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When is your cut-off for pet euthanasia

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Dio

Banned
My stepmom, when my cat was alive and living with her, brought my cat to the age of 21. However the cat had an IV, could barely walk, and was clearly in a lot of pain until she passed away at home.

I understand being attached to a pet, but having a cat on a constant IV to me is just ridiculous. On the flip side, does this mean I just don't care enough about animals? Is the whole "putting down because they're in pain" just me not having the resolve to fully care for an animal and finding an excuse, or is keeping an animal alive through that cruel, like I've thought before?

Just thinking about my Calico from years past lately.
 
My stepmom, when my cat was alive and living with her, brought my cat to the age of 21. However the cat had an IV, could barely walk, and was clearly in a lot of pain until she passed away at home.

I understand being attached to a pet, but having a cat on a constant IV to me is just ridiculous. On the flip side, does this mean I just don't care enough about animals? Is the whole "putting down because they're in pain" just me not having the resolve to fully care for an animal and finding an excuse, or is keeping an animal alive through that cruel, like I've thought before?

Just thinking about my Calico from years past lately.


If there are more bad days, then good days of your dog being a 'dog' then its time.
 

jax

Banned
My cat lived to be around 22. Consistent vet visits insisted she had no pain, she eventually gave out. :(
 

Costa Kid

Member
The pet can't make the decision so you gotta do what's right when the animal is in pain. Whereas humans can make the decision for themselves, in certain countries.
 
Depends on the animal. Some deal with pain better than others. When the animal isn't enjoying life anymore and there's no hope of it recovering, you're just keeping it alive to make yourself feel better. It's a very subjective thing, but as long as you make decisions according to medical information with the animal's best interests at heart, you will probably end its life around the appropriate time.
 
When they are in pain and medical care will not take it away. As much as I love all of my pets past and present I could not and cannot stand to see them in such pain.
 

BibiMaghoo

Member
It should be obvious. You know when your pet is in pain and doesn't have quality of life.

This depends hugely on the animal. A dog I would mostly agree, a cat is harder. A rabbit sometimes impossible.

I would say my point is when an animal is suffering and has no chance of improvement through further treatment. Sometimes the offer of further treatment to prolong but not save a life is offered, and this I would decline.
 

gamz

Member
This depends hugely on the animal. A dog I would mostly agree, a cat is harder. A rabbit sometimes impossible.

I would say my point is when an animal is suffering and has no chance of improvement through further treatment. Sometimes the offer of further treatment to prolong but not save a life is offered, and this I would decline.

My mistake. I've only owned dogs. When something isn't well with my Pug I know.
 
Cats and animals in general are really good at masking pain. It is really looking out for changes in behavior.

Yeah, simple things like how tall the surfaces are that they will/wont jump to.

My oldest cat is 15, and over the years she jumps lower and lower. Around 9 she stopped jumping on top of the fridge. Around 12 she stopped jumping onto counter tops. Around 14 she stopped jumping onto windowsills.

We've arranged our house to sort of accommodate for this. Leaving cat trees by the windowsill that acts as a step up for her. We even bought a set of pet steps for our bedside so she can walk up more easily.
 
I've had a ton of pets over the years so I'm definitely numb to saying goodbye, but my family and I have always put them to sleep when they're in pain or can't eat or go to the bathroom on their own anymore. When they're that old and the body is just shutting down on its own it's nature's way of saying it's time. Always sad to let go of long time friends but it's life.
 
Euthanasia is for animals that are in pain and without reasonable expectation of getting better. Owners are usually quite good at telling when their pet does not have quality of life.
 

Viewt

Member
We put my childhood dog down when he got to the point where he was just wasn't moving much anymore. The vet confirmed that he had multiple tumors, and that his lack of interaction with us was because he was trying to find a secluded place to die. Very sad stuff, as you can imagine.

