Terminally ill Pets
Why “heroic measures” to save a terminally ill pet are sometimes not enough…….
Sometimes because we just emotionally can’t cope with the thought of our beloved pet finally leaving us we grasp at straws making decisions and going to all kinds of heroic measures based on our own emotions and feelings. We take these steps without looking subjectively at the big picture. How is this decision affecting the pet and owner’s quality of life?
This clouded judgement often means that we are not honoring our duty of care for our pet’s well being by trying desperately to keep them alive when in fact it is time to help them and let them go. The ultimate sacrifice is when a pet owner pushes all their own selfish reasoning aside and digs deep within their heart to make a decision on what’s best for their pet selflessly. Keeping the pet alive for selfish reasons is not fair to the pet or the owner.
To make such a decision of looking at extreme measures to save the pet also has personal repercussions. It can break a pet owner’s heart to live the roller coaster ride of good one day not so good the next, with treatments assisting but not curing. In many cases such people who do turn to extreme measures to keep their pets alive are faced with the hardship of turning into, in some cases, almost a full time carer. Emotionally this can have a long term damaging effect on the owner.
It also doesn’t help either the owner financially or emotionally but it just prolongs the pain and suffering of the pet, impacting on both the pet’s quality of life but also the owners. What must be recognised is that it does not make the owner a bad person or uncaring owner who chooses not to pursue expensive treatments with the hope it may give them additional time with their pet. It may be additional time but not quality time and the financial investment will ultimately be one of no return, the outcome will ultimately be the same.
Sometimes because we just emotionally can’t cope with the thought of our beloved pet finally leaving us we grasp at straws making decisions and going to all kinds of heroic measures based on our own emotions and feelings. We take these steps without looking subjectively at the big picture. How is this decision affecting the pet and owner’s quality of life?
This clouded judgement often means that we are not honoring our duty of care for our pet’s well being by trying desperately to keep them alive when in fact it is time to help them and let them go. The ultimate sacrifice is when a pet owner pushes all their own selfish reasoning aside and digs deep within their heart to make a decision on what’s best for their pet selflessly. Keeping the pet alive for selfish reasons is not fair to the pet or the owner.
To make such a decision of looking at extreme measures to save the pet also has personal repercussions. It can break a pet owner’s heart to live the roller coaster ride of good one day not so good the next, with treatments assisting but not curing. In many cases such people who do turn to extreme measures to keep their pets alive are faced with the hardship of turning into, in some cases, almost a full time carer. Emotionally this can have a long term damaging effect on the owner.
It also doesn’t help either the owner financially or emotionally but it just prolongs the pain and suffering of the pet, impacting on both the pet’s quality of life but also the owners. What must be recognised is that it does not make the owner a bad person or uncaring owner who chooses not to pursue expensive treatments with the hope it may give them additional time with their pet. It may be additional time but not quality time and the financial investment will ultimately be one of no return, the outcome will ultimately be the same.