End-of-Life Decisions: Dr. Andrew Jones' Guide to Recognizing the Right Time for Pet Euthanasia

Euthanasia in our dogs and cats. Knowing when it's time. Saying goodbye. What to expect. Are you looking to learn more about natural pet health and wellness? You've come to the right place. Click the link to subscribe to Veterinary Secrets. Of all the decisions you're gonna make about your dog or cat, having to have your pet euthanized, probably the most difficult decision you're ever gonna have to make. I'm talking about this now because I have a few friends, they have some pretty sick animals. They're likely gonna be in this position pretty soon. I've had many pet parents fairly recently ask me this exact question, like Doc, how do I know when it's time? What do I expect? What's involved with euthanasia? This is based on your dog, your cats, their quality of life. But it's really individual. There isn't sort of one clear-cut thing to say like, okay now is the right time. It's really dependent on your pet, upon you and your family. Ultimately, you're being guided by your veterinarian. But you should be most focused on your pet, your dog, your cat. What is in their best interest, not what is in your best interest. Meaning you need to be looking at their quality of life. So what was your dog or cat like prior to the serious illness? I.e. having cancer or some other terminal disease. And you know, how are they now in the house? Are they still able to eat and drink okay on their own? Are you able to really properly manage their pain? Can your dog, your cat still somewhat walk around? I mean there's a lot of great veterinary medications now. And I had this discussion so many times with so many different people when their dog or cat has a serious terminal illness. Yes, we can clearly manage their pain. But eventually, it's going to get to the point where we can't. And we don't want to get to the point where your animal's in serious pain. Part of the gift of being able to euthanize our animals, we don't have to wait for our dog or cat to get in serious excruciating pain and die a painful death. We have that choice. Personally, after having euthanized thousands of animals, a whole bunch of my own pets unfortunately, I have to think long and hard about my own pets when I think about my last dog Louis. And I mean he had a type of mouth cancer. So I knew it was terminal. We couldn't treat it. Euthanasia was gonna happen. So I wanted to make sure that he was comfortable and pain-free. He was on some narcotics. He didn't respond as well to those. He responded much better to the cannabinoids. For a period of time, he was still eating. He was still drinking. He was able to go for slow walks. He was still sort of somewhat interactive. I wanted to make sure that he felt comfortable. But then one day, Louis, I woke up with Louis and you know he was not the same. His head was down. He didn't have any interest in food. And that really happened overnight. He was clearly uncomfortable. And there, I mean the decision was made for me. And I was not gonna wait. You know, let's give him a few more days. Like no. Then I knew that was the time. So you've really assessed your dog, your cat's quality of life. You're just putting a whole lot of thought. You know what your dog or cat was like prior to having this illness, for instance. Highly cancer, which just seems to be the most common disease leading to euthanasia. And then while they've had it, you know, you can see that. Are they interacting? Are they still doing some of the things that they used to do? And most importantly, more than anything else, that you're keeping them comfortable. That you're really managing the pain properly and well. That's the biggest thing. And you're not sure at all. And you're doing this as well under the guidance of your veterinarian. More than anything, you're focusing on them. You're making sure that they have a good reasonable quality of life. Right? You're not gonna wait too long or they are in serious pain. Or they've had this ongoing vomiting or diarrhea. Or they're just no longer able to stand. Don't let them get to that point. Make sure they've had that good quality of life. You've had that good time that you could spend with them to help you deal with it as well. And then you're making that decision to have them euthanized. Saying goodbye. You want to make sure that you said your proper goodbyes. You've done your processing. But everyone in your family or even your extended family. People that might have taken care of your dog or cat. Everybody has had a chance to know. Like they know that your dog or cat is scheduled for euthanasia. And they've had a chance to say goodbye. And I recall some of my own life experiences growing up. And my parents felt that, well it's better just to shelter your kids from death. So I heard after the fact that my grandfather died. And they felt, well they just want to upset me. I was away at school. So they called me after the funeral. Well, yeah. Don't do that. Should you be present during the euthanasia process? It really is an individual decision. With my experience of veterinary practice, I often felt it was a lot easier for pet parents to be able to deal with it. And majority of time I encourage people to be present