Euthanasia – The Final Gift you can give your Dog.

So you have probably never heard anyone refer to euthanasia as a “gift”. Quite frankly, from a caregiver’s perspective, it is one of the most heart wrenching experiences of your life. Many dog owners will even say they “will never get another dog”, because the pain is so intense and profound. So where is the gift? There are certainly euthanasia pros and cons.

Euthanasia is not something a responsible pet owner takes lightly. Much soul searching takes place before most of us can make that final decision to put our beloved pet “to sleep”. We all struggle with “have I done enough” or “Is it too soon”? For those of us who have been blessed to be able to share our lives with a disabled pet, whose care can be both mentally, physically and financially draining, we ask ourselves, “Am I doing this to make my life easier or for my dog”?

I have never been “lucky” enough to have a pet pass peacefully in their sleep. I personally would have to question how “lucky” that would be to go to bed kissing your pet good night, only to wake and find them no longer with you.

I have had a number of dogs in my adult life and have had to make the decision to euthanize all of them, except for my beloved Jaime, who passed in the hospital before I was able to get there to take her home. That is one of the biggest regrets of my life, not being able to be with her when she passed. Herein lies “the gift”.

I can’t help myself from thinking about her last moments alone at that hospital. Was she afraid and confused at why she was alone? I had just spoken to the hospital staff, who told me there was nothing more that could be done for her there, so I could come and take her home and keep her comfortable. Before I could get there, she passed away.

This experience made me look at euthanasia in a totally different light. With my other dogs, there had been a gradual illness and I was able to look into their eyes and know it was time. Just like in people, your dog’s eyes carry so much expression. Even when your dogs is ill, you can still see something in their eyes that tells you they are not ready to leave yet. Inside, you find yourself dreading the thought about having to make that final decision and prey that there is more your vet can do to help your dog.

Bella was the first dog that I had where I was able to have the vet come to our home and she was able to pass peacefully, in her own bed, surrounded by those who loved her most. Bella was a Great Dane who had both physical and neurological issues for most of her young life. Born with a stunted forelimb, I adopted her as a little baby. As she grew, she developed numerous issues and we became quite well known at our local surgical specialty hospital.

Bella was quite a celebrity there, actually. Regardless of what she was going through at the time, she was still so loving and gentle. Some of the staff would tell me they would go to her run and sit with her on their lunch break, because she was just so sweet.

For the last few months of her life, she was unable to walk on her own and I had a harness system on her that I used to help her to her feet. I would get her up and then take her to a flat bed cart we had made to help maneuver her through the house. I would wheel her outside, where I would get her back up on her feet and she would go to the bathroom. This was a regular ritual a couple times a day. I promised her that I would carry her as long as she wanted to be carried.

Her bed was always in the middle of things and she was never left off alone in a corner. The other dogs would bring her toys in her bed and she would play tug of war with them. There were even times I would come home from work, only to find her lying in the middle of the living room, rather than being in her bed. I know there was no way she could have gotten there on her own and knew that she was still ornery enough to not want to let go of the toy during their daytime tug of war playtime.

One morning I went to get her up for our morning ritual and she did not want to get up. This was so unlike her. I took her to the hospital, where they did x-rays and found her one remaining front leg looked like it had been “eaten by moths”, which is how the Dr. explained it. She felt it was cancer, given the way the bone looked. I brought Bella home, but was terrified that she was going to break her leg, since it was so compromised by the cancer.

I was in shock, I never saw it coming. I took her home, along with plenty of meds to keep her comfortable, till I could comes to terms with what the doctor had just told me.

I could see the change in her and she was no longer bright eyed and full of life. At that moment, I knew I had to let go of her for her and not keep her here for me. I spoke to my local vet on a Friday and had her come to the house on Monday. The weekend was spent with Bella doing the things she used to love so much. I would wheel her on her cart to the pool area where we just hung out and relaxed. We also went to the front yard and just hung out in the grass, watching people go by. She loved to just lie in the grass in the sun.

Monday came and my vet came to the house around noon. We said our final goodbye to Bella and she was able to pass peacefully in her own bed, with me holding her. It broke my heart to let her go, but I knew I could not ask her to stay. I knew in my heart, it was time and I was grateful that I could be with her as she took her last breath, so she was not afraid and alone.

So how do we really know it is “time”? Do we ever “truly” know it is time?

I found a quiz created by Dr. Alice Villalobos called a “Quality of Life Scale”. It looks at seven aspects of your pets life and asks you to rate them on a scale of 0-10, 10 being the best. If you score higher than a 35, your pet has what she considers an “acceptable” quality of life.

The seven areas she focuses on are:

1. HURT - Adequate pain control, including breathing ability, is first and foremost on the scale. Is the pet's pain successfully managed? Is oxygen necessary?
2. HUNGER - Is the pet eating enough? Does hand feeding help? Does the patient require a feeding tube?
3. HYDRATION - Is the patient dehydrated? For patients not drinking enough, use subcutaneous fluids once or twice daily to supplement fluid intake.
4. HYGIENE - The patient should be brushed and cleaned, particularly after elimination. Avoid pressure scores and keep all wounds clean.
5. HAPPINESS - Does the pet express joy and interest? Is the pet responsive to things around him or her (family, toys, etc.)? Is the pet depressed, lonely, anxious, bored or afraid? Can the pet's bed be close to the family activities and not be isolated?
6. MOBILITY - Can the patient get up without assistance? Does the pet need human or mechanical help (e.g. a cart)? Does the pet feel like going for a walk? Is the pet having seizures or stumbling? (Some caregivers feel euthanasia is preferable to amputation, yet an animal that has limited mobility but is still alert and responsive can have a good quality of life as long as caregivers are committed to helping the pet.
7. MORE GOOD DAYS THAN BAD - When bad days outnumber good days, quality of life might be compromised. When a healthy human-animal bond is no longer possible, the caregiver must be made aware the end is near. The decision needs to be made if the pet is suffering. If death comes peacefully and painlessly, that is okay.

While not perfect, I think this quiz can help give you a more objective view of where you’re pet truly is with regards to their own quality of life. It helps us to focus on them and try to look at how they are experiencing their life. It better prepares you for making an objective decision and helps you to not experience the guilt of second guessing yourself as to whether it was the right decision.

Even more importantly, I think it also helps you to defend your decision to not euthanize, when others around you think that you should. For instance, your dog is paralyzed in her back end and is now incontinent. She has to wear a diaper, but you keep her clean and you need to carry her out or get her a cart. Everything else about her is normal; she does not appear to be in any pain. She is eating, drinking, playful and for the most part happy.

If you were to plug this scenario into the quiz, you would end up scoring well above 35. But when others see her, they think you should put her down, because she cannot possibly be happy like this. You start to feel guilty and wonder if they are right. Are you being selfish for not wanting to let her go?

By using Dr. Villalobos scale, you can at least have an objective point of reference to help support you with whatever decision you make for you & your pet. In the end, I believe that if you do make that decision to help your pet cross over to Rainbow Bridge, it is the final gift of love you can share with your beloved pet.