Pet's - When is it appropriate to put them down?

[Gwazi Magnum]

Depressing topic, I know.

Let me explain what made me ask though.
Note, when I say 'ask' I mean "ask because I'm curious of others opinions".
I do not mean it as in "I don't know what to do and need advice".

Reasoning for asking

Basically, I currently have a 10 year old Dog named Rocky.
He is currently dealing with a number of conditions, growing arthritis, an ear and anal infection, and he's going blind (completely blind in one eye, 14% visibility in the other to be exact). Basically he has a good amount of stuff piled up, but he's still living his life to the fullest and having fun, there's no signs of him ever being depressed or anything as a result of it.

And one day I was talking about this to one of my friends. And he made the comment about how he has known some pet owners who have put their pets down just for getting blind let alone all the other conditions on top of it. Now, he wasn't trying to suggest that we put our dog down, he was just making a comparison between my family and some other owners he met, in fact he had refereed to the other owners with a lot of disgust.

So basically, after that it made me wonder.

At what point are others willing to put their pet down?
Or if you don't own a pet, what point do you believe owners should?

I'll refrain from my personal opinion (well, other than what's probably been exposed in the reasoning) for a while.
I'm genuinely curious as to other's perspectives on such a thing.

 

[AetherDream]

This is quite a difficult topic, but when the animal's quality of life his deteriorated to the point that it's merely a painful or absent existence, that's a pretty good time to send them along to the next life (if you so believe in that). One of my dogs had to be put down two years ago now. She was completely blind, mostly deaf, couldn't walk up or down stairs without great difficulty and was severely ill in the end. She was quite a happy dog for many, many years, but at 14 years old, she just wasn't that dog anymore. Golly, now I'm tearing up as I think about her.

 

[Gwazi Magnum]

That must have been brutal to see and go through. :/
I'm hoping my own dog doesn't ever get to such a point himself.

 

[Hellis]

When the animal starts to suffer visibly, you have no roeason not to. Our old cat could not walk at the end, we didn't actually get to take him to vet. He decided to lay down on his favorite pillow and just die.


Crap. These topics are bad for my tearducts.

 

[Aine]

You know, when I was a kid, we had a dog. American bulldog, to be exact. We had some dispute with our neighbors back then and since they were assholes, they decided to take it out on the poor creature and stab him with rake through the fence. He survived the initial attack, but it quickly turned out his organs were damaged and he wouldn't recover. We put him to sleep to save him from the pain. We also put to sleep our other dogs when they were so old quality of their life was so shitty it basically wasn't life anymore, like when our bullmastiff's joints were so worn-out he couldn't even stand up and he refused to eat. Those are the ONLY occasions where something like that is acceptable, no ifs, ands or buts about it.

It breaks my heart to see people complain about dogs that can't behave themselves and killing them because of it. Hello? It's YOUR fault the dog in question is so mean-spirited. He doesn't know what's right and what's wrong; it's your job to teach him, you failed in this regard and now you're punishing him. People who do this should be ashamed of themselves.

 

[AetherDream]

You know, when I was a kid, we had a dog. American bulldog, to be exact. We had some dispute with our neighbors back then and since they were assholes, they decided to take it out on the poor creature and stab him with rake through the fence. He survived the initial attack, but it quickly turned out his organs were damaged and he wouldn't recover. We put him to sleep to save him from the pain. We also put to sleep our other dogs when they were so old quality of their life was so shitty it basically wasn't life anymore, like when our bullmastiff's joints were so worn-out he couldn't even stand up and he refused to eat. Those are the ONLY occasions where something like that is acceptable, no ifs, ands or buts about it.

It breaks my heart to see people complain about dogs that can't behave themselves and killing them because of it. Hello? It's YOUR fault the dog in question is so mean-spirited. He doesn't know what's right and what's wrong; it's your job to teach him, you failed in this regard and now you're punishing him. People who do this should be ashamed of themselves.

Woah woah, your neighbors murdered your dog? What the actual hell?! Did they have to suffer any consequences for that?

 

[Aine]

Woah woah, your neighbors murdered your dog? What the actual hell?! Did they have to suffer any consequences for that?

