Knowing when it's time to euthanize 2

http://anexplorers.blogspot.com/2009/11/tail-of-two-philosophies.html

"The major news story in Toronto today concerns a police raid on the Toronto Humane Society and the arrest of all its senior staff members along with its entire board of directors on a charge of animal cruelty.

Police were acting on a tip supplied by the Ontario SPCA who have long been at odds with the philosophy of care that is the foundation of the Toronto Society's practice.

The Toronto Humane Society is an independent, non-profit animal adoption centre and hospital not funded by the government and relies solely on donations and volunteers. The organization prides itself as non-euthanasia and provides 24/7 care for the animals rescued.

The key here is the policy of "non-euthanasia". Except in extreme cases of animal distress, the Toronto Society believes in allowing sick animals to die a natural death. The Ontario SPCA finds this practice a form of animal cruelty enacted for fund raising purposes."

Fellow blogger Barry from Toronto wrote a very interesting post which to many of you animal lovers would be interested. You will find the article at the above link.

While commenting his post, I remember I wrote this post before I started blogging. That was before a very sensational news in Auckland that a Tongan man had killed and ate his dog.

Knowing when it's time to euthanize

The saying "A dog is man's best friend" must be true, otherwise there won't be such a saying. I think this applies to all pets and not just dogs. But what happens when your pet, dog or cat or bird or fish is terminally sick. And it is time to say goodbye. It will be a very difficult to euthanize your beloved pet.

You will have a big decision to make and to know when is the right time? Most importantly, the major factor is your pet's health. Is he terminally sick and in such pain that it is cruel to let him continue to suffer. Is he going to have any quality of life if he has tumors or cancers?

Your pet can be so incontinent that either you have dog poo and urine all over the house or you give him diapers. Either way is not satisfactory. Ask an adult on diapers, he will tell you that the urine stings the skin and the poo sticks on to the buttocks that it is very difficult to wash. Imagine your poor dog with all the poo stuck to his hair.

If you yourself is elderly, will keeping a very sick dog be too much for you to care for or will it wear you down so much that you yourself will fall ill? Your pet has been your constant companion for many years, and now, he is whimpering in pain. This is bound to affect you as well.

In many cases, the vet's bills will be very high with surgeries and visits. It may come to a stage that you may not be able to afford these bills.

If you have a family, it is a good idea to discuss this emotive decision with them so they can stand by you and be supportive when the procedure is done.

A good consultation with a helpful vet will help you decide if it is time to euthanize -your pet. Euthanasia is the most humane thing you can do for your pet.

In totally different situation where your pet had bitten some one, there is no option for you but to euthanize your pet. Dogs evolve from wolves. Once they have tasted blood, they will want to taste blood again. The "dog whisperer" Ceser Millan says that when a dog bites, he can never be trusted again.