with their pet. Because they're seeing exactly what's going on. They're part of that process. And they're better able to process what's happened after the fact. But it is really individual. Some people it's just too difficult. And I fully get that. And it's important that's fully respected as well. Because it really is up to you. Whether you or your family want to be present. So what can you expect during the euthanasia process? There's a bunch of different things can go on. In some cases it can happen out of veterinary clinics. Some of the clinics now have separate spaces. Which is really nice. In other cases it can even happen at your house. It's really up to you individually. Not having to leave their house. To be in the comfort of their own home. To have all the rest of the family present. For many people that was a lot better option. It was less stressful for their pet. For their dog or cat. They themselves were more comfortable in their own space. Recent animals in the past. Including my last cat Murray. My last dog Lewis. They're obviously all euthanized at home. What happens during that euthanasia process? To begin with generally you're gonna have your veterinarian. They're gonna talk about sort of what's going on. As far as just explaining the process of euthanasia. Let me just sit for a little bit. Just make sure your dog or cat is sort of comfortable with them being in that space. Either in this exam room. Or either at your house. They're then gonna give us some type of sedative first. Right just a little injection. Likely just under the skin. I'm gonna give that 10 or 15 minutes to have an effect. A technician may or may not place an IV catheter in. Depending on the veterinarian and the veterinary practice. And then the actual euthanasia procedure itself. It involves the injection of a robituate called sodium pentobarbital. Sodium pentobarbital it's a really potent anesthetic. So after they're given that injection of the sodium pentobarbital. The euthanol. You know all their pain is gone. They're under as you can imagine we're being under strong general anesthetic. Immediate period of time. They've stopped breathing. And then a really short period of time after that. Their heart stops beating. And for most animals there's very little movement or anything else. It's actually very peaceful for a majority of dogs and cats. The strong thing I encourage is making sure number one your dog or cat is first sedated first. Just encourage your veterinarian to use some of a stronger sedation. Just makes the process that much better. So then your pet is much more comfortable. They're not all anxious and trying to move. In many cases an IV catheter makes it much more easy to then inject that sodium pentobarbital. So for many people that are uncomfortable is directly hitting the vein. It's good to see them put in an IV catheter. Then your veterinarian may ask you and I encourage you in lots of times to just spend some time after once your dog or cat has been euthanized. Once again it is a real individual choice. You don't want it to be rushed. Like some people are just so uncomfortable with death. And even maybe the veterinarian is doing the euthanasia. But you know we just want to like wrap this up and just move out of that space. Because it's hard. I don't think there's a veterinarian out there that's gonna say that euthanasia is easy. It's sure great to have that option 100%. Especially after seeing people suffer for different diseases and not having that as an option. But it's just it's still a hard thing. It's still a hard thing to do. The last decision maybe to have your dog or cat buried. Maybe to have your dog or cat cremated. Something else to think about as well. Like what's important to you. What do you feel is best for you your family. And then the last thing I want to say is that there isn't sort of one right answer. More than anything else I just encourage you to really you know focusing on your pet. Focusing on their best interests. You know making sure it doesn't go on too long. Just ensuring that your dog or cat that they're comfortable. Their pain is being managed. And they're doing some of the things that they used to do. They're still going for walks right. They're still eating some food. They're still drinking water. But if they're getting to the point where you can't manage their pain properly right. They're just not showing any interest in life. Or just keeping them alive for ourselves. Well then like that's gone on too long. But that being all said like with Tula for instance. She's 13. Hopefully I don't have to have this discussion with myself and my family for several years. But knowing it could happen in any point in time. You know I definitely wrestle with that same question of okay when and hopefully not but she happens to get some serious terminal illness. It's hard to know yes like her life is ending and euthanasia is definitely the best option. Not waiting too long. Just know this is her period and it never gets any easier. Thanks so much for watching this edition of NRE Secrets. I hope I've somewhat given you a little bit of guidance in terms of knowing when is the right time to euthanize your dog or cat. How does your dog look like this? Poor Lewis. My homemade life jacket.