With the prospect of getting a dog soon (maybe next month, maybe next year), I'm aiming to be a lot more attentive and aware of any on-going issues to prevent that kind of shocker in the future. And ultimately, we'll put it down when their quality of life dips below what's humane and kind.
 
Yeah cats are notorious for going out of their way to hide any and all pain. Some kind of survival mechanism.

If we put them down, how will they fulfill their mission of killing us?

Last two dogs my family owned, my mom kept too long I think.

The one dog was having nearly every part of her body fall apart, I finally convinced my mom she had to do it.
The second dog while had ALL of her body fine except her eyes and hearing. It was such a shame too.

They were sisters :( They outlived all of their siblings by 3+ years, with at least 2 of those being healthy.
 

balohna

Member
Dogs/cats that have already exceeded their breed's average lifespan and are having consistent medical trouble that clearly makes them uncomfortable/leaves them in pain.

It's tough though, I put a 15 year old dog down and she had a moment of lucidity when we took her to the vet to do it. A good way to say good bye, but it wrecked me.
 
Dogs/cats that have already exceeded their breed's average lifespan and are having consistent medical trouble that clearly makes them uncomfortable/leaves them in pain.

It's tough though, I put a 15 year old dog down and she had a moment of lucidity when we took her to the vet to do it. A good way to say good bye, but it wrecked me.

Like you said, I like to think that the dog some how knows and it's saying goodbye.
 

Oppo

Member
Dogs/cats that have already exceeded their breed's average lifespan and are having consistent medical trouble that clearly makes them uncomfortable/leaves them in pain.

It's tough though, I put a 15 year old dog down and she had a moment of lucidity when we took her to the vet to do it. A good way to say good bye, but it wrecked me.

I'm so sorry to hear that.

The pain threshold is basically it. Your job is to provide a good life for your pet. That includes alleviating suffering.

I have a 13 year old dog who is getting very slow, has trouble going down stairs now... it breaks my heart. But I try to not dwell on "this dog's gonna die any day now" because... that's a terrible way to spend your last days with your pet. I just let him do what he wants, basically. All couch restrictions gone, I treat him constantly, I spoil the fuck out of him now.

I see the thread titles on GAF about "had to put my dog down today" and I can't even read them, I just get so upset.
 

Wag

Member
My cat was 17 and had renal failure. I gave her IV fluids every day for 3yrs. That was enough.
 

balohna

Member
Like you said, I like to think that the dog some how knows and it's saying goodbye.

Yeah, at the time it made me question everything. But in retrospect, I'm glad I was able to say goodbye to a dog that was wagging her tail and licking my face despite being unable to walk without stumbling and falling over.
 
Goddamn it this thread is killing me. My family got our first major pet about 5 years ago, and I love the little bastard. And upon moving to Colorado we got two dogs, and just adopted our third. I don't want to see any of them go.
 

Dio

Banned
Also one of the reasons I made this thread is because I work with someone, and I go to their house - they have this cat that has matted fur and looks like a drowned rat, limps around and shits on the floor randomly even though there's a litter box. The cat is really old and at least the owner's considering putting her down now.

It brought back a few memories.
 
With my last dog, I chose to do it when his health was clearly declining quite a bit, but he wasn't yet in horrible pain.

I'd gone through the deaths of several family pets before where they deteriorated so quickly, and in the end they were in agony and unable to take comfort in food or affection anymore. I chose not to do that to my boy, but it was super difficult to figure out when was the right time since his deterioration was much slower. He was wasting away slowly, losing the ability to walk, and becoming incontinent. I still felt guilty, like I had done it too soon, even though I agonized over the decision for so long. But I made sure he had the best last day ever, and knew how much I loved him.

It's the hardest decision I've ever had to make.
 

Makonero

Member
Dogs/cats that have already exceeded their breed's average lifespan and are having consistent medical trouble that clearly makes them uncomfortable/leaves them in pain.

