putting an animal out of its misery?

Question

ill just draw up a scenario.

your walking down the street and you see a cat mauling a bird.

the cat sees you then leaves(he drops the bird)

like i said the bird is hurt badly

is it right to finish the bird? or should i let fate/god(whatever you believe) decided, and ya the bird probably will die.

i never know what to do. one time i closed my eyes while i stepped/suffocated the poor snake with my shoe (he was ripped up badly when i found him)

i felt pretty bad about it though.

it always seems like a rock and a hard place....my parents took my dog to the vet to put her to sleep(bad arthritis in all 4 legs) i know it was right to end her suffering but i still felt uneasy about my parents giving up on her like that.

Answer 1

I have put several animals down in my day with my bare hands (not to sound gross) and have taken a good number in to be put down at rescue centers.

Do I feel bad? Ya a bit, but I would feel far worse leaving the poor thing in pain and a slow death.

I also work at a zoo and we have had to put down many animals over the years, but in the end we know it is for the best. For example we had an older animal slowly start to show signs of distress, she was not herself and quit eating. They worked with her a bit for a few days but when the situation got worse they took her up to the hospital. They knocked her down and opened her up to try and figure out the problem to help her they only found her to be full of cancer, and I mean FULL. There was nothing that could be done so instead of closing her up, waking her back up and allowing her to die a slow painful death they decided just to put her down while she was still on the table. A very rough situation, but something that is for the best.

I guess were feeling really bad comes into play is when you find an injured or sick animal and you decide to put it down without even trying to help or seeing if there is even anything you can do.

Each person is different though.

Answer 2

You come on that situation you're going to feel bad about it one way or another. Its not your fault. Choose the path that lets you walk ahead in life feeling the best about yourself. If you think the animal is suffering terriblely and you can end that quickly I say do it. If it might live let nature take its course. If you have no means to do something call animal rescue or control.

I have unfortunately found myself in the position of putting down animals. I came on a deer hit by a car one morning. Its back was broken and it was floundering on the pavement. It wasn't getting up- ever. The pain had to be fierce. Some roughnecks drove up and the people who hit it were watching. I took out a gun and shot it once and it was over. The roughnecks took it to a needy family for food. The people who hit it in the first place cried and shuddered because I was so cruel. In reality, the best was made of a bad situation. Needy people ate, the deer suffered no longer and I felt better than I would had I passed and left it to be hit by some other car or to die 4 to 24 hours later from shock.

Answer 3

If I come across an animal that is suffering (especially a wild animal) I will put it down, but only if the animal was definitely going to die on it's own. I honestly don't feel bad about it. They are going to die anyway, and I just help it happen faster so it doesn't suffer longer than it has to.
That being said, I am a wildlife biologist and I deal with animal survival and death on a daily basis and as a biologist we manage for the entire population of a species, not individuals.

Answer 4

I have had to shoot a dog before and I felt really bad but I knew it was the right thing to do. There was nothing that could be done for it and it would have infected the other animals. I guess what I am saying is if there is something you can do about it do it if not stay out of it. Killing the animal might make you feel bad but would you feel worse watching it squirm and suffer?

Answer 5

It really depends on what kind of animal it is. If I see a dog was hit by a car I will take it to the vet hospital right away. Whereas, if I see a raccoon that was hit by a car, I won't really do anything about it except be really saddened. Its hard to draw the line when and when not to "play God". All you can do is see if there is anything else you haven't tried yet to help and if there is nothing left then at least you can say you tried.

Answer 6

I see what you're saying here. I would feel bad about leaving the biird there un-able to do anything, but i'd also feel horrible about putting it out of it's misery.
My Aunt had to put her dog down, and she said it was the hardest thing she had to ever do. She felt like she betrayed her dog.
Once a friend told me how he and his dad were driving on the highway and they saw a cop aiming his gun at something and they saw him shoot a deer that was recently hit by a car. He shot it to put it out of it's misery.
But in your scenario, i'd probably call animal control. They might be able to help it so it becomes healthy again.

Answer 7

it rather is greater suitable to without delay end the suffering of an animal. You did not do something incorrect. i'm from an area the place animals are euthanized in that way. do not enable everybody inform you that a gunshot is way less humane than a vet.

Answer 8

I would have killed the cat for 2 reasons.
1.He was killing for no reason
2.Hes killing species that belong here and he dont
As far as the poor bird goes probable better put him out of his missery.

Answer 9

what i would do if i where you is to put it out of its misery but first tell your mom and dad.us Try animal control same thing happened to me