Continued
When will the owner know that the final curtain must be drawn?
I have a neighbour who is one of the finest pet owners I know. She is in all respects a caring person and a lady – in the true sense of the word.
Unfortunately, she is confronted by a dilemma which is creating great anguish. Her pet, which she has had for years, is suffering from an ailment which is defying all veterinary medical intervention. The dog is otherwise healthy, but the self-mutilation is uncontrollable. The owner has reached a point where the question of euthanasia has surfaced.
Well, right there is an example of one of the first signs that the owner is slowly coming to grips
with an inevitability. When the statement was made “Doc, I can’t bear to see him tear himself up,” I, as the vet, know that the owner is seeking the vet’s confirmation and support for a pending decision. When the owner then pointedly asks the question “should we put our pet down?” then I know that he/she is almost there in the decision-making process.
It is not easy to make the final decision. Experience tells me that the owner has a visceral feeling about the end drawing near. But he/she also remembers the fabulous times spent with the pet. It is truly a heart-wrenching period. So what should be the process that helps the final decision to be made?
Firstly, I always advise that a family discussion must be convened. Even children could be involved, if you, the parent, feel that the child is emotionally mature enough to face the reality of euthanasia to prevent further suffering. Someone, usually the major caregiver, has to guide the conversation; and although one member of the family may come up with a suasive argument to sway the decision-making process, one way or the other, always the discussion must return to the visible suffering the animal is enduring and the psychological effect this prolonged suffering is having on the family.
Secondly, you may wish to discuss the matter with your veterinarian. In fact, you may wish to involve other vets as well, and even close family friends. In many cases, the vet has known your ward since it was a puppy, and he/she would have accompanied you in the good times and bad times during the pet’s life. The vet, who knows your pet well, is not beyond feeling the anguish associated with the ailing animal. It is especially heart-rending when the animal is otherwise healthy, and the vet is recognizing his/her own inability to make the animal well again.
Sometimes, unfortunately, the frustration all round causes the blame game to start. “Why did you not bring in the dog earlier; I could have effected a cure,” remonstrates the vet. I advise vets that such an opening salvo in uncalled for. The pet owner is already suffering enough. Once I am convinced that the family and the pet are experiencing really too much distress and turmoil, I usually say something like: It is better to have an end with pain, rather than pain without end. It might sound clichéd, but the owner wants someone to justify his/her own conscious or subconscious decision which is there just waiting for support and ratification. Who better to give that endorsement than the vet who has been caring for the pet for a long while. Turn to him or her.
Veterinarians see a lot of pets in their careers and often need to counsel pet owners about euthanasia. Veterinarians can often provide you with informed, objective information and advice on what degree of suffering and/or pain your pet is in or expected to be in with regard to the type of ailment it has. This advice can often be very useful in the decision-making process, because it comes from an informed, experienced professional source and is not being clouded by the same degree of grief and emotion that you, the pet’s owner, are experiencing. Your vet can also provide you with extra painkillers (analgesics) and advice on ways to make your pet comfortable during the last days of its life and before the family says its final goodbye.
Make sure that your vaccination/
during/anti-heartworm schedules are up to date.
