Be Your Dog's Best Friend
Module 6- Section 3
Module 6- Section 3
Considering End of Days
This is a section, that no dog owner wants to even think about, much less deal with. However, the more knowledgeable you are, the easier this period will be for both you and your dog.
- Quality of life
- Euthanasia
This is a section, that no dog owner wants to even think about, much less deal with. However, the more knowledgeable you are, the easier this period will be for both you and your dog.
When it gets to ‘that time’, when one may have to make the painful choice of euthanasia, we are so often told to take the dog’s current ‘quality of life’ into consideration, but what on earth are the deciding/defining factors for this?
Here, we give you some ideas, and these are mostly based on the information we have already given you about aging but do bear in mind that each and every dog is different – and do speak to your vet, who will be able to help you more on the physical side when it comes to determining your dog’s quality of life. Vet’s do not suggest euthanizing without reason, so do consider their opinion very seriously.
Many of us ‘just know’ when the time is right – we wake up one morning, and ‘know’ that it is time to take the next step – our dog is ready to go home.
What we will ask you to consider, is not to let ‘nature take its course’, so that you do not have to make the decision as to whether to euthanise or not. The natural way can be horrific, with the ending being a dog that is in severe pain, cannot catch its breath, is starving due to not being able to eat properly, and the degree of pain can be such that the dog may bite its person as they attempt to assist the dog. We do urge you to speak to your vet if you feel the quality of life is deteriorating and let your vet help you in deciding.
We have provided you with some information on euthanasia, so that you can make an educated decision, that is right for you and your dog, and this is very important – it MUST be right for both you and your dog – always go with your gut feeling as to what is your next step, bearing in mind the information supplied about quality of life, and or course, your vets opinion.
Food Related
First and foremost, is your dog able to eat enough food to remain nourished? Is your dog having difficulty chewing, swallowing and digesting food? Is the dog able to keep the food eaten down, or is it regurgitating it just after eating? Is the dog able to eat by itself, or do you have to hand feed the dog to coax it to eat? Do bear in mind that iF the dog is not eating enough, or not digesting, or getting the correct nourishment from its food, as hard as it is to say this, the dog is on the slow road to starvation.
Getting Around & Body Contact
As we have mentioned before, dogs do not always show pain, as it makes them look weak in a pack situation – if they are showing pain, then the pain level could be very high.
Some clues – in addition to touching your dog all over tis body for signs of discomfort, also, watch your dog as it moves around and lies down. Is the dog having difficulty lying down or sitting up. Its body language could be giving you some info, in that the back may be a bit hunched, the dog is slower than usual, the face does not look relaxed as the dog tries to get up, rather it may appear a bit furrowed. Remember the other side of the spectrum, whereby a pet that should be getting up and moving around due to various situations, will prefer to lie still – perhaps moving is painful?
Where pain is concerned, if your dog’s starts to lie in areas away from the family or any other dogs in the home, where it did not used to go, this could indicate that the dogs feels pain, and wants to get out of the way of people and other dogs.
However, if your dog can hardly move, and may need to be carried, or drag itself around, this is a totally different matter. Be aware as well if your dog can crouch to eliminate, whether it can get up from the lying position without help. Can it walk without legs collapsing (normally back legs have this problem)? If you do try to move your dog, what is your dog’s reaction? Does it whine, whimper or growl – if it does, this dog is not coping. The above paragraph, highlights where quality of life is lacking, and if your dog is suffering from any of the above, we do urge you to speak to your vet.
Breathing
If your dog’s breathing has changed, in that if may seem to be panting more, or that it is battling to breath a bit, or what it is wheezing, or coughing etc, it could indicate pain in the body, or an underlying disease. See also, in what circumstance does this occur – is it when the dog is trying to stand up etc. The more info you have to give your vet, the more it will help the vet.
Elimination Problems & Mental Capacity.
We have already covered what to look out for in a previous section.
