published by: The American Veterinary Medical Association

Pet Loss & Human Emotion
When The Question Is Euthanasia

Perhaps the kindest thing you can do for a pet that is so sick or so severely injured that it will never recover normal health is to have your veterinarian induce its death quietly and humanely. This is called euthanasia. Your decision to have your pet euthanatized is a serious one, never easy to make.

What should I do?
Your relationship with your pet is special. When you acquired a pet, you assumed responsibility for its health and welfare. Fortunately, few owners are faced with making life-or-death decisions for their pets. However, such a decision may become necessary for the welfare of the pet and the family.

A decision concerning euthanasia may be the most difficult decision you will ever make regarding your pet. Your decision is a personal one, but it need not be a solitary one. Your veterinarian and your family and friends can assist in the decision-making process. You should consider what is best for your pet but also what is best for you and your family. Quality of life is important for pets and people alike.

How will I know when?
If your pet can no longer do with you and your family the things he once enjoyed, if she cannot respond to you in the usual ways, if there is more pain than pleasure in his life, or if she is terminally ill or critically injured, you may want to consider euthanasia.

Your veterinarian, a person who understands emotional attachment to pets, can examine and  evaluate your pet's condition, estimate your pet's chances for recovery, and discuss potential disabilities and long-term problems. Your veterinarian can explain the medical options and their possible outcome. Because your veterinarian cannot make the euthanasia decision for you, it is important that you fully understand your pet's condition. If there is any part of the diagnosis or the implications for your pet's future that you don't understand, ask to have it explained again. Only on rare occasions will the situation require an immediate decision. Usually, you will have time to go home and review the facts before making your decision.

What if the animal is healthy?
Euthanasia might be necessary if a pet has become vicious, dangerous, or unmanageable. Although economic, emotional, and space limitations may force an owner to consider euthanasia, it is better to find another solution or an alternative home for these pets. Some undesirable and abnormal behavior can be changed. Euthanasia should be considered only when another alternative is not available.

Should I tell my family?
Usually, family members are already aware of a pet's health problems. However, you should review with them the information you have received from your veterinarian. Long-term medical care can be a burden that you and your family may be unable to bear emotionally or financially, and this should be discussed openly and honestly. Family members should be allowed to express their thoughts and feelings. Even if you have reached a decision, it is important that family members, especially children, believe their feelings have been considered.

Children have special relationships with their pets. Excluding or protecting children from this decision-making process because they are thought to be too young to understand, may only complicate their grieving period following a pet's death. Children should be given straightforward, truthful, and simple answers. If they are prepared adequately; children usually are able to accept a pet's death. As you make your decision, you should discuss the final disposition of your pet's body with your family and veterinarian. You have several options, and your veterinarian can provide information about burial, cremation, or disposal.

How can I say goodbye?
The act of saying goodbye is the first and an important step in managing the natural and healthy feelings of grief, sorrow, and sense of loss. Your pet is an important part of your life and it is natural to feel you are losing a friend - for you are.

If you decide that euthanasia is the most merciful, practical, and humane action, you and other family members may want to say goodbye to your pet. A last evening with your pet at home or a visit to the pet at the hospital may be appropriate. Family members who want to be alone with the animal should be allowed to do so. Some family members, however, may prefer to remember the pet when it was healthy. Farewells are always difficult.

Will it be painless?
Euthanasia is almost always accomplished by injection of a death-inducing drug. Some veterinarians give an overdose of an anesthetic agent. In either case, your pet will immediately go into a quiet and irreversible deep sleep. Death will come quickly and painlessly.

How can I face the loss?
After your pet has died, it is natural and normal to feel grief and sorrow. By understanding the grieving process, you will be better prepared to manage your grief.

There are many symptoms of grief, but not everyone experiences them all. Your first reaction may be to deny your pet is sick or injured. This reaction may occur before death, when you first learned the extent of your pet's illness or injuries.

Anger may follow denial. This anger can be directed toward people you normally love and respect, even your veterinarian. You may blame yourself or others for not recognizing the illness earlier or for being careless and allowing the pet to be injured. After denial and anger, you may feel grief and depression. This is the period when you usually feel the greatest sense of loss. Once you and your family come to terms with your feelings, you can begin to resolve and accept your pet's death.

Although the symptoms of grief apply whether the loss is of a pet or a human loved one, grieving is a personal process. Some people take longer than others to come to terms with denial, anger, grief, or depression. If you understand that these are normal reactions, you will be better prepared to cope with your own feelings and to help others face theirs. Family members should be reassured that sorrow and grief are normal, natural responses to death.