Why Euthanasia?

The euthanasia decision for a beloved pet may be one of the most difficult choices you must face during your lifetime. It is hard to make a life-ending determination like this for someone who cannot tell you what his wishes are and yet a judgment call must be made. There are emotional issues such as guilt, grief, and uncertainty as well as financial and/or time commitment matters in choosing to treat or not treat an illness. Family members with differing opinions or philosophies may be involved. The decision process is arduous and everyone dreads its necessity.

You likely have questions about how to tell whether the right time has come in addition to questions about what to expect and what the procedure is. Dr. Susan Holt is here to guide you through these difficult issues so that you can be certain in the years to come that you made the right decision without regret.

Please see below (bottom of page) for the Quality of Life Scale.


When is it the right time?

Quality of Life:
​
What is Quality of Life? Quality of life is a frequent term used to assess how an pet is fairing in the midst of aging or illness.
You know your pet the best, and are the expert regarding the quality of his or her life. Your evaluation will probably occur multiple times throughout your animal’s illness. If there are other people who also love this animal, it may be helpful, especially with children, to involve them in some discussions regarding quality as you are faced with decisions.
Here are some ideas of how to objectively gauge quality of life:
First, take a moment and decide how you define quality in terms of living with quality. Truthfully answer some key questions such as:
  • Is your pet eating and drinking normally?
  • Can it relieve itself on its’ own?
  • Can your pet move around on its’ own?
  • Is your pet interested in the activities around it?
  • Is your pet withdrawn much of the time?

It can be helpful to understand the differences between pain and suffering as you are making assessments of quality in your pet’s life.

Pain is a physical and emotional sensation that can be complicated to assess. Keep in mind, a pet’s reaction to pain is dependent upon its personality and the degree of pain it’s experiencing. Ask your veterinarian what signs your pet may display to indicate pain.

Suffering is more than physical attributes, and involves the ability to enjoy living life. Use the above tools to help decide if important qualities are diminishing or are no longer present in your pet’s life. These may help you to define what suffering would be for your pet and create a plan to prevent or limit any suffering.

Measuring Quality of Life:

You might also consider some of the following suggestions to help gain an even deeper understanding of your pet’s current quality of life.

Create a List of Your Pet’s Unique Qualities

You might also consider some of the following suggestions to help gain an even deeper understanding of your pet’s current quality of life.

Your pet is a very special individual with their own special customs. These are a few general ideas to help you get started on your own list:

  • Chasing a ball
  • Playing with other pets
  • Greeting you at the door
  • Playing with toys
  • Wanting to go for walks
  • Usual habits like scratching on a post and rubbing your legs or barking at a neighbor

As your pet’s disease progresses, and these qualities fade, mark them off the list. Decide early on how many you will allow to go before too much quality diminishes from your pet’s day-to-day life.

Keep a Good Day/Bad Day Calendar

Evaluate what a good day would be for your pet, and also what a bad day looks like. Each evening, recall the day and decide if it was a good or bad day, marking a calendar with a happy face or a sad face. Decide how many bad days in a row occur before quality is compromised.

1. Quality of life Calendar and Quality of life scale daily diary - Final Gift Crematorium
(Link Below)

https://s3.amazonaws.com/gatewayservices-production-fgpm/resources/resources-451-a/en-us/attachment

Keep a Journal:

Keep a daily record of events in your and your pet’s life. This will help you look back and reflect on changes that occur and how your life is affected.
(Reprinted with permission from the Argus Institute, Colorado State University)

QUALITY OF LIFE SCALE:

There are two quality of life scales below that can be helpful in determining when it is time to euthanize your pet. The first quality of life scale provided is from The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine (link below). This quality of life scale is geared towards helping pet owners in making this tough decision. The second Quality of Life Scale is provided by Dr. Ailice Villalobos, the creator of Pawspice. This quality of life scale is helpful for pet owners but is geared more towards the veterinarian. Please feel free to use both quality of life scales in assisting you with making the decision as to when it is time to euthanize your pet.

2. The Ohio State University Quality of Life Scale:

​Assessing Quality of Life for Your Companion Animal and Making End-of-Life Decisions:

Link to Website:

​https://vmc.vet.osu.edu/sites/default/files/documents/how-will-i-know_rev_mar2024ms_0.pdf

Link to downloadable PDF:
ohio_state_university_quality_of_life_scale.pdf
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