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

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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.
Oh, I know... there's some awful pet owners out there that make me really wonder if there shouldn't be some kind of test people should have to write before they are allowed to adopt a pet because what you see is just heartbreaking sometimes.

And that's a fair opinion! I just wanted to cover the bases that most pet owners tend to really avoid putting their pets down until they've run out of options.
 
It should be a last resort.

If their quality of life is so diminished and they are in obvious pain and there are no more steps you can take without financially screwing yourself over, it may be the best option. Yes, it's hard. Yes, I've seen people bankrupt themselves over trying to prolong their animals life a bit longer. But I wouldn't want to suffer through each day waiting for the inevitable. Why should I make my pet? They're family. Sleep in the same bed as me. Sit beside me at the table every night.

Here's where I shamelessly promote pet insurance. It's 50 something US dollars a month for my 14 year old cat and five year old rottie mix. It adds up over a year, sure. But the amount we saved when my cat needed care because he was literally at deaths door made it worth it for that whole year.

As I type this my wife is on the floor laying beside the dog cause 'he was looking sad'.
 
People really can be cruel to their animals. My poor pup came from a "breeder" who was really more like a puppy mill. She didn't allow us to come to her house to see the puppy when we were thinking about getting him, and when we got him he was covered in crap, malnourished, and dehydrated. :( With the proper care at that critical age he never would've developed kidney failure.

@Dervish Thanks for the support btw. ^^
 
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@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 :)
Thanks for the offer.
Though it honestly really isn't something I'm bothered about.
Well, I was when we first got the news he was going Blind.
But since then he's done really well, and outside of occasionally bumping into something and forgetting where the back door is he's been doing completely fine.
We have no intention in putting him down anytime soon.

My Sister actually got him one of those blind-rings that stick out over a dogs head for him, and it's connected to his back and designed in a way to look like angel wings and a halo. :P
Which is kind of twisted now that I look at it considering the topic of this thread... But it does actually look pretty cute on him. XD

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. :(
Like Dervish, I'm always available if you need someone to talk to about it.
 
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I can't say I've ever been in a situation where I've had to think about putting a pet down before (I used to have two cats that died of old age, but because they didn't suffer from any serious problems up until that point, putting them down was never even considered), but, the way I see it, if an animal is clearly in a lot of pain and there's no chance of recovery, then putting them down is really the only option that makes any sense. If they've got some health problems, but they're handling them just fine? No real reason to put them down, I don't think. They've still got a fair amount of life in them and they seem to enjoy living it.
 
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When the animal is no longer capable of deriving pleasure from its existence, the most humane thing you can do is help them pass on peaceable. I did it with two dogs, one of which saved my life before. It was not easy, but that's part of life. It's part of pet ownership.

There is nothing more that can be added, other than personal anecdotes which I've already done.
 
My boyfriend's parents had a dog that literally broke my heart and made me feel physically sick to see suffering. He could barely walk and his back end drooped so far down that his privates were almost dragging on the ground, he had testicular cancer which resulted in a tumor the size of a softball, he was deaf, he was almost completely blind, and he would just lay on the floor and whimper. Seeing him struggle to stand up so that they could bring him outside to go potty was absolutely awful, and seeing him try to get down the stairs of the porch and then back up again was even worse. They didn't have him on any pain medication or any other kindof medication whatsoever and it was completely obvious that this poor dog was in complete misery. He was seventeen or eighteen years old and they said his age was proof that he was doing well since labs don't usually live that long and that he was "fine". It was obvious that he had been in that condition for a long time by the time I met them and he went on like that for three years after I met them before he died. They were actually going to take him to be put down because he fell down the stairs and bit through his tongue, but he walked over to a bush and pooped on it and so they said he was fine and didn't bring him. That was two years before he died. I cant imagine the pain this poor dog was in for so long.

I don't think its a decision that should be taken lightly and I was appalled when a family friend put her young cat down because she peed in the house, but there is a time when its the most merciful thing to do when an animal is suffering and has no quality of life left, when they stop living and start surviving. I understand not wanting to see them go, but there comes a time when you have to look at them and really think, is this worth it for them? Am I keeping them alive for their benefit, or mine?

Its the most heartbreaking decision some people will have to make, but sometimes, its the kindest one.
 
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I'll refrain from my personal opinion (well, other than what's probably been exposed in the reasoning) for a while.
That while is up.

I bet most have already figured out what my stance is though from how I've been rating the comments though, but my stance is also that it is at some moments the most merciful thing to do. But it shouldn't be taken lightly, because you're talking about ending a creatures life. That should only be used to reduce their suffering, not because a lazy owner raised a bad pet, or because they see their pet as some accessory to put down for a slight 'misbehavior' or being bored of it.
 
When an animal has no ability to enjoy life and isn't just surviving.
 
Moral of the story comes down to this.
1-Is it your pet?
2-Or a member of the family?

in case number 1 where we are not as morally constricted putting down the animal before suffering has incurred is highly likely among quite a few owners. It's a pet simple as that. And it's the easy way out.

In case number 2 you are going to fight with this member like grandma in the hospital doing everything possible until it simply is better to just let go.

There is of course a greyzone of people who act with a severe lack of knowledge :/
 
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