It's tough though, I put a 15 year old dog down and she had a moment of lucidity when we took her to the vet to do it. A good way to say good bye, but it wrecked me.

I got a cat when I was in elementary school. That cat was with me through all the trials and tribulations of life up until I left for college. After I graduated college, my parents called to tell me that he had stopped eating. I headed up there and spent the weekend with them, and my cat seemed perfectly fine to me. He ate heartily and was very active. The day after I left, I got a call that he wouldn't eat anything at all and my folks were taking him to be put down.

He rallied for me. It's why I'll never understand those that say cats don't care about people. I think animals know when their time is up and they try to say goodbye in their own way.

Telling this story still brings a tear to my eyes.
 

Wag

Member
Don't be that dbag who just drops off the dog at the vet/shelter and walks away.

Don't be so judgmental. There are reasons why people do this- money being one of them. Both my cats got renal failure at the same time. I couldn't afford to take care of them both so I had to make the decision which one to put to sleep.
 
Goddamn it this thread is killing me. My family got our first major pet about 5 years ago, and I love the little bastard. And upon moving to Colorado we got two dogs, and just adopted our third. I don't want to see any of them go.

My old roommate joked about how his dog was going to grow old with him and then they would bury him alive in the casket with my roommate lol.

Don't be so judgmental. There are reasons why people do this- money being one of them. Both my cats got renal failure at the same time. I couldn't afford to take care of them both so I had to make the decision which one to put to sleep.

I think you're missing the point. The poster meant, be in the room with them when they put the needle in.
 

HStallion

Now what's the next step in your master plan?
Its when the animal isn't having a good life anymore. Whether its pain or its unable to get around anymore or it grows incontinent. I find a lot of people cling to their pets and don't have them put down until the animal is an absolute wreck and living a terrible life just so the owners can be happy to just have it lying around. Not saying put a dog down the minute it starts getting a bit lame or anything but I really do think a lot of people try to keep their pet around as long as possible even if it sucks for the pet.
 

Toxi

Banned
With my last dog, I chose to do it when his health was clearly declining quite a bit, but he wasn't yet in horrible pain.

I'd gone through the deaths of several family pets before where they deteriorated so quickly, and in the end they were in agony and unable to take comfort in food or affection anymore. I chose not to do that to my boy, but it was super difficult to figure out when was the right time since his deterioration was much slower. He was wasting away slowly, losing the ability to walk, and becoming incontinent. I still felt guilty, like I had done it too soon, even though I agonized over the decision for so long. But I made sure he had the best last day ever, and knew how much I loved him.

It's the hardest decision I've ever had to make.
I'm experiencing that right now with my dog. 13 years old, got a big tumor, but is still living comfortably.

I'm going to miss him. And unlike my last dog death, I'll be the one deciding when it happens.
 

MattKeil

BIGTIME TV MOGUL #2
I guess I can't judge how people handle it. :( Everyone's got their own way to deal with this shit.

I can judge it just fine. You go in there and be with them. That's part of the deal. They give you everything, you at least owe them that, IMO. Especially with dogs, who have such a strong bond with their primary owner. I'm not even much of a dog person but I don't know how anyone could leave a dog wondering where its master is at the end like that.
 
When it's obviously in pain, and it's quality of life has majorly degraded. It hurts to do, but it';s better for them not to needlessly suffer.
 

Wag

Member
My old roommate joked about how his dog was going to grow old with him and then they would bury him alive in the casket with my roommate lol.



I think you're missing the point. The poster meant, be in the room with them when they put the needle in.

Oh I got that. For some people it's just too hard to be in the room. I understand it and don't condemn them for it.
 
My mother-in-law's dog was recently euthanized.

Around the first of the year, we found out she needed a blood transfusion or else she would die. She had a health issue that caused her blood to no longer be healthy. Since a transfusion would give her a chance at life, we took it. It ended up costing us about $5k ($3k of which is on us, since my mother-in-law isn't in the best financial situation right now). We ate the cost because this dog has been great emotional support for my mother-in-law (my father-in-law passed away a year ago), and the dog was generally healthy before this happened, so the possibility of at least a mid-term recovery seemed reasonable.

