I decided to write this article because it is a topic that seems rarely discussed. That topic is dealing with the last days of your pets life. I am currently facing the hard fact of having to decide when to euthanize my dog. He is my son or the closest thing to a son I will ever have. I am 38 with no human children and I got Ula (my dog) as a puppy soon after his birth15 years ago. We have been there for each other through thick and thin through the hardest times in my life. So yes, he is my son.
Sure there are people that just can't understand how any animal could be thought of like a family member. On the other hand I think there are just as many people who totally understand this and many who have been through similar situations. So as of today my dog “Ula Boi Boi” is still alive. His health has been declining horribly in the past few months. He no longer can eat the food that I have been giving him for years, so now I have to only feed him rice and boiled beef. He is a Black Lab so he weighs 90 pounds, and recently he has lost the ability to walk due to spinal degeneration and severe arthritis. Now I have to pick him up and carry him outside or to do anything else he needs to do, which I am more than willing to do but it is painful for him due to his size. He also has been dealing with massive tumors allover his body for a few years, and recently he was diagnosed with congestive heart failure.
Thankfully at the present time, my schedule allows time to care for him and support him through this tough time at the end of his life, but that does not make this choice any easier to make. I am currently at the point where I need to make the decision to have him put to sleep. For years this is something I knew I would face but I hoped he might pass away in his sleep when it was time but that is unfortunately a rare occurrence.
So I decided to write this article to hopefully and some way help others who may be dealing with a similar situation, or at the very least show them they are not alone in this. In the research I have done I have gotten advice from veterinarians and pet owners that have experience with putting animals down due to health problems and old age.
One of the biggest indicators of maybe being time to euthanize, is when your pet no longer is able to do the things that they enjoy. Another big sign is when your pet cannot walk or go to the bathroom on their own. Also when they’re health declines and does not seem to be getting any better and factors such as if you’re pet is eating like it normally does. I think the biggest thing we need to remember in these times, is that your dog depends on you the owner to make this important decision for them. Obviously they cannot make it themselves. This sounds obvious, but this is a very emotional time and when emotions run High many times our judgment can be clouded. So I just tried to keep in mind that no matter what I have always wanted my dog to die with dignity with as little suffering is possible.
One way I can assure my dog dies with some dignity is by having their last memory to be at their home where they are most comfortable. In my research I have discovered that it is somewhat common 4 certain veterinarians to do in-home euthanasia and Hospice Services. Believe it or not the price of the service is the same as doing it at the veterinarian's office. The in-home euthanasia provides counseling for the owner, a paw print for remembrance, and they give the dog sedatives to calm them before the euthanasia done. Also after the euthanasia they transport your pet’s body to be cremated and then they give you a remembrance box with your pet's ashes. I think this is a great service and I am sure it will help this time be a little more bearable.
So now that I know how I'm going to do it I just need to set a date. Setting a date sounds like a simple task but when it comes to being the last day of my pet's life it seems like one of the hardest decisions I've ever had to make. A very important piece of advice that I keep hearing over and over is that pets depend on their owners to make this last decision for them because it is not one that they can make for themselves.
So I don’t know that I made this easier for anyone, but I do hope that I have put it in a little better perspective for you. At the very least I hope that you are a little more informed. Now I have to set the date and follow through with it no matter how hard it is for me. I just have to remember that my sadness is not as important as making sure that my animal does not have to suffer any longer than he has to.
Pets are a very important part of many of our lives. I think one reason this decision so hard for us is that animals are loyal to their owners no matter what. They don't lie cheat or steal. They will never turn their back on you and are more until death. So one way we can give back to our pets is by helping their transition into death be as painless as possible.
ULA BOI BOI 2004-2018
