How do I convince someone that euthanasia is the right thing to do?

Question

My parent's dog is 17 years old. She can't control either her bowels or her bladder. She cannot stand up on her own. She can walk only very short distances before falling down. She is deaf. She has very bad cataracts. She barks and moans constantly. She has neuropathy and can't move her back left leg. Clearly her quality of life is awful. Living in that condition would feel like torture, to me. It seems clear to me that the compassionate thing to do is to let the dog go.

Unfortunately, when I've brought this up to my mother, she puts up a wall and has even refused to respond to my questions. This tells me that she knows she's not being rational. For the life of me, I can't understand her hesitation. The dog is going to die, one way or another. Either you wait and let nature take it's slow, ugly course, or you let the dog pass away quickly and painlessly.

Are there any resources that I can show my parents that will make them really consider their options?

Thanks

Answer 1

Have her take it to the vet and maybe hearing it from the vet's mouth will convince her of the right thing to do?

Answer 2

Some people just don't believe euthanasia is ethical and I think you have to respect that.

You wouldn't want someone to try to take away your option to let your pet go in the way you thought was right.

If you've explained your feelings on the matter to the best of your ability and your parents don't want to hear it I really think you need to respect them and leave it alone.

Losing a pet is hard enough, watching it suffer makes it even worse. Don't make a hard situation even harder on them by making them feel guilty about it.

While I agree with you and probably would do it if it were my pet, and while I had the same conversation with my own parents, there came a point when I had to say it's not my decision and I have to respect theirs.

It's not as though they are abusing the dog, they are simply letting nature runs it's course, and that is a valid ethical stance.

My heart goes out to all of you, especially puppy.

Answer 3

you have to have some compassion for your mom, too. After 17 years it seems obvious she can't bear the thought of losing her friend, and she is in deep denial about the true extent of the dog's quality of life. I don't know if there is a kind way to bring her around to the fact that euthanasia is a kinder end for her friend than what the dog is enduring now. Your mom probably knows deep down what she needs to do but she can't face it. It is a very, very, tough decision as to when to let an animal go. Hopefully it is when they still have some dignity and aren't in horrible pain because if your mom waits to that point it is bad for the dog but also her guilt about waiting too long will eat her alive. Have compassion for both mom and dog and try and have a low key talk with her about it. Good luck!

Answer 4

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
How do I convince someone that euthanasia is the right thing to do?
My parent's dog is 17 years old. She can't control either her bowels or her bladder. She cannot stand up on her own. She can walk only very short distances before falling down. She is deaf. She has very bad cataracts. She barks and moans constantly. She has neuropathy and can't...

Answer 5

You can call your vet for a list of questions for your mother....
Is the quality of life there?
Is there anything that can be done to improve the dog's life?
Would medication improve quality?
Does the dog get any enjoyment from anything? Make a list.
When the dog no longer gets enjoyment from anything, then you have to look at why you would let her suffer.
Leave the list on her table, write a letter of rememberances of happy playful times you had with the dog, and how seeing her now breaks you heart. Don't confront your mom. Maybe just the list and a letter will let her know how you feel. You may also try to find a dog poem, I believe if you search, you will find one of an old dog thanking it's owner for having the strength to let her go. It is a difficult decision.....

Answer 6

In a word, you can't.

Understandably you're concerned with both your mother and her dog. If she can't let go of a dog - what will happen when some person she loves departs? This is truly serious.

Perhaps your mother would speak with someone else - the Vet, maybe a minister or counselor to discuss not only letting the dog go - but in handling even more serious changes in her life.

And actually, the latter is the more serious thing. As you say, the dog will die anyway - but what happens if a person in her life dies - or leaves for a distant place. It does happen - jobs take us far from loved ones. How will she cope then? I urge her to go into counseling for this.

Answer 7

Who would decide who is to be euthanized and who is not? Some of these people may recover. And if you really stretch it, you could say that some forms of mental illness are incurable and therefore the person should be euthanized. And then there is the danger that the insurance companies would encourage euthanasia as a cost cutting means.

Answer 8

Does she have a friend who is terminally ill or has been suffering for a long time. Have her talk to them. Explain it like the dog was a person who was miserable and tired of suffering. If she loves the dog as much as she says, she should let him die with some dignity left. She just is afraid of making a mistake but try to make her see the dog knows its life is almost over and probably would like to just sleep. She can hold dogs paw at vets, sad as it is they don't know what is happening. So the dog won't be scared. I know how she feels but she just has to do it.

Answer 9

I wonder if you could get someone else to talk to her. Like a trusted friend. Not an immediate family member. It is very hard to let go. I had to put down my 16 year old dog and it was one of the hardest decisions of my life. It boiled down to the fact that I was being selfish by keeping him around. I wanted to avoid the pain of losing him as long as possible, but it was at his expense. Once I realized that he was suffering because of my selfishness, I decided I had to let him go.

I'm sorry you and your parents are going through this.

Answer 10

That is very difficult to do, we've done both, let them die naturally and euthanized. My parents dog was 17 when they had to have him put down. They found a vet to do the procedure at their home, less traumatic on them and the pet. I sometimes think that our animals love us so much that they won't give up. I sorry that your family is going through this.

Answer 11

I'm so sorry for you and your parents! I had a persian cat something like this several years ago. She had glaucoma and was going blind. She was going to have to have eyedrops every day for the rest of her life. Eventually we just decided to put her down. Trust me I know, it's not easy. But to have an animal put to sleep is extremely humane. All that happens is the vet gives it a shot, the animal sits for a few seconds, and lays its head down and dies. I hope your mother comes to understand that your dog would much rather be put to sleep than die a miserable death by old age.