How do you decide when to euthanize a pet?
By crittercare in General Pet Care on November 29th, 2009
My dog is near 12 yrs old, hard of hearing, poor eyesight, terrible arthritis, terrible skin allergies – but we love her and will miss her terribly. She takes pain medication and anti inflamatory and still appears uncomfortable.
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11/29/2009 at 12:55 pm
if u think she(?) is always in pain and is not enjoying life any more, and u REALLY love her, it would probably be best if u would put her out of her misery and agony. I had a dog who was blind, deaf, and couldnt controll her blatter, even though it waz hard we put her down and we knew she waz at a better place!!! I know this is hard on u! If ur still unsure it would probably be good to talk to ur vet! Good Luck!!! Im srry about ur dog.
11/29/2009 at 1:21 pm
If your dog is constantly in pain or always hurting,then you should put the dog down but if she appears comfortable,then let her live the rest of her life(no matter how short or long)at home with her family that she loves.
11/29/2009 at 1:29 pm
It is my opinion that if, even after extensive treatments, your pet is still visibly uncomfortable in their old age/illness, or whatever the ailment may be, they should be put down. It will not only ease her suffering, but yours too, in the long run… Sometimes watching a pet be in pain hurts a lot more than being without them.
11/29/2009 at 2:13 pm
That’s when you make the decision, when you know your dog is suffering and can’t communicate it and the medicine isn’t helping. if she in store for a spiral downfall, then I say let her go with much love and affection. Make a special evening out of it, give her her favorite meal and toy and if you can swing it, have the vet come to your house so that she can go in her own safe environment. My sympathies.
11/29/2009 at 2:30 pm
I’m not saying you don’t love her but consider is it really love to let her stay like this or to put her out of her misery.
by not putting her down she is living in total misery and will probably die shortly.
I would think I would rather miss her knowing i loved her enough to let her go when I could than to make her suffer and let her go later. yes she will be terribly missed either way so the choice is yours.
11/29/2009 at 3:10 pm
If it is in terrible pain and can’t be treated, and their will to live is gone.
11/29/2009 at 3:55 pm
when the animail is unlikely to make it, and is in alot of pain
11/29/2009 at 3:59 pm
My thought has always been that if there’s no joy left in the dog’s life, if his or her pain outweighs any pleasure, it’s time to do the unselfish thing and let them go. It’s a terribly hard decision, you have to take your own feelings out of the picture, and decide only based on what’s best for your dog. Dogs can cope with hearing and eyesight loss, but if a dog’s in pain, I belive it’s time to let them go.
11/29/2009 at 4:41 pm
No one can tell you when its a good time to put your pet to sleep. In my personal opinion the answer is in the quality of life the pet has. For example… does your dog eat? play? walk? wag his tail? If her quality of life doesnt improve with medications or treatments than maybe it’s time to consider eutinasia. But its a personal decision… just please dont be selfish and keep a dog that is suffering alive for your own personal reasons.
11/29/2009 at 5:16 pm
if she is still eating and sleeping then she should be OK. otherwise its best to put her down.
11/29/2009 at 5:38 pm
Does she seem happy? That is the real question you should be asking yourself. Is she listless, or does she still have that spark in her eye, even though she is stiff. If you are still debating this issue, its probably not her time. Believe me, SHE will let you know when her will to live is gone. She will just phase out. And remember, there is a difference between pain and uncomfortability.
Another thing you could try is something called noni. It is used in both humans and animals, and it makes their joints and other systems, just work better.
11/29/2009 at 5:48 pm
If you know she is in pain, the most loving thing you can do is take her to the vet and hold her while they put her to sleep.
11/29/2009 at 6:29 pm
If, as you said, she is not in the peak of health and seems to me, she’s suffering, then that’s the most loving thing to do……to let her die peacefully. She won’t feel a thing. You will grieve because you love and miss her but it is the most humane way to relieve her from suffering further.
I think it would be cruel to let her continue to live and “appear uncomfortable”.
11/29/2009 at 6:45 pm
Let her go…love her enough to give her peace. If she is uncomfortable daily, what kind of life do you think she’s living?
Please let her go..
11/29/2009 at 7:17 pm
I’ve been down this path several times and the answer is very personal and never easy. The only thing I can tell you is that my animals more or less let me know when it was time. I would have the vet evaluate her one more time and see if there is anything more you can do to ease her discomfort. But if she is uncomfortable all the time, and nothing more can be done, I’d let her go. It’s the kindest gift you can give her and the final act of being a good pet owner.
11/29/2009 at 8:14 pm
ok this what they mean when you hear the altament love if you really love you your dog then it is time to let her go would you want to live like that just because someone would miss you to much to pull the plug. if she is 12 years old that is really good most dog don’t live much longer then that.I understand how hard it is i am only a month behind putting my faithful dog down, but when he would not play and we found out he had cancer (at the age of 13) we felt that it was better for him not to suffer though the pain of treatment with only 40% Chance of living though it.
11/29/2009 at 8:19 pm
As a vet told my dad when he was faced with the same problem, you need the dog more than the dog now needs you. Have the vet evaluate the dog for quality of life and just how much pain she is in. Ask them to tell you honestly if it’s time and if it is and you truely love your dog, let her go with some peace and dignity.
It’s hard and painful but it would be even harder to think that she is suffering because you can’t bear to let her go.
11/29/2009 at 8:35 pm
You will know when to do it believe me. We’ve just been through the same thing. The first time we decided to “do the deed” and thought the dog was on her last legs my husband came home from work and she was lying on her back grinning at him wanting her tummy rubbed! We just couldn’t do it and the vet was totally understanding and said “you’ll know when it’s time” and lo and behold two weeks later we knew. We knew because she was beyond lethargic, had to be carried down a flight of stairs to go potty, was totally blind but not just blind – disoriented. She had no life left in her, she wasn’t the same dog. We think it was cancer, but she was quite old. (We had adopted her from terrible circumstances and had her for 11 years). She saw me through raising teenage children and a divorce and a remarriage. She was my buddy, my best best buddy.
We took her in my small SUV down to the vets and they euthanized her right there in the back of the SUV on her favorite blanket. It was done with great delicateness and genuine concern and we were all crying, including the vet, after she passed. She was cremated about 125 miles from us and her ashes scattered on a pet cemetery. We subsequently went to that town to their humane society shelter and adopted another labrador girl (Bonnie) whom we have had for about 2 months – a youngster who needs a lot of attention and training and is keeping us on our toes. It doesn’t in any way negate what we had with Bran the golden lab/retriever, it’s like a tribute to her. We will always love our Bran she will always be with us in spirit.
In closing I would say, once the quality of life has gone for both you and your dog, then that’s the time, but as I say…you and only you will know “when”. I hope that your hearts can be mended as ours were. The absence of a dog after all those years is unbearable. And there are so many wanting good homes such as yours. Your pet would want you to do it.
11/29/2009 at 8:58 pm
One day you will have a conversation with her eyes and her heart and you will know you can’t watching her suffer everyday, relieving her pain and suffering becomes greater than the thought of missing her everyday.
Hardest decision any pet owner has to make. Best of Luck.