- 1. Quality of life
When it gets to ‘that time’, when one may have to make the painful choice of euthanasia, we are so often told to take the dog’s current ‘quality of life’ into consideration, but what on earth are the deciding/defining factors for this?
Here, we give you some ideas, and these are mostly based on the information we have already given you about aging but do bear in mind that each and every dog is different – and do speak to your vet, who will be able to help you more on the physical side when it comes to determining your dog’s quality of life. Vet’s do not suggest euthanizing without reason, so do consider their opinion very seriously.
Many of us ‘just know’ when the time is right – we wake up one morning, and ‘know’ that it is time to take the next step – our dog is ready to go home.
What we will ask you to consider, is not to let ‘nature take its course’, so that you do not have to make the decision as to whether to euthanise or not. The natural way can be horrific, with the ending being a dog that is in severe pain, cannot catch its breath, is starving due to not being able to eat properly, and the degree of pain can be such that the dog may bite its person as they attempt to assist the dog. We do urge you to speak to your vet if you feel the quality of life is deteriorating and let your vet help you in deciding.
We have provided you with some information on euthanasia, so that you can make an educated decision, that is right for you and your dog, and this is very important – it MUST be right for both you and your dog – always go with your gut feeling as to what is your next step, bearing in mind the information supplied about quality of life, and or course, your vets opinion.
Food Related
First and foremost, is your dog able to eat enough food to remain nourished? Is your dog having difficulty chewing, swallowing and digesting food? Is the dog able to keep the food eaten down, or is it regurgitating it just after eating? Is the dog able to eat by itself, or do you have to hand feed the dog to coax it to eat? Do bear in mind that iF the dog is not eating enough, or not digesting, or getting the correct nourishment from its food, as hard as it is to say this, the dog is on the slow road to starvation.
Getting Around & Body Contact
As we have mentioned before, dogs do not always show pain, as it makes them look weak in a pack situation – if they are showing pain, then the pain level could be very high.
Some clues – in addition to touching your dog all over tis body for signs of discomfort, also, watch your dog as it moves around and lies down. Is the dog having difficulty lying down or sitting up. Its body language could be giving you some info, in that the back may be a bit hunched, the dog is slower than usual, the face does not look relaxed as the dog tries to get up, rather it may appear a bit furrowed. Remember the other side of the spectrum, whereby a pet that should be getting up and moving around due to various situations, will prefer to lie still – perhaps moving is painful?
Where pain is concerned, if your dog’s starts to lie in areas away from the family or any other dogs in the home, where it did not used to go, this could indicate that the dogs feels pain, and wants to get out of the way of people and other dogs.
However, if your dog can hardly move, and may need to be carried, or drag itself around, this is a totally different matter. Be aware as well if your dog can crouch to eliminate, whether it can get up from the lying position without help. Can it walk without legs collapsing (normally back legs have this problem)? If you do try to move your dog, what is your dog’s reaction? Does it whine, whimper or growl – if it does, this dog is not coping. The above paragraph, highlights where quality of life is lacking, and if your dog is suffering from any of the above, we do urge you to speak to your vet.
Breathing
If your dog’s breathing has changed, in that if may seem to be panting more, or that it is battling to breath a bit, or what it is wheezing, or coughing etc, it could indicate pain in the body, or an underlying disease. See also, in what circumstance does this occur – is it when the dog is trying to stand up etc. The more info you have to give your vet, the more it will help the vet.
Elimination Problems & Mental Capacity.
We have already covered what to look out for in a previous section.
Treatment
It is all well and good that we want to do everything we can to extend our dogs lives and give them a better quality of life, however, this is an area that should be looked at, as our dogs reaction to some of the treatments, and side effects from medications, or operations could be severe – are you extending life at the risk of lowering quality of life? At the risk of repeating ourselves – speak to your vet if you are concerned.
Is Your Dog Happy?
