When Is The Right Time To Have A Pet Put Down?
Your vet is the best judge of your pet's physical condition however you are the best judge of the quality of your pet's daily life. If a pet has a good appetite, responds to attention, seeks its owner's company and participates in play or family life many owners feel that this is not the time. If however a pet is in constant pain, undergoing difficult and stressful treatments that aren't helping greatly, unresponsive to affection, unaware of its surroundings and uninterested in life, a caring pet owner will probably choose to end the beloved companion's suffering.
Evaluate your pet's health honestly and unselfishly with your vet. Prolonging a pet's suffering in order to prevent your own ultimately helps neither of you. Nothing can make this decision an easy or painless one but it is truly the final act of love that you can make for your pet.
By Moria Anderson Allen, M.Ed.
