SnuffleUffleGrass
04-01-2019, 10:12 AM
I try to remind myself of several things whenever i have a pet with health issues:
1) Animals don't feel sorry for themselves (that's a human condition)
2) Death is often merciful, and it's our responsibility as pet owners to know when it's time to help a pet die (in the wild, sick animals die quickly and mercifully - in captivity, they depend on us to know when it's time to go and to do what needs to be done to minimize suffering)
3) Every animal dies of something. If it's time, it's time.
4) Quality of life should always come before quantity of years of life. Ask yourself, what is my pet's quality of life right now?
5) Pets don't understand complicated, painful, expensive surgeries that will only give them an extra six months of dubious-quality life. If you're looking to pay $5k to give a 15-year-old cat a procedure that will cause it great pain and will have an unknown outcome, then perhaps it's time to have a real conversation with your vet about quality of life and cost / benefit analysis.
This so much.
Cats especially get victimized by owners who won't put them down humanely when the cat is old and suffering from serious issues, like diabetes or motor function issues.
I had a dog for 14 years and we had the vet put him down when he had a massive stoke and was obviously not going to last long anyways. I didn't want him to know anything else other than happiness and comfort.
1) Animals don't feel sorry for themselves (that's a human condition)
2) Death is often merciful, and it's our responsibility as pet owners to know when it's time to help a pet die (in the wild, sick animals die quickly and mercifully - in captivity, they depend on us to know when it's time to go and to do what needs to be done to minimize suffering)
3) Every animal dies of something. If it's time, it's time.
4) Quality of life should always come before quantity of years of life. Ask yourself, what is my pet's quality of life right now?
5) Pets don't understand complicated, painful, expensive surgeries that will only give them an extra six months of dubious-quality life. If you're looking to pay $5k to give a 15-year-old cat a procedure that will cause it great pain and will have an unknown outcome, then perhaps it's time to have a real conversation with your vet about quality of life and cost / benefit analysis.
This so much.
Cats especially get victimized by owners who won't put them down humanely when the cat is old and suffering from serious issues, like diabetes or motor function issues.
I had a dog for 14 years and we had the vet put him down when he had a massive stoke and was obviously not going to last long anyways. I didn't want him to know anything else other than happiness and comfort.