Not really. At that time, animal was considered a thing according to the law in my country, so repercussions weren't as severe. They only had to pay a fine and it wasn't even that high. Thankfully, that law has been revised and if something similar were to happen now, they'd probably go to jail.

 

[AetherDream]

Not really. At that time, animal was considered a thing according to the law in my country, so repercussions weren't as severe. They only had to pay a fine and it wasn't even that high. Thankfully, that law has been revised and if something similar were to happen now, they'd probably go to jail.

Jeez, I still can't imagine living next to people who would do something like that. Such disgusting people.

 

[Koschei]

/slightly unpopular opinion

When an animal is obviously suffering, and there is no chance of recovering or finding a better way of life, it should be put down. Be it an illness that's untreatable or an injury with very low chances of survival or recovery, it's better to just think of the animal and do what's best. Their comfort and health should come first, and if they suffer something has to be done. The way I see it, the feelings of the owner doesn't matter. If the pet is in pain and there is little to no chance of it getting better with six months or a year, put it down.

This does not mean ill-behaved animals should be put down, unless they pose an extreme danger of bodily harm or death to handlers, owners or people who may come in contact with it. Animals should only be put down as a last response if nothing else has worked.

And before somebody jumps down my throat with "omg heartless bastard you probably never owned pets get out", let me just say this. I grew up on a farm, with pets and animals kept for work and food, and I can't imagine a life without them. I had two cats, both aged 17, that I grew up with and adored. It broke my heart to see them put down when they were perfectly healthy, but that desicion wasn't mine and I had no choice but to comply. I would still have been capable of assuming my responsibility as a pet owner to see to it that my cats, when their health started deteriorating, was given a calm and painless end, before they suffered too much from their age.

Animal abuse is among the most vile things I can imagine, and sadly keeping an animal in poor health alive for the sake of its owners falls in that category. It's about what's best for the animals, not the humans. It's our responsibility as pet owners to see to it that the pets in our charge never have to endure unnecessary or prolonged suffering.

Not going to discuss this in great detail, it's just my opinion on the matter.

 

[ElBell]

As others have said already, I believe putting a pet down is most appropriate when the pet themselves are suffering in a way you know cannot be otherwise relieved. It is challenging when a pet cannot speak their minds and express pains we may not so easily see or argue their will to live or make it end, but at the same time, pets you've had for years are not always so hard to read if you only take a moment to look. Really, what you decide needs to be with them in mind, not your own feelings and convenience, at least in my (admittedly strong) opinion.

@Gwazi Magnum If you ever need someone to talk to about your specific situation, I'd be happy to listen. I have a dog of my own right now going down a similar path, and we also are trying to think over what's best to do. Not sure you're even thinking of it yet, but still, the offer for ears to listen is still here should you ever find yourself needing it :)

 

[Dervish]

The last two dogs I had to put down were both getting really old for mid-sized breeds and they were beginning to have a hard time walking, and stairs were murder. One of them seemed to be loosing her mind, because occasionally we'd find her barking at the wall, just sitting there and staring. They still were full of personality and affection, but it was becoming clear that even the simple act of getting up and walking was becoming brutally hard for them, and it was only going to get worse. We ended up putting both of them down the day after my birthday.

I distinctly remember that being the worst year of my life, because other than my dogs, I had to attend 3 funerals for people who were really close to me. This year is currently in the runnings for usurping that year's title.

 

[Quiet One]

I don't have to worry about this because I have a turtle. It'll outlive ME.

 

[Razilin]

I have dogs. They eventually die on their own and take care of it for me.

Until then, I cuddle them!

 

[Mundane Monster]

I think when the animal is visibly suffering, like being unable to stand or eat or is coughing up blood or something (I've never actually seen a dying animal, so excuse me if I'm incorrect) then it should be put down. But if it's just like super old and is blind or whatever, but is still having a blast, I think it should be allowed to live it's life til the end.

That's what I would do for my cat.

 

[Dervish]

I don't have to worry about this because I have a turtle. It'll outlive ME civilization as we know it.

Fixed that for you.

