Having to say goodbye is something every dog lover faces eventually. It’s the most difficult part of having a dog. It would be nice if they could be with us for decades, but sadly this is not the case.

In order to make it through the process of having your dog put to sleep, you need to begin preparing ahead of time. Here are the steps in the process.

When You Should Put Your Dog to Sleep

The one question that every pet owner faces after they’ve had to have their dog euthanized is, “Did I do it too early or was I too late?”When your dog’s health is declining, before you make the decision to euthanize, you need to determine your dog’s quality of life using the HHHHHMM Scale. Those letters stand for hurt, hunger, hydration, hygiene, happiness, mobility, and more (good days than bad). Each factor is scored on a scale of 0 to 10. This should be done separately by you and the veterinarian because it can be very easy to rate your pet higher on some points than a medical professional would.

According to some experts, focusing on the good days versus the bad is probably the most objective way a pet owner can make the decision. Make a list of things that your dog enjoys doing, then keep track of how many days they can’t do those things compared to how many days they can.

Although modern veterinary medicine can extend a dog’s life, this isn’t always what’s best for the dog. While she can’t necessarily tell you she’s suffering, she can show you that she isn’t having a good time anymore.

Prepare Yourself

Discuss the decision with your vet to euthanize and be sure to ask any questions you have, even if they seem trivial. Remember, you may have never gone through this before, but your vet has to frequently. It’s part of his or her job. You’ll need to discuss options for palliative care if you want to try to extend your dog’s life, as well as the costs involved. Most vets will be honest and won’t try to sell you on shooting your dog up with painkillers just to give him another month of low-quality life and get more money out of you. No matter how much you love your dog, your choices at this point should reflect what’s best for him, not what you can do to keep him alive for you.

Once you and the vet have agreed that euthanasia is the only right decision, it’s time to plan for the procedure and afterward. If at all possible, have them calculate the costs ahead of time and pay upfront — the staff at the clinic are only human, and they don’t want to hand you a bill right after your dog has been put to sleep any more than you want to deal with paying it.

What to Do With the Dog Remains

This is also the time to decide what should happen to your dog’s remains afterward. The options are mostly the same as with humans — burial or cremation. Organ donation for research or transplantation is also becoming a much more common option, as are less traditional methods.

Once the arrangements have been made, the final decision is the time and location of the procedure. Some people prefer (and many vets will perform) euthanasia at the owner’s home so the dog can be in familiar surroundings. There’s also the question of whether the vet recommends doing the procedure immediately or waiting a few days. If you have the option of waiting, take the opportunity to break out the steak and sweet treats and give your dog a farewell party by letting her do all those things you’ve never let her do before.

Finally, when you do schedule the procedure, ask your vet if you can make it the last appointment of the day — he or she will appreciate the gesture because neither one of you will feel like going back to work afterwards.

The Procedure

A good vet will let you spend as long as you want alone with your dog both before and after the procedure. One big question people have is whether they want to be there during the euthanasia. It isn’t absolutely necessary and a vet will never require it. There are valid arguments for and against being present, although the most commonly reported negative of not being there is a sense of regret for having abandoned the dog in her final moments. Many pet owners wouldn’t even think of not being there, but it really is a matter of personal preference with no right or wrong choice.

There are various steps in the process of euthanasia, although nowadays almost all dogs are euthanized by injection. What’s going on and why could be an entire article on its own. The short version, though, is that it is almost always a very peaceful process. There’s a reason that people use the euphemism “put to sleep” to describe it. Even so, if your vet didn’t make a house call, it’s a good idea to arrange for a friend to drive you and any other family members to and from the clinic.

What to Do After They Are Put to Sleep

The most important thing is to not immediately run out and rescue another dog, especially if you only had one. You won’t be in the right emotional state and will be bringing the dog into a place with weak, negative energy — and which still smells strongly of another dog. Give yourself the time and tools to go through the grieving process.If you don’t have other pets but think that you will adopt again eventually, donate your dog’s bedding, toys, bowls, leash, and so on to a shelter now. These will help with the grieving process by not being constant reminders, as well as allow you to start fresh if and when you adopt another dog. Many people do keep their dog’s collar and tags or a favorite toy, though, and these can be a nice memorial touch if you have your dog cremated and the ashes returned to you.

Everyone deals with grief in different ways, which you should keep in mind especially if there is more than one human in the household. Some people may seem to get over it quickly, while others may become depressed for weeks or months. A person may even feel like they’re long past the grief, and then a sudden reminder triggers the feelings of loss all over again.

The important thing is to not let the feelings of grief turn into anger or resentment toward each other, such as feeling that your partner isn’t sad enough or should have “snapped out of it” by now. If you have children, you’ll also have plenty to deal with in explaining your dog’s death to them.

Keep in mind also that the attitudes of people outside your pack about losing a pet are different and many of them, especially those without pets, don’t realize that the experience can be just as traumatic as losing a parent or child. If a friend or acquaintance doesn’t seem overly moved, don’t take it personally.

And remember that there are many pet loss support helplines available to call.

Although saying good-bye is the hardest part of our relationships with our dogs, we can console ourselves by remembering that by rescuing that dog we gave it a chance at a happy life in the first place — and left us with many pleasant memories. Once you’re done with the grieving and back in a positive place, the best tribute you can pay to a dog that’s passed is to give another dog a second chance.

Have you experienced having to euthanize a pet? What helped you to cope with the process? Let us know in the comments.

The post How To Cope With Putting Your Dog To Sleep appeared first on Cesar's Way.

