Why do some people not euthanzie?

So we were discussing this briefly at work. I still don't understand anyone's reasoning behind this.

First, we have one client that does not believe in euthanasia. Instead, she brings her pets in to us when they're about to die, and WE have to watch them suffer their final moments. Both of the animals of hers that I've witnessed dying have died very slow and painful deaths due to organ failure. I think that if she's not willing to euthanize, then she should be there to witness those death. They really aren't easy to watch at all.

Then there's another client that has the means and the desire to do everything he can for his animals. He really does have the best of intentions. However, last year one of his dog went through a long, painful process of loss of function. There was really no hope of getting the dog back to any quality of life, and the dog really was in great pain despite being on numerous pain medications. He could not care for this dog himself (he's elderly), so he left her at the clinic for the week or two leading up to her death. He did eventually choose to euthanize, but in my opinion it was a month or two late. He recognized this and said he didn't want to do it again. Now he has another dog that has a lot of problems and has lost a lot of functioning. There really is no hope of the dog recovering to any real quality of life, and the dog appears to have given up himself. Yet he's trying his hardest to find something to fix this dog. He has no quality of life, and can't even eat on his own. I feel it was time to euthanize 2-4 weeks ago.

So, why do people put their animals through this? Do you think it's pure selfishness? Do you think they just don't recognize the agony their animals are going through? Or do they honestly believe that they are doing the right thing for their animals by not euthanizing?

A very good question , and I hope that it isn't the cost ! It's the humane thing to do and once you have seen it done , you wish that you could go that way .

There are ethical reasons with some people. Some people it is just too hard to even fathom. I know that there are some vets out there who will NOT euthanize... it is their choice and they have the right to say no. Some people really do believe that nobody has the right to decide when an somebody, be it human or animal, should die other than God.

IMHO, I find it rude when people say "well, this should have been done this long ago". It is not their decision to make. If your clinic does not want to deal with it, then they do not have to take in the animal. They have the right to turn them away.

I've had to euhanize to of my furbabies, Roxy my boxer, there was a fluid build up around her heart, she was just basically paralyzed one day when i got home, rushed her to the vet, and they told me that they could drain the fluid, however she would not be allowed to run or play, and would need to come in regularily to have the fluid drained. No matter what, her life as she knew it was over, that fast. Roxy had so much energy until that day, that was her favorite thing to do, run and play, what she could no longer do. It was so hard because I thought she was perfectly healthy until that day when her life was in my hands. I did have her pts that day, because i knew she would never be happy not being able to run. The hardest thing i'd ever done. The other was a rat, he was a senior boy and had a brain tumor. It was hard, but no where near as hard, because I knew the day was going to come where i would have to have him pts, so i was able to spoil him rotten until his last day came. It is such a hard thing to do, which is how I can see some people unable to do it..I think some people just can't muster up the strength to choose for their pet's life to end. I looked at it as, putting its suffering to an end, but some people probably don't see it that way.

I know a woman who was 100% against euthanasia - even in very very sick animals. She said something along the lines of Thou shall not kill or whatever. She also said if it was really okay to do, then we'd do it to humans when they're sick as well.
opcorn:

People have problems "letting go."

We ourselves do everything and anything possible to cling to life, even if that means having a machine breathe or whatever for us. Since we love our animals(often times more) than we love ourselves we feel the need to go to the same extremes for them.

The ones I'm thinking of, there is no way it is cost. Keeping them alive costs MUCH more. And we do often just do it for free, especially if the animal has a long history with us.

My opinion is that we are free to discuss the subject here. I intentionally left out any identifying information or even specifics. I'm not going to go up to a client and say "You need to kill your dog now." We DO respect their wishes. If we didn't, what's to say we don't euthanize them anyway and just tell the owner they died? Just because I do not agree with their choice doesn't mean people don't have a right to do (or not do) something. I know that my lhasa should have been put to sleep long before she died, however I didn't realize that until shortly before she died as I had not really seen her in a long time, and when I did see her it was only briefly (she lived with my parents). Of course that is always a possibility, and I do understand that, and I acknowledge that it should have been done earlier, but I know that in the examples I gave the people DO have close contact with their animals on a daily basis.

I guess my biggest question is why do you dump your animals at a vet clinic to let them die, rather than choosing to stay with them, seeing as the end result is the same - the vet can't make it go any faster, nor can the vet delay the death any more. At the clinic they're in cages. At home they could be with you.


But WHY? I mean, it's really a difficult concept for me to grasp; I do not believe in a god of any sort, so it's hard for me to imagine why someone would believe so thoroughly that it is only up to a god to choose. I'm NOT trying to be rude, I really do just want it explained.

That's how this one person I mentioned is.

Personally, I think people should have the option to choose euthanasia for themselves, too. I mean a DNR order is one step away from it. What is wrong with letting people leave a euth order?

I know that once a client rationalized that if she wasn't allowed to die when she wanted (she had tried to commit suicide several times in the past), then her dog wasn't allowed to die either.

