Is Euthanasia Painful for My Pet?

Watching a beloved pet’s quality of life deteriorate during advanced stages of life or witnessing extreme suffering from a debilitating disease is unfathomable for most pet lovers. Unfortunately, these situations do occur and when they do we’re forced to make difficult choices about what is best for our beloved pets. Though pet euthanasia is not the right choice for everyone, it’s important to understand what your pet will experience when weighing your options.A common fear expressed is that the euthanasia procedure will cause additional pain and discomfort to an animal that has already experienced his or her fair share of suffering. Rest assured, the procedure itself can provide temporary comfort for your pet’s final moments. In fact, the most pain your animal will feel is the slight prick of a needle used to administer pain medication. The drug used quickly enters the bloodstream and the suffering pet loses consciousness. If you’ve ever been given anesthesia prior to surgery, the sensation your pet will experience is quite similar.The process of euthanizing a dog or cat hasn’t always been this peaceful. In year’s past, your only alternative was to bring a sick animal to a veterinarian’s office, which can be a cold, inhospitable place for many pets. There, the physician would perform the procedure without the benefit of many of the sedatives available today.At Gentle Journey, we strive to make our in-home euthanasia service as pain-free and peaceful as humanly possible. Your pet’s comfort level during this difficult experience is our top priority. If you would like to learn more about the process, please call us at 602-332-7757 or visit us online.

A Special Thank You to Some of Phoenix’s Finest Veterinarians

If you are like me, you want to know you are doing the best to keep your pet happy and healthy. And when it’s a matter of life and death, you want to know that he or she is being treated by the most capable hands possible. I recently went through this with my cat, Mikey. When Mikey got sick, I enlisted some of the best veterinary services in the Phoenix Valley to care for him. The doctors discovered an advanced case of lymphoma from which he wouldn’t recover. Ultimately, we decided euthanasia was the most humane option.Though the decision was heartbreaking, I have no regrets about putting Mikey down. I know that I provided the best possible medical care for him; there simply wasn’t anything else we could do. I’m eternally grateful to each and every one of the doctors for their thoroughness, professionalism and compassion. I wanted to personally thank and endorse each and every one of them as they helped me to navigate this difficult time.Dr. Hereski and Dr. Glover - Horizon Animal HospitalDr. Hereski and Dr. Glover were always able to get me in the same day for bloodwork and radiographs when needed. Their staff was caring and attentive the whole way through the process with Mikey. I would come in to buy different foods for Mikey and give them an update. Everyone was rooting for him.Dr. Arch Robertson - VetMedDr. Robertson has been providing ultrasound for pets in the valley for years. I always felt confident taking Mikey to VetMed because I knew that Dr. Robertson not only had a lot of experience, but also that he stays up to date on the latest medicine. He is very thorough and will let you know everything that can possibly be done for your pet.Dr. Jonathan Grant- The Scaredy Cat HospitalWhen Mikey’s tests weren’t conclusive and he wasn’t responding to standard treatments, I wanted to go to someone who knew cats. Dr. Grant specializes in cat care. He thoroughly reviewed Mikey’s record, ran a few extra tests and told me about a new drug that was safer for cats with Mikey’s condition.When I had to leave town for a week, there was no doubt that the only place I wanted him was at Scaredy Cat Hospital in one of their cat condos, a small room with a cat tree just for him. I knew that he would get attention from the caring staff and if something went wrong, Dr. Grant would treat him.Dr. Ale Aguirre - Salt River Veterinary SpecialistI needed an ultrasound asap when Mikey wasn’t feeling well and Dr. Aguirre fit me in right away. He was the one who found Mikey’s tumor and was so sensitive when he told me. He was available to consult with any of the doctors moving forward.Dr. Linda Beaver - Arizona Veterinary SpecialistsDr. Beaver goes above and beyond in her patient care usually staying late checking in with her clients over the phone. I had left her message after I found out about the tumor and she called me that night and fit me in the next day. She took her time explaining all of our options. She was ready and willing to be as aggressive as I wanted to be and totally understanding when I felt it was time to stop.

Part 1: What Are the 3 Stages of Pet Hospice Care?

