As Pet owners, we are responsible for a lot of decisions affecting our pets. Those decisions come to a head when their life ends or is coming to an end. It only comes once in the life of that particular pet and we want to "get it right." One of my jobs is to help our clients and our patients through this most difficult time. We deal with this a lot more often than you do..... but that doesn't make it any easier for us.
If you don't care enough to really think these things through, odds are you aren't a client at Animal Care Hospital and you are definitely not reading this BLOG. Of course we have a wide variety of clients, and no client and no patient is the same. Assembly line care doesn't work for us. Everyone wants and needs something different during these times and we try to accommodate.
Euthanasia from Greek language means "Good Death". Others define it as "Easy" or "Gentle" death. Our goal is to make the process as easy and pain free as possible, and that goes for both the patient and their owners. We use a solution of Pentobarbital that we feel is the best out there. The process is actually an overdose of an anesthetic, so all the patient feels is the needle stick. The brain is anesthetized immediately and the heart & lungs stop quickly, usually within 5 seconds. The more dehydrated the patient and the poorer the perfusion by the heart the longer it will take. Sometimes we will sedate the patient to make it even easier. We base this decision on how calm the patient is and what we feel is best for them and the owner. Some owners want to be present and some can't be. There are often times when one spouse will want to be present and the other not. It doesn't seem to make a difference if they are male or female, its just different for each person, and both ways are fine. We have a room where our clients can stay and visit before and after if they desire, for as long as they need. We have numerous clients that want and need the euthanasia to be done at home, and we do this quite often.
The decision about the remains is also very personal, so we again offer options. Some people don't want anything to do with the remains and that is fine. We take care of the bodies in our Crematorium. Very often our clients will want the ashes back, and we can certainly do that with our individual cremations. Some will order special urns or make their own to keep the ashes. For years, many people have buried their pets at home or in a special place. We certainly return remains to a lot of our clients. Many of my family pets are buried at our farm. I'm not sure where Cricket was buried, but I know exactly where Gumby is, and its where the cows walk by. I got Sydney's ashes back and they are buried under the concrete slab right where our new reception desk is, since she spent most of her time at the desk in our old hospital. Tucker loved my truck more than anything, so I let a lot of his ashes blow out of the back as I was driving around town and at the farm. There are a few Pet Cemeteries around that a few of our clients have utilized. Some of you may have driven past the Coon Dog Cemetery in Alabama. If you visit the Courtyard at our hospital you will see many memorial bricks that our clients have purchased. The proceeds go toward the Humane Society.
This is not an easy time and is often very emotional. The decision to euthanize is very difficult, but the decision to go forward with a treatment can be difficult as well. I understand how difficult it can be since I have been through it more than once. We all want what is best for our pets. We try to avoid, "I should have done this a week ago" syndrome. We try to make the best decision based on what we know at that time. There are times when I am certain that it is time, but to get more information for the owner, we will do some lab work or take some X-rays to confirm and make the decision, not easier, but more straight forward. Numerous times, I have talked to owners about a "Defining Moment". This is when we have been considering it for a while, but one more thing occurs and it helps us to make the decision that we have been contemplating and putting off. We can help you understand what is going on medically, but the final decision is by the one who knows the pet the best..... and that is you.
I just got through leading a Sunday School class on Human Euthanasia (or Mercy Killing or Death with Dignity). Its a controversial subject that I'm not sure about, but I have never been put in that very personal situation. I can imagine that people go through the same decision making process as my clients do. We try to do what we think the pet would want. Its my job to help the client understand what the pet may be experiencing and feeling and what the short term and long term effects will be. We discuss with the clients to try to remove our personal connection with the pet and focus on what is best for the pet alone. Then I tell them that its not possible to avoid those emotions. That bond between our clients and their pets is an Amazing thing that I am fortunate to experience every day.
Whenever I am helping a client decide on a treatment or surgery or euthanasia, I try to put myself in their place.................. What would I do? These are not my pets, but I do feel very responsible for each and every one.
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