Euthanasia

[Ardina]

I'll preface this by saying that I've never faced that awful, heartwrenching decision, so I may feel differently when the time comes. I'm a medical student, and I've sworn an oath to do no harm to my patients. I see no reason why that oath doesn't apply to non-humans. In some ways, it holds even truer for our cats because they don't understand and can't make choices for themselves.

But I'd like to push back against the idea that euthanasia is always the best. I absolutely believe that no living creature should have to die in misery and pain, but just as I personally couldn't bear to administer a poison to a patient who wanted to die, I don't think I could do it for my cat either (or by proxy through a vet). If at all possible, I'd do everything to make my cat comfortable and make her last days easy (and I will likely have the ability to do so as a doctor), but I don't believe I have the right to choose her death. I believe that only God gives life and only God has the right to take that life.

But that's my personal belief, and I don't judge those who choose otherwise. It's one of the hardest decisions we'll have to make and no doubt, through the love we have for them, we will choose to do the best we can for our cats.

 

[kittens mom]

None of us are programmed to kill our pets that coupled with lack of emotional support IRL leads to a lot of issues. It becomes like poo on your already poo sandwich. The words " it's only " is an instant devaluation of your pet which is going to trigger resentment and anger on your part and further demoralize you.

 

[Gizmobius]

My previous cat developed oral cancer. She began to grow a terribly painful sore on her mouth that made it so she couldn't eat, drink, nor even clean herself. Coupled with that, she developed a bump on the underside of her jaw that the vet diagnosed as a drainage sac. It kept scabbing over and bleeding when she'd scratch it off. Her gorgeous white fur would be saturated with blood that I would clean as best as I could. I struggled to syringe feed her and give her the prescribed pain medication, as it caused her incredible pain to even endure the food in her mouth.

Euthanasia was the most humane option I could've chosen for her, as I absolutely refused to let "nature" take its course and wait for her to starve herself to death or die once the cancer completely ravaged her beautiful face. I do not regret my decision because I do not regret not making her suffer through the horrors of cancer.

That's my take.

 

[kskatt]

In dealing with grief, I bought quite a few books, and discovered there is far more understanding of the grief from losing a pet now. I've seen work on how the grief of losing a pet can actually be more intense than losing a relative. I will go through my collection and share the best in the Rainbow Bridge forum.
I'm having to struggle with the idea of so many animals dying naturally, so easily. In a conversation with my vet, she has seen more death than anyone here, unless you are a vet. She wishes that death could come naturally, without suffering, but that is very rare. The majority of times people let nature take it's course, the animals suffered. Considering how stoic cats are, often hiding pain until a disease is too far along to cure, I wonder just how it's possible for people to "know" that pain isn't present.
Those of you who talk about pets not suffering, I'm not saying you're wrong, just how did you know? I wish, so badly, that cats would complain, that we could see their pain. Maybe I could have saved some, saved them from being untreatable by the time I find out they are sick.
Perhaps there is a way some of this knowledge can be shared. I've been thinking about asking if there is a way we could have a forum for those trying to give Hospice care to our kitties. I think we could help each other out a bunch. I've got two boys that are dying, that I'm trying so hard and it would be amazing if others in the same position, or those with experience could counsel me. Bet I would not win any writing contests right now, I only hope I'm not being too hard to understand. I'm just struggling to hold my tears in. I'll stop now and pray I didn't insult anyone.

 

[kittens mom]

Without a doubt recognition that the loss of a pet is a deep emotional experience is being recognized. Far to go. I think a hospice thread is a good idea along with a thread (there may be one here on the TCS) for people who are getting ready to have their pet euthanized. Understand a lot of pet owners don't get a lot of notice. When I lost Kitten I wrote what was in my heart even if it was damn scary to go back and read. You don't have to make sense to anyone but yourself.
I'm sure one of the mods could help you find the right place to start a thread about your journey.

 

[cheeser]

I'll preface this by saying that I've never faced that awful, heartwrenching decision, so I may feel differently when the time comes. I'm a medical student, and I've sworn an oath to do no harm to my patients. I see no reason why that oath doesn't apply to non-humans. In some ways, it holds even truer for our cats because they don't understand and can't make choices for themselves.

But I'd like to push back against the idea that euthanasia is always the best. I absolutely believe that no living creature should have to die in misery and pain, but just as I personally couldn't bear to administer a poison to a patient who wanted to die, I don't think I could do it for my cat either (or by proxy through a vet). If at all possible, I'd do everything to make my cat comfortable and make her last days easy (and I will likely have the ability to do so as a doctor), but I don't believe I have the right to choose her death. I believe that only God gives life and only God has the right to take that life.