Dogs are notoriously easy to please, and you, more than anybody else, will know as to whether your dog is happy or not. Here we are not talking about your dog’s resistance to taking its meds, for example, we are talking about as to whether your dog is happy overall – it is still having pleasure in being with you and the family, do its toys still hold interest for it – what about food time – dogs normally love this time of day? Aspects such as this will let you know if your dog is still experiencing a good quality of life.
2. Euthanasia – what happens
The quality of life has been examined, the vet has been consulted, and now it is time to take the next step – euthanasia. Making this decision, we believe is something that ever pet owner dreads. What we do find for ourselves, however, is that knowing the process of what is going to happen, does seem to make the whole procedure easier and helps us to feel less stressed, and this will impact on our dog as well.
Before the Euthanasia
After discussing if the time is right with your vet, your first step is to decide if you or any of your family members want to be present. Most vets do their utmost to deal with euthanasia at a time when there are not likely to be people in the waiting room, or you can discuss with your vet if you would like the procedure to be carried out at home, although not all vet's will do this.
Deciding if you want to be present when the procedure is done, is a very personal decision, and if you feel that this route is not for you, then don't do it. It does not mean that you do not love your dog or love it less than somebody that wants to stay with their dog or are letting your dog down - there are just people that cannot cope with this and that is their decision, and they have nothing to feel guilty about. If you think about it, you are probably doing your dog a favour, as your own stress levels may be so high, that they impact on the dog.
Discuss with your vet as to whether he/she thinks it is a good idea to give the dog a relaxant before bringing it to the vet’s rooms. It may be an idea to consider taking some Rescue Remedy yourself first as well.
Arrange to make payment before the time. The last thing you want is to try and sort out the finances after the event when you are going to be emotional, and possibly in front of a room full of patients and you may have to wait.
Decide exactly what you are going to do with your pets after the euthanasia. Most vets’ work with companies such as Envirocin who will collect your pet after the event and follow your instructions. If you are not sure what you want done, you can read through this article ‘What do you do when it is time to make THAT decision – Euthanasia?’ which will give you some ideas.
We have had countless friends and clients tell us that they found that doing a bit of TTouch on the dog while the vet was busying himself for the procedure, helped to calm both the owner and the dog. If you don’t know any TTouch, simply by stroking the ears you are influencing different acupressure points. The tip of the ear can stop an animal going into shock and is very relaxing. Also stroking between the eyes, over the top of the head can bring about relaxation. Doing this, often helps to make you feel that you are doing something to help your dog.
If you do know TTouch, make your circles a circle – not a circle and a quarter – it is the ending of the circle of life. A Wrap being put on the dog before going to the vet, will calm it even more if the dog is used to wearing a Wrap - take your time to say your goodbyes.
It is all well and good that we want to do everything we can to extend our dogs lives and give them a better quality of life, however, this is an area that should be looked at, as our dogs reaction to some of the treatments, and side effects from medications, or operations could be severe – are you extending life at the risk of lowering quality of life? At the risk of repeating ourselves – speak to your vet if you are concerned.
Is Your Dog Happy?
Dogs are notoriously easy to please, and you, more than anybody else, will know as to whether your dog is happy or not. Here we are not talking about your dog’s resistance to taking its meds, for example, we are talking about as to whether your dog is happy overall – it is still having pleasure in being with you and the family, do its toys still hold interest for it – what about food time – dogs normally love this time of day? Aspects such as this will let you know if your dog is still experiencing a good quality of life.
2. Euthanasia – what happens
The quality of life has been examined, the vet has been consulted, and now it is time to take the next step – euthanasia. Making this decision, we believe is something that ever pet owner dreads. What we do find for ourselves, however, is that knowing the process of what is going to happen, does seem to make the whole procedure easier and helps us to feel less stressed, and this will impact on our dog as well.
Before the Euthanasia
After discussing if the time is right with your vet, your first step is to decide if you or any of your family members want to be present. Most vets do their utmost to deal with euthanasia at a time when there are not likely to be people in the waiting room, or you can discuss with your vet if you would like the procedure to be carried out at home, although not all vet's will do this.