There might come a time when our dog gets old or sick and we have to make serious — and heartbreaking — decisions about how we should proceed. Choosing to euthanize a dog — or putting a dog down — is a complicated and difficult decision to make.

You love your dog and don’t want her to die. At the same time, though, you also want your dog to maintain her quality of life. And if she’s in pain or unhappy, or has trouble doing everyday things, then you don’t want your dog to continue to suffer.

So the Big Question Is —

How Do You Know When it’s the Right Time?

In order to determine if euthanizing your pet is the right choice in your situation, Dr. Alice Villalobos, DVM, developed a Quality of Life Scale — also called the HHHHHMM Scale. This scale will help you be objective during this emotional time and assess your dog on specific quality of life factors that will then let you know if it’s time to let go of your lovable pooch.

For each category, you will rate your dog on a 0 to 10 scale, with 10 being the highest rating and 0 being the lowest rating. It is suggested that you complete the scale assessment three times over three consecutive days to get the most accurate reading.

After you score each category, add up the numbers. If your total score is above 35, then your dog’s quality of life is acceptable. If, however, your score is below 35, you should consider euthanasia.

Also remember to always discuss your options with your vet to make sure you are making the right decision, regardless of the quality of life scale assessment.

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By Cesar Millan

There’s a story that’s been going around the Internet about a six year-old boy and his reaction when the family dog had to be euthanized because of cancer.

As the adults are lamenting the short lives of animals compared to humans, the boy, Shane, suddenly announces that he knows why dogs don’t have longer lives, and I guarantee that his answer will bring tears to your eyes.

Shane told his parents and the vet, “People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life — like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right? Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don’t have to stay as long.”

I was fortunate to have Daddy around for sixteen years, which is a very long time for a dog his size, but which is barely any time at all for a human. Junior is about five years old now. A human that age would just be starting kindergarten, but a pit bull at five is already almost middle aged, or about forty in human years.

Sooner or later, every dog lover must one day face the inevitable end of that relationship, and it can be one of the most difficult things we ever have to do, especially if we have to face the decision of putting a dog to sleep because of incurable terminal illness. This is why the Pet Loss Professionals Alliance has created National Pet Memorial Day on the second Sunday of each September. This year, it’s September 14.

This is a day for people to remember their lost pets in various ways, including memorial services, visiting gravesites, or planting trees or shrubs in their honor. There’s even a memorial service online if you’d like to participate.

But there are other ways you can honor a deceased pet, often by helping to save the lives of others. Here are my suggestions.

Volunteer

Spend time helping out at your local rescue or animal shelter. They always need volunteers in all capacities, whether it’s walking or bathing the dogs, cleaning the kennels, or providing general support. If you’re looking for a new dog, this is also a great way to get to know the available animals intimately before making a choice.

Donate

If you don’t have time, then you can give money or needed items to humane organizations, rescues, or shelters. Most organizations and shelters have wish lists published online showing the items that they need, and shelters and rescues will always need things like clean blankets, newspapers, and dog food.

Foster

If you’re not ready to become a full-time dog owner again, consider fostering a shelter dog. This is often a necessary but life-saving step between being in the shelter and finding a forever home. It will also help you hone your skills with dogs as you get to deal with different animals with different issues, temperaments, and energy levels.

Rescue

Probably the best way to honor a deceased pet is to save another life by adopting a new shelter or rescue dog. But keep two important things in mind. The first is that one dog can never exactly replace another, even if the new one is the same breed and looks exactly like the old one. You have to let go of your past experiences and live in the moment with your new pack member, the same way that dogs do.

The second is that you should never adopt a dog to help you get through the grieving process. This will just be bringing the dog into a pack with negative energy. Take the time necessary to properly mourn for your lost dog, then approach the adoption as an exciting, new, and happy chapter in your life.

Appreciate

If you have lost a dog or dogs in the past and have dogs now, take a moment every day to silently thank them for coming into your life and teaching you how it’s possible to love everybody all the time and be nice. Then show them that appreciation by giving them the exercise, discipline, and then affection that they need to live balanced lives.

In the ideal world, dogs would live as long as parrots (eighty years or more) or turtles (possibly centuries). That way, we could all have a life-long relationship with the same dog. Unfortunately, the oldest dogs on record only make it to between twenty and thirty years, and there are only eighteen of them known.

The average lifespan of a dog is only about twelve years — more for smaller dogs and less for larger dogs, which is exactly the opposite for parrots, by the way. In that short time, there’s a lot that they can teach us about life and love. We just have to learn how to listen to what they’re teaching us. If a six year-old boy can do that, so can we.

Stay calm, and always remember!

How have you memorialized your lost pets? Let us know how in the comments!

The post Memorial appeared first on Cesar's Way.

He still chases his ball, but for a few feet, instead of a few hundred feet. He still is excited to go for a walk, but can only make it up and back a block before he’s practically hopping home. We have tried two medications. One didn’t seem to help, and the other made him not eat and/or throw up – he seemed more unhappy, not less.

Nevertheless, when he’s hanging out with us, he seems very content. He’s been such a wonderful companion, I don’t want to shorten his life unnecessarily nor do I want him to suffer.

Ellen Royer
Las Vegas, NV

Dear Ellen,

Quality of life is the biggest debate that most pet owners eventually face. The decision is based on how you feel in your heart. I have always believed that, as long as there are things that the dog enjoys, life is worth living. We all lose the ability to walk distance as we age, but there are other things in life that are enjoyable. There are many medications available to control arthritis pain in dogs, including Tramadol or Neurontin, which have almost no side effects and work very well. Also, if you have not tried any of the other NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammation drugs), you might ask your vet for other alternatives.

-Dr. Weaver

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