If Your Pet is Nearing the End

If Your Pet is Nearing the End

Naturally, you want to ease their way.

The decision to euthanize is a very difficult decision to make but is a necessary decision when the animal is starting to suffer as a result of its incurable disease and drugs are no longer available or enough to help relieve this suffering. Please consult with your veterinary professional! If your pet is not in pain, there are many things you can do at home to naturally help your pet through the process of letting go of life. Here are some helpful recommendations: Please consult with your veterinary professional!
  1. As you wish to comfort your pet, speak soothingly to him or her. Keep lighting soft, and you may also want to put on some soothing music in the background.
  2. Since his or her circulation could be slowing down, you may wish to cover your pet with a blanket.
  3. Do not force him or her to eat. Keep their mouth moistened if possible, by gently dripping water onto their tongue.
  4. Recognize that when death is near, their senses will begin to fail. The first is their sense of smell, followed by the senses of taste and sight. The last to go will be their hearing.
  5. Gently reposition him or her, if needed, to make them more comfortable.
  6. Allow your pet to choose the place he or she wishes to lay down, and then make him or her as comfortable as possible by surrounding them with well-loved toys, pictures, etc.
  7. Respect their need for solitude, but don’t feel a need to isolate your pet from the family. Just like you, your pet would like to be surrounded by those people he or she loves most. Stay close, but don’t crowd your pet, or make them nervous by being too close.
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