SHOULD CHILDREN BE PRESENT DURING THE EUTHANASIA?
Children should always have the opportunity to say goodbye instead of coming home to an empty house. In our experience, older children (over 5 or 6 years old) are amazingly resilient and will impress you with the heavenly comments they think of. Of course, this decision is to be made by the parents and the parents alone. Some parents have elected to have children at home but in a different room for the sedation and/or actual procedure. This ensured the child was insulated from the parent’s emotions (usually harder to deal with than the actual loss of the pet), but were allowed to come say goodbye before the pet was taken away. From comments of parents afterwards, we have found this much easier on the children and on the parents alike. For children younger than 5 or 6, they seem to be unsure about what’s going on and are, again, more upset by the parent’s emotions than by the loss of the pet. Still, honesty is usually the best policy even for this age. Again… no matter what anyone says, you’re the parent and you know what’s best!!
SHOULD OTHER PETS BE PRESENT DURING A EUTHANASIA?
It is our experience that other household pets absolutely need time to say goodbye, as long as they are not disruptive to their sick housemate. If needed, other pets can be placed in another room, then allowed to come say goodbye after their friend has passed. They may act depressed or mope around for a day or so after, but it seems there is much more closure when they are able to see and smell the body of their friend. Dogs and cats have been known to search the house for days when not allowed closure. Sometimes, other pets in the house will appear to ignore their friend who has passed. Rest assured, they have taken in the situation and understand despite their lack of reaction. Other pets may shake or cry. Make sure you pay extra attention to remaining pets to reassure them that everything is ok. You will need the closeness as much as they do!
AM I ABLE TO STAY WITH MY PET DURING THE PROCEDURE?
Yes, you are welcome to stay for as much of the procedure as you are comfortable with. Some people elect to be present for the entire procedure while others only want to be present for just the sedation. It is your personal decision.
CAN YOU EUTHANIZE AN AGGRESSIVE PET?
Yes. We recognize that pets may act out, particularly at a stranger or a veterinarian due to being painful or perhaps protective of themselves or their families. We ask that you let us know candidly if your animal has a history of being aggressive with strangers or veterinarians, or if a veterinary assistant is likely to be required to restrain the animal. If we feel that muzzling the animal will help our veterinarians and our families feel safe we have soft rubber basket muzzles that are not difficult or stressful for the animal since they will not hold their mouths closed or restrict them. We use an anti-anxiety scented cream on the muzzle to help ease anxiety and make you pet feel as safe and calm and possible.
WHY SHOULD I EUTHANIZE MY PET? IS PASSING NATURALLY A BETTER OPTION?
Although the decision is always hard, deciding to euthanize your beloved pet when they no longer enjoy a quality of life is one of the greatest gifts you can give your pet. Ensuring your pet has a peaceful and dignified passing and does not suffer unnecessarily with a disease process they cannot recover from is part of your role as their trusted guardian.
