Saying Goodbye, How Do You Know When It’s Time?

Losing a pet is the most painful part of dog ownership. Since dogs have a much shorter life span than humans, sadly we are often faced with deciding when it’s the right time to say goodbye to our best friend due to their age, illness, or they are in unmanageable pain.

Of course, we all wish we didn’t have to cross this bridge. Still, realistically, many owners will face this situation unless their dog passes away peacefully at home or has a medical emergency that they can’t recover from.

Knowing when it’s time can be hard. There are those times that you ‘just know’ that there is no other choice and the decision, although painful, is seemingly made for you. But, then there is that time in between when things may not seem as clear.

So, How Do You Know When It’s Time?

Knowing when it's time can be a very personal decision. What the right time is for one owner may not be the same for another. Sometimes your vet can inform you that it’s unquestionably the right time yet at other times, you’ll have to decide on your own.

Sometimes, euthanasia, putting your dog to sleep, or sending them to The Bridge is the only way to ease their suffering, and the final act of love you can do for your dog is to provide them with a peaceful passing.

However, knowing this doesn’t make it any easier. Here are some signs that it is the right time to talk to your vet about euthanasia plans:

• Your dog is very ill due to organ failure
• Your dog’s chronic pain can no longer be managed with medication
• Your dog is riddled with anxiety and fear over their situation
• Your dog is no longer interested in food or water due to illness or advanced age and requires forced feedings
• Your dog is significantly losing weight and muscle mass due to chronic vomiting and diarrhea due to an incurable illness
• Your dog sleeps all the time
• No longer has any interest in receiving affection or doing anything they once enjoyed
• Your dog can no longer stand or walk on their own due to advanced age or illness and is permanently bedridden
• Your dog is so weak that it falls and injures itself regularly
• Is having difficulty breathing
• Is incontinent and unable to clean itself any longer
• Has uncontrolled seizures
• Your pet’s ongoing health problems are causing a financial problem
• When lifesaving treatment no longer makes sense due to advanced age or isn’t possible
• Your pet has no enthusiasm, joy, or signs of happiness

If your dog is suffering from any of the above problems, it’s time to talk to your vet to see if there is realistically anything you can do to help improve their quality of life. For instance, if your dog is in pain and not on pain management, it may be possible that medication can help.

It’s also important for you to understand what your pet is going through medically so you know what to expect from their current and future health situation. This should also help you come to terms with the situation and give you some measure of peace about your decision.

However, when you reach the point that there is nothing more you can do, it’s time to decide if their quality of life has reduced to the point that letting them go is the kindest option. Some advice from Lap of Love:

“Weigh your options carefully. If the most important thing is waiting until the last possible minute to say goodbye to your baby, you will most likely face an emergency, stress-filled, sufferable passing for your pet that may not be peaceful, and you may regret waiting too long.”

“If you wish for a peaceful, calm, loving, family-oriented, in-home end-of-life experience for your pet, you will probably need to make the decision a little sooner than you want. This decision should not be about ending suffering that has already occurred, but about preventing any suffering in the first place. Above all, our pets do not deserve to be hurt.”

To further help you in your decision, Ohio State University Veterinary Medical Center has come up with this Assessing Quality of Life for Your Companion Animal and Making End-of-Life Decisions assessment worksheet.

The assessment includes questions to ask yourself so that you can better visualize the general well-being of your pet and offers advice such as tracking your dog’s good and bad days so that you see if their bad days outweigh the good.

Although planning for your dog’s end-of-life care is upsetting, it’s one of the most selfless things you will ever do for your beloved companion. Many will say, a day too early is better than a day too late but the sad truth is, it’s not always possible to know what each day will bring.

When considering euthanasia, it’s normal to feel guilt. Greif over the loss of a pet is very real and can be more difficult to process for some people than the loss of a person. Losing a pet is very hard and you should turn to understanding friends or get help if you need it.

Don’t be embarrassed about your emotions and feelings. It is a hard decision to make. Understand, when it's over, it will take time to get over your loss, and its normal to experience a mixture of emotions such as:

Guilt
Regret
Sadness
Loneliness
Anger
Doubt
Anxiety
Helplessness
Emptiness
Wishing you could have done more
Embarrassment over your feelings
Feelings of confusion
Not knowing what to do with the time you used to spend with your pet

We hope that if you find yourself faced with making the decision, you find the information here helpful. As always, please feel free to share with your friends.

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