Deciding if you want to be present when the procedure is done, is a very personal decision, and if you feel that this route is not for you, then don't do it. It does not mean that you do not love your dog or love it less than somebody that wants to stay with their dog or are letting your dog down - there are just people that cannot cope with this and that is their decision, and they have nothing to feel guilty about. If you think about it, you are probably doing your dog a favour, as your own stress levels may be so high, that they impact on the dog.
Discuss with your vet as to whether he/she thinks it is a good idea to give the dog a relaxant before bringing it to the vet’s rooms. It may be an idea to consider taking some Rescue Remedy yourself first as well.
Arrange to make payment before the time. The last thing you want is to try and sort out the finances after the event when you are going to be emotional, and possibly in front of a room full of patients and you may have to wait.
Decide exactly what you are going to do with your pets after the euthanasia. Most vets’ work with companies such as Envirocin who will collect your pet after the event and follow your instructions. If you are not sure what you want done, you can read through this article ‘What do you do when it is time to make THAT decision – Euthanasia?’ which will give you some ideas.
We have had countless friends and clients tell us that they found that doing a bit of TTouch on the dog while the vet was busying himself for the procedure, helped to calm both the owner and the dog. If you don’t know any TTouch, simply by stroking the ears you are influencing different acupressure points. The tip of the ear can stop an animal going into shock and is very relaxing. Also stroking between the eyes, over the top of the head can bring about relaxation. Doing this, often helps to make you feel that you are doing something to help your dog.
If you do know TTouch, make your circles a circle – not a circle and a quarter – it is the ending of the circle of life. A Wrap being put on the dog before going to the vet, will calm it even more if the dog is used to wearing a Wrap - take your time to say your goodbyes.
During the Euthanasia.
Even though you have discussed euthanasia with your vet, he/she will still do a physical exam before the procedure.
Prior to putting in the intravenous drip, many vets will give the dog an injection containing a sedative to make the procedure easier - This will immediately relax the dog and make it sleepy. Having experienced euthanasia, both without the sedative, and with the sedative, we far prefer the dog being given the sedative. Once the sedative has taken effect and the dog is drowsy and sleepy, the vet will then insert an intravenous solution of pharmaceutical agents by way of a vein, normally on the leg, where the hair is first cut away.
Within just a few seconds your dog will become unconscious and there is no pain involved at all, apart from the initial injection, which is very mild. The drug most commonly used is pentobarbital and this depresses the Central Nervous System starting with the cerebral cortex which is the part of the brain that determines awareness. The dog becomes unconscious which progresses to anaesthesia, (which is the absence of pain) and because the dose is high, the breathing will slow down and stop, which causes cardiac arrest to occur, and the dog has then passed. This is a very quick process and on average only takes about 10-30 seconds from when the intravenous solution is administered.
After the Euthanasia
After the dog has stopped breathing the vet will listen to your dog’s heart to confirm death and will let you know that the dog has now gone to the Rainbow Bridge.
The eyes remain open and the vet will normally close them when the dog has passed. Some dogs will urinate and/or defecate after passing and some will emit what sounds like a final breath. These are not signs that your dog is still alive, it is only a normal mechanical response and most vets will warn you that this can occur to prepare you if it does happen.
Most vets will step out of the room to allow you a few minutes alone with your dog. The vets we work with realize that this is an incredibly emotional time and will supply you with the privacy you need. If you made your arrangements beforehand regarding payment and your dog’s after care, you can simply leave when you are ready. We always feel it is a good idea to have somebody waiting for you to drive you home, even if you wanted to be alone with your dog during the procedure, as you have just done something so very difficult and your mind will not be on driving.
Many people do not realize how much the loss of a beloved dog can affect us and if you feel the need to talk to somebody about this, please don’t hesitate. People grief in different ways, but there is usually a period of mourning involved.