The cost wasn't gonna kill us, but it made us a little more uncertain about whether we'd be able to buy a house this summer.

She recovered pretty decently for a couple weeks, and we thought we might get another year out of her. But then she crashed really hard. We found out we'd need to give her another transfusion. We decided that if we weren't helping her recover, all we were doing was putting her body through a lot of stress just to crash again in a couple weeks. That wasn't worth it for us.

That's about how I feel about pet euthanasia:

If you have the means, and there's a reasonable possibility of recovery: then give them care.
If you lack the means, and it seems like there's no reasonable possibility of recovery: then let them go.
 

JimboJones

Member
Man it sucks going through that guilt of "i'm an asshole and not trying hard enough if I put her down" but then "i'm an asshole for keeping her alive for my own selfish reasons".

But yeah if they are an in pain and the general trend of health is just getting worse and worse then it's time to let them go.
 
Some people are strange like that. Can't be in the room or what not..
At least go in and drop the animal off, though....

I can't imagine not being in the room, for my sake if not the animal's.

First, the death is peaceful. Usuallly they are asleep within 3 - 4 seconds of the anaesthesia. Then the barbiturates are administered and their heart stops beating thereafter. By the time they are flushing the lines, the animal is already dead.

Second, you feel like you have some agency in what's going on. This is your decision to make, so you own it.

Third, it creates a sense of closure. The animals, who in my case will have lived with me from the time they were 8 - 10 weeks old, are dying alongside me. You see them from their beginning to their end.
Man it sucks going through that guilt of "i'm an asshole and not trying hard enough if I put her down" but then "i'm an asshole for keeping her alive for my own selfish reasons".

But yeah if they are an in pain and the general trend of health is just getting worse and worse then it's time to let them go.
yeah, there's rarely a black and white answer as to when the right time is. Just try and do what is right for the animal, not you, and I think you will make the best decision you are capable of.
 

Osiris

I permanently banned my 6 year old daughter from using the PS4 for mistakenly sending grief reports as it's too hard to watch or talk to her
With my GSD it was the complete loss of use of his hind legs due to spreading paralysis from a neurological condition, his size and weight made life impossible for him without mobility, and trying to care for him further and extending his life would have been cruelty, not kindness.

Having to make that decision still pains me greatly :(
 
It will never be an easy decision. I had to put one of my Golden retrievers down last year. He was 13, could hardly stand up or get down himself. He was suffering from bad arthritis on is back legs. There was times when I would come down in the mornig and he would have done is needs on the place were he had benn sleeping. I got him when he was 9 weeks old, I was there when the vet put him down. It was the toughest decision of my life, but at the same time the most humane one.
It took me a long time explainig my children why it had to be done (Jake had been there all their lives, since they were born). My advise? You know your pet, you will notice the change in behaviour. Not moving, not eating, not greeting you when you come back home. Tail down between the legs. Problems geting up and down. Then you know is time.
 
When eating becomes an issue, it's the clearest sign. Animals can mask pain and health issues remarkably well. Every living thing is alike in the fact that when they are dying, food is either no longer a priority, or it is the enemy as it just makes you sick. If you can't enjoy a good meal, there is no quality of life.

If the pain is apparent, then that, or being completely lethargic.

I don't think you are insensitive. 21 years is a long time for a cat. It's beyond difficult to make the call. Old/sick pets can have a turnaround for a few days right when you're ready to make the decision, and then you second guess yourself the next time.
 
When I was about 9, we had 2 dogs and my mom wanted to get rid of the female. She asked the neighbour, who was repairing our roof at the time, if he could take care of it. So he grabbed his hammer, called the dog, and bashed it's skull in.

That was clearly over my cut-off back then.
 
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