Euthanasia: The Compassionate Option

A Compassionate Goodbye

When animal companions become very sick and are suffering, have no hope of recovery, and seem unable to truly enjoy life, it may be time to ensure their peaceful, painless passing through euthanasia by injection. Tell your veterinarian to talk frankly with you, and always ask them what they would do if this were their own animal companion. Make sure they understand that you want to prevent your companion from suffering. Seek a second opinion if you’re in any doubt.

Make sure that you’re not prolonging your animal friend’s suffering because of your own fear of death or the dread of letting go. Remember that it will always be too soon for you, but this decision is about what is best for your loved one.

Many people mistakenly believe that if their animal is eating, wagging their tail, or wants to be close to them, it’s not yet time. Animals are stoic, and many of them mask pain and hide symptoms, so it’s your duty to look deeper and to observe differences in your animal and their behavior, as subtle as they may be. The questions to consider are whether your animal still has real joy and a consistently high quality of life. The tendency is to wait too long, at the expense of the animal you love. Please don’t wait until there is nothing left but pain, immobility, inappetence, and/or misery for your animal companion. Your responsibility as a guardian is to ensure their well-being and to prevent them from experiencing distress, pain, and fear.

Arranging for a veterinarian to come to your home is by far the best option and should be planned for and done, unless extraordinary circumstances make it impossible. It’s much less stressful for your animal companion to be in the comfort of their own home, especially if they are in pain or fearful of cars or the veterinarian’s office. Please research options for in-home euthanasia in your area well in advance and ensure that you have a savings account with adequate funds set aside to cover the cost. In-home euthanasia services are available in most areas.

If in-home euthanasia is not possible, go to a local animal hospital, perhaps taking along a member of your family or a friend to give you moral support and drive you home. If necessary, ask hospital personnel to help you carry your animal companion inside. If you plan to bury the body rather than leaving it at the hospital—or if your animal companion is in a great deal of pain or very fearful—you may want to arrange to have a veterinarian or trained technician come to your vehicle to administer the injection.

If your animal companion is very nervous, you may want to obtain a dose of sedative from your veterinarian and administer it two hours before the appointed time. The veterinarian will be able to give the injection to a relaxed patient more easily. You will also be calmer when your animal companion is at ease. It’s important to try to be cheerful and soothing until after your animal companion has lost consciousness. Save your tears until after the procedure is done so as not to cause your animal distress.

Staying with your animal companion through every step of the process is a vital comfort to the animal. If you’re extremely upset or nervous, however, you may convey those feelings to your animal friend—so it’s important to remain calm and speak in a soothing voice. Although your animal companion’s brain will “go to sleep” immediately, their heart may beat for a few minutes longer because circulation may be slowed by the tranquilizer, a medical condition, or old age. A careful veterinarian will monitor the heart until its last beat. You will never doubt that your friend had a peaceful departure from this life if you’re there to say goodbye at the very end.

Remember that it’s normal to feel deep grief and a great sense of loss over the death of your animal friend. Please see our factsheet “The Loss of a Companion Animal” for assistance with and resources for dealing with this difficult time. Some hospitals and private grief counseling services now recognize the need to help people adjust to the loss of close friends and family members who don’t happen to be human. Take comfort in knowing that you did all that you could to make your animal companion’s passing as painless and peaceful as possible.

If you have other animal companions in your family, take their feelings into consideration, too. If they were closely bonded with the animal who has died, it can be very helpful to them to have the opportunity to see and smell the deceased’s body so that they know what has happened and won’t wait endlessly at the door for their missing companion to return. Animals have deep feelings of grief and loss, too, when their friends die. Be sensitive to their feelings, even as you work through your own, and try to help them through their grief by giving them extra attention and activities.

What You Can Do

Ensuring a good life and a good death are the responsibilities of every animal guardian. Although saying goodbye is never easy, preparing now will bring you and your animal companion peace and comfort when the time comes.

• Before you adopt an animal, ensure that you have a savings account to cover needed veterinary care and treatments, including in-home euthanasia.
• Make a promise to your animal companions that you will never allow them to suffer by waiting too long to say goodbye. It can be helpful to make this commitment well before the need arises and even to write it down and sign it.
• When the time for euthanasia arrives, do everything you can to make it peaceful for your companion: Have a veterinarian come to your home, and do your best to keep your emotions in check. Be strong, positive, and loving to the end for your animal companion.