When a pet who has been a member of the family for many years begins to suffer from age related problems, should euthanasia be considered?
Quality of life is an issue that faces people as well as pets. When a human reaches an age where they are unable to enjoy activities as they did when they were younger, there are a host of options available to help them lead better lives. However, that is not always the case when it comes to a pet.
The decision to put an elderly pet to sleep is very personal and often difficult to come to objectively. Few pet owners who have shared their lives with a companion animal for a decade or more are prepared to say goodbye. So the question lies in trying to do what is best for the animal.
Medications can go a long way toward keeping a pet from feeling too much pain with conditions like arthritis. But it is more difficult to access the true discomfort some pets endure when it comes to blindness, early signs of organ failure, or cancer.
Treatments can prolong an animals life in many cases. But sometimes they turn out to be more for the benefit of the attached human, than they are for the animal who is unable to say, “I am ready to let go of this life.”
Animals do not understand pain and discomfort the way humans do because they lack the ability to reason. They don't know why their hips hurt, or why they don't feel like eating or playing like they used to. All they know is that they don't feel good and have lost interest in everything but sleeping in the most comfortable spot they can find.
Depression may be the most overlooked and under-considered symptom in questions of quality of life with elderly pets. Dogs in particular are susceptible to depression, due to their strong bonds with their humans.
There is no easy way to make a decision about when it is time to let a pet pass away peacefully, before they are overwhelmed by age or disease related quality of life issues.
Pet owners who have gone to great lengths to keep their animals alive past their natural lifespan must ask themselves a question: Is using every available medical solution to buy a few addition days or months of life what the pet would have asked for, if they could have done so with the spoken word?
If the answer is yes, then the owner did what was in the best interest of the pet.
If the answer is no, then it may be time to say goodbye - even though neither will do so without the sorrow that comes at the end of every life that was filled with love, loyalty, and joy.
In loving memory of Donna
2000-2012
