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Home euthanasia for dogs and cats

Pets today are considered more as a family member in most households than just a property. Given the special corner these pets have acquired in our home, their death can be a very traumatic and painful experience for everyone in the house. If their death is natural, there’s not much to do about it. However, if the decision of putting your pet ‘to-sleep’ is involved, the process gets much harder. There are certain circumstances, old age or terminal disease, where putting one’s cat or dog to sleep is the more humane thing to do. It alleviates the pet’s pain and is a much better option than forcing them to stay alive.

The decision to euthanize your pet is a stressful one. It becomes harder since there is a moral issue involved of whether or not you should interfere with the natural order of things. The feeling of guilt, dread and grief often clouds our decision-making too. The decision therefore is a very personal one which should depend on the facts and one’s sense of what is the right option for their pets. As a pet owner, we have total responsibility of our cat or dog. And since our pets, like kids, do not come with a manual, we need to trust out instinct about it.

The best way to go about is it list down the reasons why you ‘need’ to put your pet to sleep against why you don’t want to. The first condition would be to ensure a good quality of life. Staying alive on medicines and borrowed time isn’t helping anyone. Don’t let your pet suffer through a painful disease just because their loss will shatter you. If your pet isn’t able to enjoy his daily activities or is having difficulty getting through each day, it is up to you to relieve him of his suffering.

Most veterinary clinics and even dog shelter can help you in putting your pet to sleep when the time is right and it is necessary to do so. However, saying goodbye to loved family member in a sterile and cold environment in front of strangers adds to the suffering. It can easily be avoided if you decide to euthanize your pet at home. Carrying out the euthanasia at home not only lessens the anxiety of the pet and the owner but also provides a lot of comfort and warmth in the last few hours of the pets’ life. After all, it is a private moment, one which only family members need to be a part of. There are people who provide in-home euthanasia services these days. Apart from the euthanasia, the costs also include transportation charges (depending on the location of the owner’s house) and other requests of cremation etc.

For most owners, the feeling of guilt and doubt still haunts them even after the decision is made and the pet is gone. At such times remember the fact that your decision came out of your love for them.