But that's my personal belief, and I don't judge those who choose otherwise. It's one of the hardest decisions we'll have to make and no doubt, through the love we have for them, we will choose to do the best we can for our cats.

I don't think euthanasia is always best. Unfortunately, in some cases, I feel it can be the best option under very difficult circumstances when all other options have been exhausted.

Those of us who have traveled down this road have not made this decision lightly. It only came after weeks or months or years of a near constant roller coaster of improvements and relapses, second opinions, third opinions, fourth opinions, referrals to various specialists, medications, treatments, surgeries, chemo, holistic treatments, palliative care, hospice care, etc. There just reaches a point where current veterinary care is no longer of any help, and yet our beloved companions continue to suffer. And if I've been wrong to make the decisions I have, I pray that God, in His great mercy, will forgive me.

 

[kskatt]

I went to the forum that is for site help. If it's not the right place to ask, I'm sure they'll tell me where to go. I'm hoping there is a way to make more than just a thread (I'm so tech challenged I may be using the wrong terms). If there was a place that comes up under health care, maybe people who had never even thought it possible, would have that choice. I did a search for Hospice and got quite a few threads, one reason I know there has to be interest.
kittens mom, we have a lot in common, I had a cat murdered by a vet. Only mine wasn't negligent, he knew exactly what he was doing.

 

[Ardina]

I don't think euthanasia is always best. Unfortunately, in some cases, I feel it can be the best option under very difficult circumstances when all other options have been exhausted.

Those of us who have traveled down this road have not made this decision lightly. It only came after weeks or months or years of a near constant roller coaster of improvements and relapses, second opinions, third opinions, fourth opinions, referrals to various specialists, medications, treatments, surgeries, chemo, holistic treatments, palliative care, hospice care, etc. There just reaches a point where current veterinary care is no longer of any help, and yet our beloved companions continue to suffer. And if I've been wrong to make the decisions I have, I pray that God, in His great mercy, will forgive me.

Thank you for sharing your perspective. I think you're right that there comes a time when extending life is more cruel than beneficial. I believe there's a middle path between euthanasia and overtreatment. When additional care is futile and is causing more suffering, then the goal of care should be pain management and quality over quantity of life. But I believe you've convinced me too that there are situations in which even the best care can't manage the pain adequately, and perhaps euthanasia would be the greater mercy. I hope that I never have to face such a situation, but if I do and I end up choosing euthanasia, then I hope too that God in his infinite mercy will forgive me and understand that I did it out of love.

 

[kittens mom]

I went to the forum that is for site help. If it's not the right place to ask, I'm sure they'll tell me where to go. I'm hoping there is a way to make more than just a thread (I'm so tech challenged I may be using the wrong terms). If there was a place that comes up under health care, maybe people who had never even thought it possible, would have that choice. I did a search for Hospice and got quite a few threads, one reason I know there has to be interest.
kittens mom, we have a lot in common, I had a cat murdered by a vet. Only mine wasn't negligent, he knew exactly what he was doing.

There's nothing quite like it when you pet is murdered by someone you thought you could trust. It took me a long time to get around to words like monster, quack, murder. I'm sorry for your loss.

 

[Geoffrey]

I have owned cats since 1961 and every one has been euthanised except one who died in my arms from a cerebral haemorrhage. I have never regretted asking the vet to help the cats out of their suffering. I am a human doctor, not a vet, and I am prohibited by law from euthanising my patients - but there are a number whom I wished I could have put to sleep....

What I could not fail to notice about the way so many vets had put cats to sleep in the past was that the actual technique of euthanising caused pain or distress. The vet tries to put a needle into a vein but the animal resists and the vet cannot find a vein. This leads to further feline distress until at last another vein is found. In one case, a cat that ran under the wheels of my car and suffered a cerebral haemorrhage, causing paralysis of one side, the vet eventually had to put the injection into the abdomen. He then placed the poor animal into another room from which I could hear the cat, still crying - until at last he lost consciousness.

There is a better euthanising protocol coming however. Our last Siamese, Rupert was dying of kidney failure. When the time came, the vet gave Rupert a single gentle subcutaneous injection and after about three minutes Rupert simply fell asleep. The vet then easily found a vein and gave Rupert the lethal dose of barbiturates. It was the best way possible to euthanise a cat, Rupert died peacefully in my wife's arms, purring until he fell asleep.

I asked the vet what the first injection was and he told me that he had used the sedative that was used to shoot a syringe into the large cats - lions and tigers - in the African veldt.

I can only wish that this protocol had been used on some of my other dear cats in the past.

With all best wishes,
Geoffrey

 

[miagi's_mommy]

None of us are programmed to kill our pets that coupled with lack of emotional support IRL leads to a lot of issues. It becomes like poo on your already poo sandwich. The words " it's only " is an instant devaluation of your pet which is going to trigger resentment and anger on your part and further demoralize you.