If they truely believed that only god had the right then, yes, why not stay with the animal.

I can't say what I will do when Dekka's time comes. I do know I had to make the decsion to put Riven down, orphaning her 3 day old foal. It was the kindest thing, the most humane thing, and an incrediably hard thing, to do. With Dekka I might be willing to do heroics to keep her here if it can be done with out much discomfort to her. Even if it only gives me a few more days with her.

But that would be the crucial part days with me.

That I understand. There's a idffernce between keeping your animal around a few more days at home to say goodbye, and dropping them off to die whenever, be it 3 hours or 3 weeks, and not even seeing them again.

Yeah, that fits under my definition of selfishness. When a person makes an animal suffer physically so that they don't have to suffer as much emotionally, I do think that person is selfish.

I view this reasoning differently as I would assume that this person was staying with their animal until their final passing.

Dustin has a family member that purposely let their dog die of bloat. They didn't euthanize, they held hte dog in their arms until it died. And their other died of cancer?? they said, in their arms.

I don't understand either. If it is for religious reasons.. Okay, I'll accept that..
And I'll even can be sympathetic that some people feel they need to do everything in their power before giving up, or some peopel don't believe in giving up ever..

I guess it boils down to everyone has their own way of coping with losing a pet, and moreso some people have religous beliefs that says they shouldn't kill their pet, not even to relieve suffering.

Three of my dogs may have lasted a week or a month ~~ if it's a painful time for them , let them go . I had my Bear at the vets on IVs for kidney failure and got a call at noon saying I could pick him up at 4 PM. I was thrilled , but when I got there he'd taken a turn for the worse . The vet said that he'd never make it though the night . I'd never put a dog to sleep , but no way could I have left him to die alone .

I've had to put down several animals, and it never, ever gets easier--for me. But if I were that sick and in pain, I sure wouldn't mind dying that way: going gently, wrapped in the arms of love.

I hope I make the decision at the right time.

What irks me though is when people drop off a pet to be euthanized. And I am sorry if anyone on here has done that, but I have just heard so many stories of animals being distressed because they can't find their owners right before the needle. So yeah, it is just something that bugs me.

that used to bother me, but it doesn't anymore. i guess, having helped with so very many euthanasias over the years, that i can better appreciate that some people just can't handle the idea of seeing their pet die, that they can't deal with the image they are left with of their pet being a dead body.

it could never be my choice. i *need* to be there. but i do understand now that sometimes it's done out of just not caring, but other times it's out of caring so very very much.

You know.. I can't ever imagine not being there with my pet, but I try not to judge. We've had some of hte most devoted, loving, wonderful owners simply NOT be able to be there when it is done. (Usually when they KNOW the animal will fight it, and it won't be an easy passing, and it'd just be too hard for them to watch.) So while I generally think it is cruel to send them off to be euthanized alone with a stranger, I know there are exceptions and reasons some people might do it.

ETA: I agree.. some people just can't stomach or watch their animal actually die. If I think back to Brownie or Ginger,.. I relived that moment over and over again in my grief. When I closed my eyes, I could see their body going limp, and their chest stop moving. I can still see it now, it is that vivid in my memory. I can understand how some people can't handle that or may not want that memory so vivid. Ginger fought it - and being there through that was HARD. It makes you second guess *everything*, of whether or not they are actually ready, when they are suffering and ready, but they just might not like the needle.

I don't know why others won't but I know I have the ability to do it. If Bandit had lost all quality of life right now he'd go to be put to sleep. When I lived really far out in the country I killed a cat because she was not going to recover without medical attention and that was hours upon hours away. Some times things have to be done. I'm glad I'm able to make that choice for my dog if and when the time comes.

I think it's important to remember other people have different beliefs about these things and everyone reacts differently to these situations. I will not judge someone for their reactions during these times. I doubt any pet owner intentionally causes suffering when it's time for their pet to go.

I know my own actions when my mother passed away were criticized by some relatives. I was not there when she died nor did I go to see her body. I saw her the night before we pulled the plug and that was enough closure for me. That never set well with my grandmother.

I've always been there if I could. Lily wasn't a choice, I couldn't go be there for her at the pound and they wouldn't release her. Smokey died with me petting his head.

I could have never left Smokey at the vets to linger on with cancer. It would have been cruel. I would hope that if euthanasia ever became legal for humans and I was suffering a prolonged and painful terminal illness, that someone would be kind enough to do it for me.

That being said, I've also been the person who has taken someone elses pet to be "put down", and had to be the person to put their animal down (and I'll leave it at that). That was incredibly hard to do as well, but I never judge them for what happened. They didn't have the means for the vets euthanasia bill (in excess of $200 that they didn't have) and they did not want to watch the suffering end in another quick way. I don't blame them for that, and I wouldn't have done it if I didn't care enough to not want to see their dog suffer anymore. More than anything, that memory haunts me, and that was 3 years ago.