We do have a Wall of Remembrance on our website, and if you would like to honour your dog’s memory with a picture and a few words, please just send these to us and we will do the necessary – admin@fods.co.za
The hardest part is to go home without your dog. Losing a pet is a major loss, and it is often a good idea to read through an article such as in the links below, or to talk to somebody about it. Many people feel the loss of a beloved pet, even more than they do the loss of a friend of loved one. People do not always appreciate the depth of feeling one has for a dog that has shared both the good and bad times with you, and been a loyal, faithful, and completely unjudging companion. Please do not hesitate to get help if your need it. Here are some links for you to read through, and if you feel you need to talk to a professional, please don’t hesitate – this is a major loss, and people very often need some help to get through it.
Even though you have discussed euthanasia with your vet, he/she will still do a physical exam before the procedure.
Prior to putting in the intravenous drip, many vets will give the dog an injection containing a sedative to make the procedure easier - This will immediately relax the dog and make it sleepy. Having experienced euthanasia, both without the sedative, and with the sedative, we far prefer the dog being given the sedative. Once the sedative has taken effect and the dog is drowsy and sleepy, the vet will then insert an intravenous solution of pharmaceutical agents by way of a vein, normally on the leg, where the hair is first cut away.
Within just a few seconds your dog will become unconscious and there is no pain involved at all, apart from the initial injection, which is very mild. The drug most commonly used is pentobarbital and this depresses the Central Nervous System starting with the cerebral cortex which is the part of the brain that determines awareness. The dog becomes unconscious which progresses to anaesthesia, (which is the absence of pain) and because the dose is high, the breathing will slow down and stop, which causes cardiac arrest to occur, and the dog has then passed. This is a very quick process and on average only takes about 10-30 seconds from when the intravenous solution is administered.
After the Euthanasia
After the dog has stopped breathing the vet will listen to your dog’s heart to confirm death and will let you know that the dog has now gone to the Rainbow Bridge.
The eyes remain open and the vet will normally close them when the dog has passed. Some dogs will urinate and/or defecate after passing and some will emit what sounds like a final breath. These are not signs that your dog is still alive, it is only a normal mechanical response and most vets will warn you that this can occur to prepare you if it does happen.
Most vets will step out of the room to allow you a few minutes alone with your dog. The vets we work with realize that this is an incredibly emotional time and will supply you with the privacy you need. If you made your arrangements beforehand regarding payment and your dog’s after care, you can simply leave when you are ready. We always feel it is a good idea to have somebody waiting for you to drive you home, even if you wanted to be alone with your dog during the procedure, as you have just done something so very difficult and your mind will not be on driving.
Many people do not realize how much the loss of a beloved dog can affect us and if you feel the need to talk to somebody about this, please don’t hesitate. People grief in different ways, but there is usually a period of mourning involved.
We do have a Wall of Remembrance on our website, and if you would like to honour your dog’s memory with a picture and a few words, please just send these to us and we will do the necessary – admin@fods.co.za
The hardest part is to go home without your dog. Losing a pet is a major loss, and it is often a good idea to read through an article such as in the links below, or to talk to somebody about it. Many people feel the loss of a beloved pet, even more than they do the loss of a friend of loved one. People do not always appreciate the depth of feeling one has for a dog that has shared both the good and bad times with you, and been a loyal, faithful, and completely unjudging companion. Please do not hesitate to get help if your need it. Here are some links for you to read through, and if you feel you need to talk to a professional, please don’t hesitate – this is a major loss, and people very often need some help to get through it.
- Coping with Pet Loss https://www.friendsofthedog.co.za/coping-with-pet-loss.html
- 10 Tips on Coping with Pet Loss https://www.friendsofthedog.co.za/coping-with-pet-loss.html
- Dealing with a dog dying https://www.friendsofthedog.co.za/dealing-with-a-dog-dying.html
- Pet Loss, why does it hurt so much https://www.friendsofthedog.co.za/pet-loss---why-does-it-hurt-so-much.html