You have no idea what I went through. This is why I barely post on this forum any more.

 

[jcat]

There is a better euthanising protocol coming however. Our last Siamese, Rupert was dying of kidney failure. When the time came, the vet gave Rupert a single gentle subcutaneous injection and after about three minutes Rupert simply fell asleep. The vet then easily found a vein and gave Rupert the lethal dose of barbiturates. It was the best way possible to euthanise a cat,

That's the norm here (I live in Germany), and it's infinitely preferable to the old one-shot method.

Over the years I've had to make the decision to have several of my own pets euthanized. I now work at a no-kill shelter with a lot of long-term residents and also have had to decide, together with vets and other staff members, when an extremely ill/terminal or injured animal should be put down. It's something that has to be done on a case-by-case basis, always taking quality of life into consideration, not what's easiest for the caretakers. Normally at some point treatment of a terminal patient necessitates euthanasia to avoid suffering. Prior to that, it's a question of healthcare, IMO.

 

[servals]

I've only had to face the decision once but it was definitely the right decision for us. It was when I was 13 years old, I'm 20 now. It's been just over 7 years as of March and I still grieve for him. His name was Dave.

My baby was diagnosed with kidney disease at age 16 and given a few months to live. He was always such a lover and had the most amazing disposition. At the diagnosis of course, euthanasia was brought up. It's a terminal illness, after all. But he wasn't suffering yet. If he still had a few months to live peacefully, then he deserved that time as much as we, his family, did. I was always very close to this cat; I had known him since birth and we grew to love each other like siblings. He always, always slept under the covers curled at my side. Since I was so close with him, I tasked myself with keeping an eye on his well being and giving him his medication.

He surpassed his "few months to live" and in this time we also switched vets. We would bring him in for his 6 month checkup, or if I thought there was anything off. I bonded with this new vet and she told me to keep a "quality of life" journal when he was about 17 and a half. So I did. Every day I would journal if he was acting normal, if he was eating, if he was drinking, if he was playing, if he was interested in his favorite treats, etc. His kidney disease was kept at bay and did not affect his quality of life for two years.

But just after he turned 18, his quality of life sharply declined. It was a matter of 2 days that the decision was made. On day 1 of his quality of life declining, he was very lethargic like we hadn't seen before, and he wasn't really interested in anything other than hiding under my bed. On day 2, he was visibly in pain. He was vomiting up bile. He couldn't drink or eat. He was trying to go to the bathroom in random places but couldn't get anything out, pee or poop. He could barely walk. This was still the earlier stages of complete kidney failure. His death would have continued like this, he would continue to go down hill, in more pain, eventually having seizures until death. So we had his euthanasia scheduled for the next morning, first thing.

He was very sick. I put a cat bed at the end of my bed, and wrapped him in blankets. He fell asleep there, but the thing I will always remember is that even through all the pain he was facing, I woke up in the middle of the night to find him under the covers, snuggled against my side for the last time. When the morning came, his eyes were still glazed over in pain and he still had not eaten. He seemed to be at peace in the cat bed with blankets, so that's how we transported him. I took him outside for a short walk in his bed, and we got in the car. We stopped at my parent's old friends house, who had known Dave all of his life. We visited with them and they said their farewells to Dave. He was always a peaceful cat.

We arrived at the vet and didn't have to wait long. He wasn't upset by his surroundings. I went into the room with him. Personally I think this is the part that owners struggle with. Going into the room and watching it happen. But as long as I live, I will always, always go into the room with them. Dave was given the first injection to simply knock him unconscious. He fell asleep as I was holding him, looking into my eyes. That's all I could really ask for is that the last thing he saw was his family. The second injection stopped his heart.

It was heartbreaking, of course. But he checked all the boxes for a suffering quality of life, and we euthanized him pretty much right before the kidney failure gripped him with all of its wrath and he truly began to crash. He did not suffer any seizures. He did not have a violent death, which was the alternative to euthanasia. He died at peace with his family. In our case, it was the right decision. I think another great option is having the vet do a house call.

 

[denice]

I have owned cats since 1961 and every one has been euthanised except one who died in my arms from a cerebral haemorrhage. I have never regretted asking the vet to help the cats out of their suffering. I am a human doctor, not a vet, and I am prohibited by law from euthanising my patients - but there are a number whom I wished I could have put to sleep....

What I could not fail to notice about the way so many vets had put cats to sleep in the past was that the actual technique of euthanising caused pain or distress. The vet tries to put a needle into a vein but the animal resists and the vet cannot find a vein. This leads to further feline distress until at last another vein is found. In one case, a cat that ran under the wheels of my car and suffered a cerebral haemorrhage, causing paralysis of one side, the vet eventually had to put the injection into the abdomen. He then placed the poor animal into another room from which I could hear the cat, still crying - until at last he lost consciousness.