 

[Klutzy Ninja Kitty]

God, this topic is so relevant to what I'm going through right now. ;-;

I have a one year old standard poodle who has kidney failure. Only just recently did he start getting sick from it. He seems pretty sick some days, but other days he's feeling better. Last week, we almost put him down because he was very sick and wasn't eating. But my mom noticed he was sneezing a lot and decided to take him to the vet to see if he was sick with a cold first before we decided what to do. It turns out, he had a sinus infection. They gave him a shot and we brought him back home... now he's feeling better again. It's really been a roller coster with him.

We know he won't get better, and eventually we'll have to put him down, but in the mean time we're just taking things one day at a time. Although he's sick and being put down is inevitable, as long as he's still having good days we're going to let him live and experience as much life as he can. He's so young, and he was robbed of his life. He would've been normal if his breeder wouldn't have abused him. :(

 

[Dervish]

God, this topic is so relevant to what I'm going through right now. ;-;

I have a one year old standard poodle who has kidney failure. Only just recently did he start getting sick from it. He seems pretty sick some days, but other days he's feeling better. Last week, we almost put him down because he was very sick and wasn't eating. But my mom noticed he was sneezing a lot and decided to take him to the vet to see if he was sick with a cold first before we decided what to do. It turns out, he had a sinus infection. They gave him a shot and we brought him back home... now he's feeling better again. It's really been a roller coster with him.

We know he won't get better, and eventually we'll have to put him down, but in the mean time we're just taking things one day at a time. Although he's sick and being put down is inevitable, as long as he's still having good days we're going to let him live and experience as much life as he can. He's so young, and he was robbed of his life. He never would've been normal if his breeder wouldn't have abused him. :(

If you need somebody to talk to for support, I'd be happy to.

 

[SamIO]

When is it appropriate to put a human down? Is it different just because we are smarter?

I'm not an opponent of euthanasia, honestly; I just think it oughtn't be up to the owner, just like I feel it oughtn't be up to my family if I'm in a coma whether to pull the plug or not.
Until a professional healthcare specialist has determined that the prognosis is devoid of any significant potential value, I'm not satisfied that euthanasia is a valid option. It's not up to anybody else but the victim; since pets can't ask you to make it stop, I leave it to the veterinarian to determine if the lethal option is an acceptable choice.

I also feel that if a family doesn't know how or is unable to handle a blind pet, they should put them out for adoption, not kill them. That mirrors the logic of pretty much every CPS case I've worked with involving developmental disabilities. I'm sure most of you can imagine how that plays out.

I don't mean to equate animals to people, but an owner is as responsible for as they are in control of their pet's livelihood. Euthanasia is not a tool they have access to; it's a treatment for unbearable symptoms of a chronic condition, and nothing else, human or not. But that's just the way I see it.

 

[Dervish]

When is it appropriate to put a human down? Is it different just because we are smarter?

I'm not an opponent of euthanasia, honestly; I just think it oughtn't be up to the owner, just like I feel it oughtn't be up to my family if I'm in a coma whether to pull the plug or not.
Until a professional healthcare specialist has determined that the prognosis is devoid of any significant potential value, I'm not satisfied that euthanasia is a valid option. It's not up to anybody else but the victim; since pets can't ask you to make it stop, I leave it to the veterinarian to determine if the lethal option is an acceptable choice.

I also feel that if a family doesn't know how or is unable to handle a blind pet, they should put them out for adoption, not kill them. That mirrors the logic of pretty much every CPS case I've worked with involving developmental disabilities. I'm sure most of you can imagine how that plays out.

I don't mean to equate animals to people, but an owner is as responsible for as they are in control of their pet's livelihood. Euthanasia is not a tool they have access to; it's a treatment for unbearable symptoms of a chronic condition, and nothing else, human or not. But that's just the way I see it.

I don't believe the majority of people put their animals down lightly. It's a part of your family, and I know in the case of my family, we did everything we could with each of our pets to make them comfortable and take care of them for as long as we could, but there comes a time where it becomes selfish to keep an animal alive because you don't want to say goodbye but the animal is in physical agony each and every day. It's not something anybody ever wants to do, but sometimes euthanasia is an act of mercy and love, not wiping your hands of an animal because they're becoming a bother to care for.

 

[SamIO]

Of course not, @Dervish. But it does happen (and a lot more than you might think), and that's why I believe the owner should not be given the option until a professional has come to the conclusion that it is necessary.