I first met my beloved cat, Mikey, when I was a veterinary student in Colorado. He had been living at the clinic for about three months after he was brought in with a severe injury to his back foot, an upper respitory infection, and eyes swollen shut. Though he was still on antibiotics, the clinic had done a great job rehabilitating him and I just knew he was destined for a forever home with me.I’ve had several great years with Mikey, but recently he started to experience some health problems and decreased quality of life. It’s truly heartbreaking to see Mikey’s health in decline, but I’m grateful for strides our field has made in palliative pet care, specifically Pet Hospice care. Pet Hospices focus on enhancing quality of life in sick animals while providing support to pet parents transitioning through the 3 stages of Hospice Care. In this piece, I’ll just focus on the first two stages and provide examples of my experience with Mikey, to give you greater understanding of the value these services have to offer.Similar to the 5 Stages of Grief, pet parents go through a series of emotional steps as they come to terms with the idea of saying goodbye. Pet Hospice providers offer comfort, guidance, and expertise as you navigate the following stages:Stage 1: Initial DiagnosisDiagnosis marks the first stage of the process. In many cases, the vet will discover a terminal or debilitating illness in your pet. You experience grief and a whole roller coaster of other emotions. With Mikey, we weren’t able to diagnose a specific problem; unfortunately, sometimes we don’t have all the answers. What we do know is he has a condition that will progressively decrease his quality of life. We’ll need to do our best to manage his quality of life for as long as possible. Understanding this allows us to help Mikey by focusing on the next stage.Stage 2: Managing and Evaluating Quality of Life The focus of the second stage of pet hospice is assessing an ailing pet’s quality of life and coming up with strategies to manage it. In my own experience with Mikey, we’ve had good days and bad. One day he’ll eat and we think things are under control, the next day he wants nothing to do with his food. Your brain is so fried, because you're emotionally stressed out, making it hard to be objective. It’s a really awful and lonely place to be.This is where pet hospice is truly valuable. Having an unbiased pair of eyes to help you make a plan and evaluate quality of life when you aren’t thinking clearly is a godsend. Pet Hospice providers can help you come up with a plan and define parameters for if/when you are going to make a decision of life and death. Luckily we haven’t reached this stage yet with Mikey, but if we ever do it will provide me great comfort knowing we did everything we could for him.

Should Other Animals Be Present During Pet Euthanasia?

Letting go of an ailing pet is a gut-wrenching choice many pet owners are forced to make when caring for an animal whose bad days far outnumber the good. Being present with your pet during this bewildering procedure is an intimate experience that honors the bond you’ve built with your beloved companion. A final embrace and loving farewell can be a positive moment that aids the grieving process.If you have other pets in the home who are closely bonded with your ailing friend, you may be wondering if they should be afforded the same opportunity to bid a heartfelt goodbye. Allowing other pets to witness the procedure can provide them with a sense of closure, reducing the chances they’ll be waiting for the departed pet to return. In many cases, your healthy cat or dog may want to stay close-by in support of a dying pet until he or she passes on.Not all animals will want to be present during the procedure and that’s okay. If this is the case, it’s generally advisable to abide their wishes and let them deal with the loss in their own, personal way. Additionally, it may be impractical to have other animals present at the time of the procedure if they are disruptive to the process. If this is the case, allowing them to say goodbye after the animal has passed can help them to understand what has taken place.Providing pets the opportunity to say goodbye is therapeutic and can help your healthy pet move on after the passing. This wasn’t always the case, as the procedure was generally performed in a veterinarian’s office. Gentle Journey and other in-home euthanasia services have changed the landscape of pet care making it possible for the whole family, pets included, to say goodbye in the most loving, caring environment possible. If you’d like to learn more about this compassionate service, call Gentle Journey at 602-332-7757 or visit our website: http://doctorchristina.com/services/ 

Knowing When It’s Time to Let a Pet Go

It’s a simple fact of life; as years wear on, the body breaks down and is no longer able to function as it once did. As the old saying goes, Father Time is undefeated. Just as the years take their toll on our bodies, our pets experience a similar decline, but at much more rapid pace. Though we wish they could remain young and strong forever, we are likely to witness a steady decline in quality of life for our pets as they age. Many pet owners are inevitably faced with the difficult prospect of deciding whether or not to put an animal to sleep.Choosing the best time to end an animal’s life is difficult. Putting an animal down too soon will rob you, and your pet, of precious quality time together. Wait too long and you risk putting your friend through unnecessary pain and suffering. There are no black and white answers when making this choice, but there are several questions that can help guide your decision:

• Is your pet eating and drinking?

A marked change in your pet’s eating habits is often a sign they are experiencing pain. That said, a suffering animal won’t always lose their appetite. In fact, many diseases and medications will actually cause an increase in appetite. Pay attention to any changes in your pet’s eating habits, but be mindful of other variables when assessing their quality of life.

• Is your pet In pain?

Assessing pain levels in animals can be extremely difficult as they’re instinctually predisposed to mask pain in order to protect themselves from predators. However, small behavioral changes can be tell-tale signs that your pet is in pain. E.g., if a typically affectionate animal no longer wants to be touched or grows aggressive this is usually a strong indicator that something is wrong.

• Is your pet able to perform normal activities?

If your pet is having trouble getting up and down, going to the bathroom, or shows limited mobility this could be a sign of a bigger problem.If your pet is experiencing difficulty with any of the factors provided, you may want to schedule an appointment with your vet as these are good indicators of your pet’s quality of life. When deciding whether or not it’s time to put your animal to sleep, there is no right or wrong decision. The human-animal bond can be quite powerful. When things with your little friend just don’t seem right, your gut is often the best judge of what is best for your animal.