Quality of life (QOL) refers to how well your pet lives in his or her environment, their mobility, eating, toileting habits and how happy they are generally. QOL includes physical, mental, social, spiritual, psychological, environmental factors, as well as overall wellbeing. The goal of at-home 2 step euthanasia is to provide comfort, privacy and peace for both the pet and pet’s family when the quality of life has gone, or diminished to an unacceptable level, minimizing stress, trauma and anxiety for all, also afterwards once the pet no longer is there to give comfort.
How Does your Vet Assess a Pet’s Quality of Life?
Your veterinarian should always be able to provide guidance regarding whether euthanasia is appropriate at any given point during your pet’s treatment. However, veterinarians do not make decisions based solely on what is best for the patient; rather, they must balance the benefits of continued medical intervention against the risks associated with each option. The most common reason why pets are put down is that they are suffering severe discomfort or distress also under a treatment regime otherwise suited for a given diagnosis. Every patient is unique and responds differently to a given treatment plan, for various reasons, and must be assessed with this individuality in mind.
You can also ask our vets at Vets2Home to come to your home for a QOL assessment for your pet if you would rather not take them in the car or away from home. Since we specialise in precisely this type of independent advice as we don’t offer invasive treatment or investigations, only medical and practical advice and support where needed, we are highly qualified to give all options at any stage of your special companion’s journey after a worrisome diagnosis or event.
There are few points which a vet would consider to assess your pet’s quality of life:
1 Hurt: Dogs who are in pain, may – or may not – show obvious signs such as whining, licking wounds, rubbing against furniture, avoiding certain areas of the house, look depressed etc. They may also exhibit other behaviours associated with discomfort including restlessness, pacing, hiding food, chewing excessively, biting objects, scratching themselves, urinating frequently, defecating or urinating inside, vomiting, diarrhea, excessive drooling and panting even when it’s not warm.
2 Hunger: Sometimes your beloved pet dogs might refuse to eat even their favourite foods and treats. If they refuse food, there are a few alternatives such as a feeding tube, for a liquid diet but at all times you need to consider, or consult with your vet about underlying reasons for this, their quality of life and happiness when making decisions on their behalf as it could be your pet is trying to “tell you” something important.
3 Hydration: Dogs that do not drink enough, or suffer from various diseases, may be administered fluids via IV, or under the skin, from you or your vet to help them stay hydrated although this may not be practical and sustainable long term.
4 Happiness: Helping your beautiful pet dog stay happy is vital and probably the most important factor of all for a good quality of life. Mental wellbeing is really important for our furry friends, and oftentimes we can tell when that changes or diminishes as we are so close to them, but sometimes this also may blur our thinking and observations.
5 Mobility: Several chronic and more acute diseases affect a canine’s mobility. A sling or a harness might aid you to manoeuvre your ailing dog in and out of the house and car. Helping your pet dog move will keep him active and clean. Ultimately though, it could be a sign that you need to start considering gentle euthanasia before things develop into a crisis or a traumatic accident.
What conditions/diseases affect a pet dog’s quality of life?
Dogs with cancer or other diseases may experience pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, weight loss, fatigue, depression, aggression, fearfulness, lack of appetite, difficulty breathing, urinary incontinence, decreased vision, hearing impairment, dementia, seizures, muscle atrophy, paralysis, and/or behavioural changes such as excessive barking, chewing, licking, pacing, hiding, whining, digging, scratching, biting, urinating in inappropriate places, house soiling and destructive behaviour.
When is the right time to put your pet to sleep?
The decision to end a pet’s suffering should, and never does, come lightly as most dog and animals lovers will know. There are several signs that indicate a need to maybe make such a difficult but loving choice for your poorly pet:
- Your dog’s health condition appears to be deteriorating rapidly and they lose their ‘zest for life’. They may have “that” look in their eyes that they are trying to tell you something. The signs may be very subtle, depending on your dog’s personality.
- You, the pet parent, decides not to continue treatment because you feel it is just upsetting your pet to put them through any more scary or distressing vet visits and procedures and time away from their family and home but is necessary for the treatment to continue. It’s ok to not want to put your dog through this especially if it’s causing more discomfort or debilitating to not have the treatment.
- Your furry friend shows little interest in food or water.
- Your dog simply is just not doing normal things and behaves very differently or even odd, either suddenly or more gradually. He or she is just “not the dog they used to be” and who you have known for most of their life.
Vets2Home’s expert team of end of life vets are trained and highly skilled to properly assess the quality of your beloved pet dog and reassure you that you are making the best decision. However, the decision to let your pet go is always up to you, the pet parent, unless there are grave welfare reasons that make it clear that the best way to help is to let go. Please book a Quality of Life appointment with us if you feel your pet is sick or unwell and are just not sure of the best next steps.
We do also have gentle euthanasia appointments, without any prior consultation if you have already made up your mind or your vet has recommended this is the best next step for your beloved doggie.