{"id":2509,"date":"2018-08-16T07:33:52","date_gmt":"2018-08-16T12:33:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tasteofthewildpetfood.com\/?p=2509"},"modified":"2023-11-02T12:39:14","modified_gmt":"2023-11-02T17:39:14","slug":"ethics-saving-sick-aging-pets-know-let-go","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tasteofthewildpetfood.com\/lifestages\/ethics-saving-sick-aging-pets-know-let-go\/","title":{"rendered":"The Ethics of \u201cSaving\u201d Sick or Aging Pets: How Do You Know When to Let Go?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"ASir Walter Scott was not only a prolific poet and novelist, he was also \u201cperhaps the most devoted dog lover that ever was,\u201d according to a New York Times<\/em> article published in 1898. In paintings, he is almost always portrayed with a dog. And his deerhound, Maida, is immortalized in the monument of Scott in Edinburgh, forever curled at his side.<\/p>\n

Scott lamented about the brief lives of his canine companions: \u201cI have sometimes thought of the final cause of dogs having such short lives and I am quite satisfied it is in compassion to the human race; for if we suffer so much in losing a dog after an acquaintance of ten or twelve years, what would it be if they were to live double that time?\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a loss that all dog and cat lovers have to face at some point. But how do you know when it\u2019s time to let go of your companion? And when can euthanasia, in fact, be the most kind and loving choice?<\/p>\n

The Dilemma of Sick and Old Pets<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Pets are living longer than ever before, thanks to advances in nutrition and veterinary medicine \u2014 and perhaps because more now sleep in our beds<\/a>, rather than outside. And many of the same life-extending procedures available for humans can also be offered for pets. From brain surgery and chemotherapy to hip replacements and kidney transplants, there\u2019s almost nothing you can\u2019t do for your pet (at a price, of course).<\/p>\n

But like human medicine, most of these advanced measures rarely come with guarantees of how much life \u2014 or quality<\/em> of life, considering potential drug side effects or hospitalizations \u2014 they\u2019ll buy for our pets.<\/p>\n

Even if the pet is simply grey around the muzzle and slowing down from a degenerative disease, a common phenomenon in older pets, at what point is medical poking and prodding helping the pet or hindering comfort and happiness?<\/p>\n

Subtract Your Emotions from the Equation<\/strong><\/h2>\n

While these questions never have black-and-white answers, what makes them even harder is the fact that your pet is a loved family member, bound inexplicably to your heart. But perhaps the kindest thing you can do is to put aside how you<\/em> feel and focus instead on how your pet <\/em>feels. How can you minimize your pet\u2019s suffering and make sure their remaining time is physically and mentally rewarding? To help accomplish this, there are numerous quality-of-life surveys, like this one<\/a>, that help you objectively evaluate whether your pet is enjoying life or having a hard time of it.<\/p>\n

You can also keep a daily diary to determine if your pet is having more bad days than good. Or select three of your pet\u2019s favorite activities, whether it\u2019s slurping up peanut butter, chasing a laser or retrieving the squeaky toy, and note when your pet loses the interest or ability to do the things he or she loves.<\/p>\n

The Association for Pet Loss and Bereavement<\/a> also offers resources and online chats to help you grapple with the difficult decision.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s Always a Personal Decision<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Your veterinarian can be an invaluable resource in terms of evaluating your pet\u2019s comfort level or simply serving as a sounding board to discuss how you feel. But inevitably, only you and your family can decide what\u2019s right for your pet.<\/p>\n

Knowing when to let go is, without a doubt, the toughest part of being a pet parent. But it\u2019s also one of the most loving and compassionate ways we can repay our pets for a life of devoted companionship.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sir Walter Scott was not only a prolific poet and novelist, he was also \u201cperhaps the most devoted dog lover that ever was,\u201d according to a New York Times article published in 1898. In paintings, he is almost always portrayed with a dog. And his deerhound, Maida, is immortalized in the monument of Scott in … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2513,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"When to Let Go: Making Ethical Decisions for Aging or Sick Pets","_seopress_titles_desc":"Saying goodbye to a pet is never easy. Learn more about the challenges pet owners face when balancing medical intervention with quality of life for their pets.","_seopress_robots_index":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[60,70,59,68,58],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tasteofthewildpetfood.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2509"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tasteofthewildpetfood.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tasteofthewildpetfood.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tasteofthewildpetfood.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tasteofthewildpetfood.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2509"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.tasteofthewildpetfood.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2509\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14410,"href":"https:\/\/www.tasteofthewildpetfood.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2509\/revisions\/14410"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tasteofthewildpetfood.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2513"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tasteofthewildpetfood.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2509"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tasteofthewildpetfood.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2509"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tasteofthewildpetfood.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2509"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}