Natural Death vs. Euthanasia
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One of the hardest decisions facing a pet owner is the end-of-life. Do you allow for a natural death to occur or opt for euthanasia? And if you opt for euthanasia, how do you know when it’s time?
Sometimes our babies make the decision for us and pass on their own. But more often than not, it’s up to their humans to make the choice.
There is no right or wrong decision. It’s a very personal, individualized choice.
Many pet owners opt for a natural passing for their loved ones for moral reasons. They feel it’s not up to them to decide when their pet dies.
Nowadays there are many ways to keep your pet comfortable until it’s time. Pain management and hospice care provide the ability for your baby to be at home.
The downside to a natural death is that you have to watch your loved one decline. They lose weight. They stop eating and drinking. They may lose control of their bladder and/or bowels.
You need to keep an eye on pain management and sometimes it’s hard to tell when our babies hurt. In the animal world, showing pain is a sign of weakness and weakness makes for easy prey. It is in our pets DNA to hide their pain.
Sometimes our pets develop dementia. When my Little Man was nearing the end of his life, his behavior became very odd. He would get stuck in corners of the room, not knowing what to do. He would just stand there and stare off. We had to modify our back steps so he wouldn’t walk off the sides.
At times he would cry out and I didn’t know if it meant he hurt, or if it was part of his dementia. It was hard to watch.
Natural death isn’t pretty. We all want our babies to quietly pass in their sleep. But it doesn’t always work that way.
I had a rescue dog who was pretty sick and started having seizures one night. LOUD seizures. She would scream and cry and then go limp. She did this the entire night and I sat with her the whole time. There was nothing I could do but watch, and love on her in between seizures and take solace in the face that she most likely felt nothing during the seizure and the crying out was an uncontrollable response.
We couldn’t save her and made the decision to put her down to stop her suffering.
When it comes to euthanizing, the question most of us ask is, “How do I know when it’s time?”
We are fraught with guilt afterward wondering if it was too soon. If our pet understands why we did what we did.
There’s never a good time to choose to end a life. But you have to ask yourself these questions:
- Is my pet suffering?
- What is their quality of life currently like?
- Are they in constant pain?
- Will I be able to provide the hospice care they need?
- Will I be able to watch my baby decline in health?
- What are my thoughts and feelings around death?
- How are they at the vet’s office?
- Am I keeping my pet alive for them, or for myself?
Euthanasia is relatively quick and painless. Your pet simply goes to sleep. You are able to be there when your pet makes their transition. The most difficult part about choosing euthanasia is deciding when the time is right.
Talk to your family, your vet, and if you have one, your pet death doula. Your vet and doula will be able to help you make the decision as to when it’s time.
Ask your vet if an at-home euthanasia is a service they provide. This way your loved one can still pass in the comfort of their own home. In the days of COVID, this may not be feasible, but it never hurts to ask.
There is no right or wrong answer when it comes to choosing between natural death and euthanasia.
If you have questions, I’m happy to have a conversation. Simply click here and schedule your free consultation.