There is a better euthanising protocol coming however. Our last Siamese, Rupert was dying of kidney failure. When the time came, the vet gave Rupert a single gentle subcutaneous injection and after about three minutes Rupert simply fell asleep. The vet then easily found a vein and gave Rupert the lethal dose of barbiturates. It was the best way possible to euthanise a cat, Rupert died peacefully in my wife's arms, purring until he fell asleep.

I asked the vet what the first injection was and he told me that he had used the sedative that was used to shoot a syringe into the large cats - lions and tigers - in the African veldt.

I can only wish that this protocol had been used on some of my other dear cats in the past.

With all best wishes,
Geoffrey

The two shot method is gaining acceptance here as well. With the one shot method the cat would be taken in the back so the human wouldn't see the struggle that often happens with finding a vein especially with a cat in the final stages of a terminal illness and getting a catheter in. Of course humans are curious and want to know that their beloved cat isn't suffering. The two shot method is much easier first and foremost for the cat but also for the human.

 

[orange&white]

For the only cat I had euthanized, the vet did use the two shot method while I held her in my arms. The first shot made her start purring and shortly after the second shot, she simply exhaled and was gone. It was sad, but very peaceful.

I didn't know that there was any other way it was done.

 

[kittens mom]

You have no idea what I went through. This is why I barely post on this forum any more.

Just hugs. I don't know what you went thought but I know what I went though and I wouldn't wish it on anyone.

 

[lalagimp]

I haven't had to lose a cat yet but I do believe in the ability to end the suffering of a beloved pet, although I always hope it's peacefully in their sleep, it rarely is.
I've been raising guinea pigs for almost 11 years. I raised rats for a few years as well. Most guinea pigs live until age 4 before they start declining. Most rats about age 2. That's a pretty high turnover and I've had about 20 guinea pigs. Right now I'm pretty sure I'm giving hospice care to my oldest guinea pig Mu-Xi Mu. She's expected to turn 6 this summer but I don't know if she'll make it another 2 months. I have to balance out her level of care and quality of life as a very large mass is taking up sensitive space in her abdomen, and she's losing weight and has interest in eating but doesn't eat. Right now we're on a G.I. motility drug, a pain relief med, and additional vitamin C (they can't make their own) as well as hand feeding through a very large syringe. She doesn't even get halfway through a "meal" and tells me she'd rather be done and go back to her room.
Do I want Mu to starve to death, in pain from this mass? No. Would I rather she fall asleep and not wake up? absolutely. But even when that has happened in the past, there was still guilt about not finding the illness soon enough, as I'm sure with a female or two that it was sudden and possibly brought on by a ruptured ovarian cyst. I went to have a girl spayed from cyst issues and she had one rupture while we were at the vet about to turn her in for surgery and she passed out and died in her sleep in my arms. Matter of fact my last guinea pig died in our arms two years ago. She'd had hospice care for 6 or 7 weeks and one morning decided she was done eating and died with both my boyfriend and I, having violent seizures. I still feel like I should have made the appointment that morning and put her down more gently.
Whether you help end their life or it ends on it's own, doesn't mean you can be at peace with it.

 

[kittens mom]

lalagimp - That should be on a banner.

Quote-
Whether you help end their life or it ends on it's own, doesn't mean you can be at peace with it.

 

[orange&white]

lalagimp - That should be on a banner.

Quote-
Whether you help end their life or it ends on it's own, doesn't mean you can be at peace with it.

Hear, hear! We always feel guilty, like we should have done "something" different, regardless of how it ends.

 

[Willowy]

The 2-shot method is standard now; the AVMA's panel on euthanasia now has it as the only "highly recommended" method. They're only supposed to do it some other way if the 2-shot method isn't possible. I think they instituted that in 2013 but a lot of vets were doing it already, because it's so much easier on the pet and the owner.

For those against euthanasia, I hope they never have a pet who gets dementia and forgets how to eat, or a pet who is having seizures every 5 minutes, screaming and puking, or a pet who has a massive tumor growing that is in a location that can't be removed. Do you really want to wait a month for your dog with dementia to starve to death? Wait for the cat to finally have a seizure so bad they die from it or choke to death on their own vomit? Wait until the tumor breaks and the pet bleeds to death? Those all sound. . .less than ideal. OK, horrific.

My heart goes out to those who have to choose to end a young healthy pet's life for behavioral problems. I could never make that decision. I would live in a pee-soaked house being attacked daily because I could never make that decision. But sometimes mental disorders are terminal too, and sometimes it's necessary.