 💙💜💛💚

Answer

Yes. Consult your vet and he should be able to tell you when it's really time. Sending you much love. Losing them is always hard, but making them suffer is unnecessary.

Answer

We had to put my little dog to sleep 2 weeks ago, she was going blind, deaf and getting dementia, which I didn't even know dogs can get 😔 we had to start putting her in nappies because she couldn't hold her wee in no more, she was 16 so very old! It was so so sad, but it was the right thing to do, it was horrible seeing her in pain and not being able to settle down. Home is so strange without her. We know she's at peace now though and we have so many happy childhood memories with her ❤️❤️❤️

Answer

If the pet is only in pain and theres no way othee way to end its suffering the. Yes

Answer

My cat was seventeen years old. Being seventeen years old myself (at the time), we'd had that cat for almost my entire life. She developed cancer in her lower jaw. We did everything we could, including giving her medications, softer foods, and frequent vet visits. One afternoon, we sat down with our vet, and asked what our options were. She explained that, while we could slow down the process, the cancer would continue to spread throughout her jaw, and eventually erode her entire mouth. She'd already been eating less and less, even though we were giving her a softer food. Her entire demeanor had changed, and we could tell she was in pain. If there was a way to heal her, we probably would have done whatever it took. However, because all that we could do was slow down the speading, we decided to euthanize her, so that she wouldn't have to live in pain anymore.

Four months later, I had to euthanize my dog. She  was having random and uncontrollable seizures. She was having a vet appointment every 4-6 weeks, and was taking medication which costed us $150 a month, and required her to take it at the exact same time, twice a day. Even with the most powerful medication we could give her, she was still having these seizures. The medication was also harming her liver, which added a whole new list of problems. The best we could do was euthanize her.

It's a horrible decision to have to make. It breaks your heart. However, I do think that, when there's nothing else you can do to save them, euthanizing them is the kindest thing to do.

Answer

As a vet tech, I see both end of the spectrum. Those who are willing to euthanize, and those who want to wait and let there lets go at home. The ones who chose to euthanize usually know when it's time. As hard as it is, you'll know. Those who chose to let their pets go at home usually have to keep their pets so doped up on pain meds to keep them from being in excruciating pain. Yes letting them go at home give you just a little more time with them, but it's not worth making them suffer.

Answer

This whole thread made me cry.  I have never had to make that decision, but I have a 3 year old Pom a poo, and while that day is hopefully very far in the future I am already dreading it.  I believe that you will know what the right decision is, discuss it with your vet and see what they recommend.  Ultimately it is your decision though.

I saw that a vet tech commented, I would say she probably knows what she's talking about.

Answer

It depends entirely, I think of it like this, what hope do they have and if this was you what woud you want done? Age of course is a factor. My kittie Daunte was 5yrs old took him to the vet very lathargic they told me it was best to let him go, and he was practicly already dead. I did everything and he had a full recovery (spent a week at the vet) Then my baby nala fought with cancer a few times then finally ended up with a inoperable tumor in her mouth, this was making her slowly starve to death she was 18yrs old still in wonderful health besides the tumor and her... I had to let go 😿 but I do think if they could of removed it she would still be running around all crazy kitten like

Answer

It's a hard choice to make. It is a kind one though. There is one thing I have wondered about. I wonder if you could get drugs from the vet so the dog is so drugged up he doesn't even know he's at the vets about to be euthanized. I have been thinking about doing that if I'm ever in the position again of having to put an animal to sleep.

Answer

My dog got cancer he was 10 years old. The only way to make it better would to be amputate a leg and that was not an option - he was too old for that. It was very sad he was limping and on medication for about 6 months. When it came time he told us (he just laid down and could not get up from pain) and we put him down to end the suffering. Its always hard but good to know they are not in pain.

Is euthanizing your pet the kindest thing to do?

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