How Do I Know It's Time?
As pet owners, the most important decision that will ever be made in our pet’s life is deciding when it is time to say goodbye. Very rarely does a pet pass away on their own in their sleep as seen in movies, often leaving us to make that gut-wrenching decision.
As age or illness changes our pet’s ability to function in their normal capacity, there will come a time when we must decide what is the right thing to do for our pet. If we wait too long, we may accidentally cause unintended suffering and a less than peaceful death. Of course, there is no reason to be afraid of a natural death if that is what one prefers, as it is what Mother Nature had intended after all. We find many families choose to euthanize a pet sooner rather than later after experiencing a natural death as the end stages of death can be difficult for them to watch.
We make this decision by evaluating several important aspects of our pet’s daily life such as:
Does my pet seem to be in pain?
Is my pet eating and drinking like normal?
Is my pet still able to do their normal/favorite activities?
Can my pet still urinate and defecate? Is my pet incontinent?
Is my pet having difficulty breathing?
Has my pet’s behavior changed? Are they confused/aggressive?
Going through these questions and the Quality of Life (QOL) questionnaire below as honestly as possible can help guide your decision. If it doesn’t seem to be black and white, it is ok to track your pet’s QOL score and see what their trend is over time. You may also schedule a Tele-advice call with Dr. Shantelle if you need additional guidance.