When the time comes...

Icicle · #1 (**permalink**) 12-31-2008, 11:18 PM

I'm been giving it a lot of thought lately and I want to hear your honest thoughts.

I know some of us take on the challenge to rescue reptiles out of love for the hobby, even the ones who might die.
now I want to know how many of you will keep fighting to save the animal or how many of you just do the easy thing and have them put down?
when do you decied what's best?

ChadRamsey · #2 (**permalink**) 12-31-2008, 11:58 PM

id fight to the end as long as they were going to live a PAIN free life. If i cant promise to provide that, then id put them down in a heart beat.

This exact situation happened last dec 23rd when i had to make the choice to put my 11 y/o dobe down. He had lupus. Ran a HIGH fever 24 hours a day. his body was covered in sores that oozed and bled. He was MISERIBLE. i had already spent $2300 on vet bills, specialist bills, human medication for lupus, his kideys were failing and the my vet said " its time to make a choice, chemo or put him down"

I cried like a little girl ALL DAY. He died in my lap. Literally. But i do not regret it for a second.

And by the way. He was a rescue.

Lucille · #3 (**permalink**) 01-01-2009, 12:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Icicle

I'm been giving it a lot of thought lately and I want to hear your honest thoughts.

I know some of us take on the challenge to rescue reptiles out of love for the hobby, even the ones who might die.
now I want to know how many of you will keep fighting to save the animal or how many of you just do the easy thing and have them put down?
when do you decied what's best?

The first and most important consideration is the animal's quality of life. If medicare care will vastly improve its life, consider it. If, despite the care, the animal will be miserable and in pain, put them down.

The second consideration goes for people as well as animals, and that is a financial consideration. Insurance companies often will not pay for a very expensive treatment if it has a statistically poor outcome. People themselves will sometimes choose to have less expensive treatments when the cost of the medical treatment/equipment is too high.

So if it will cost $25,000 to save a dog you found on the side of the road, hit by a car, and you just don't have it, you might have to consider putting them down.

Finally, time is a consideration. You might have told yourself it would be nice to 'rescue'. But if you have other obligations- family, work, school; and you do not have time to give the critter the care it needs, maybe it might be better to wait for a different time in your life, where you have more time, to help critters that way.

There is a lot to consider, when deciding whether you can save a critter.

smoothieboa · #4 (**permalink**) 01-01-2009, 12:19 AM

For me, and like most people, pets are like thier children. And most people do treat them as such. Everyone has thier own reasons for putting an animal down... Say, for instance, your pet becomes seriously ill, like the case with your dobe. Once youve done all that you can, and you know further treatment will either be painful, or extremly expensive, or its just his time to go, then euthanasia is the most sensible thing. I myself had a dog that was 10 years old, and he had diabetes. We had to buy insulin for him, which was getting very very expensive..he also had horrible hip problems. The decision to put him down was made, and its one that was not made lightly. He was suffering everyday..and I know he would have been unhappy with his life. He is missed very much, and it brings tears to my eyes to even talk about him...SO WITH that ill stop right there.

Some people think that spending lots of money to treat the pet is neccessary...and yes, sometimes treatments cost a lot. BUT that is something one should consider before even getting a pet.. Just like a child, if he breaks an arm, OBVIOUSLY you'd do whatever it takes to treat the kid. This goes for all animals, big, small, hairy or hairless.

Also, you have to learn to let go..if treatment is doing nothing, and the pet is suffering, and he is obvisouly in pain, let him go...its what nature would do to put him out of his misery. Not all cases are the same of course.

With that said, I agree with everything everyones said so far...
its very hard to make the decision to put your loved one down. VERY hard. but its comforting to know that he wont be hurting anymore.

R&M&K · #5 (**permalink**) 01-01-2009, 12:22 AM

Though you cant really say they will go to a better place, atleast they will live with no pain, if you cant fix it, have it done.

fuglyfarmhand · #6 (**permalink**) 01-01-2009, 12:38 AM

If you can help do it. We had a bearded dragon that had a back injury from bloat. We nursed him along for almost 7mo. before he couldn't move his front end either. We then had to humanely put him down. We tried everything and the vet even said to put him down but he looked ok besides the back end not working. When the front quit working then we decided to put him down.

RIP SAM

Icicle · #7 (**permalink**) 01-01-2009, 02:14 AM

If the time come again I will make the hard call to put an animal down.

As far I feel they are on the road to recovery I will keep fighting it.

fuglyfarmhand · #8 (**permalink**) 01-01-2009, 02:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Icicle

If the time come again I will make the hard call to put an animal down.
As far I feel they are on the road to recovery I will keep fighting it.

Take every measure that you can then at last resort put down humanely. "The way to go is not in the journey but in the loving destination. Never replace love for an animal for personal gain." Got that outta one of my wifes books on dogs. I think it means that if you love em and can help then do all ya can and at last resort feel no sadness when the pass on. It means they went to a better place. Any other opnions?

BlackLava · #9 (**permalink**) 01-01-2009, 03:31 AM

if i dont think they can recover and live somewhat of a normal life, then i would put them down.

i had a somewhat similar situation to you ice, where the animal was literally skin and bones from not eating, because the other people didnt know, and didnt even keep an eye on him to even notice that he was skin and bones. he was so thin that i could see right through him even if i held him up to dim light. i got him to eat through assist feeding, and the poor thing was soooo hungry, it took him every ounce of strength in his body to eat a tiny mouse pinky. even then, his feeding response was good and i didnt have to assist feed him the second time, he took it right out of my hand. he couldnt even hold up his head, and he certainly didnt have any muscle to even grip onto anything. i thought he was saveable because he was trying so hard and he really wanted to eat, but he was so far gone that he died in my hands the second time i fed him

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