One Horrible Day!

Recently, I shared the most horrible day ever with a client. She brought both her older cat and her young puppy in as emergencies, at the same time! Both pets were perfectly healthy the day before, and even that morning, but now both pets were facing the very real possibility of losing their lives.

The two pets presented with two very different and obviously unrelated problems. The cat was older and was almost non-responsive. She had a temperature of about 95 degrees, which is usually only seen as a pet is dying (or under anesthesia). She was pale as a ghost with a touch of jaundiced as well. She did not seem to be very aware of her surroundings.

The puppy was only 6 months old and had just been hit by a car a few minutes earlier. It was clear that she had many injuries, including a couple of broken bones. Yet, she was still alert and doing well. It was so sad, two tragedies in the same family, at the same time.

Due to financial limitations, we chose to invest in the life that had the most chance of survival and recovery. Therefore, we humanely euthanized the older cat to prevent any more suffering from her illness. That left us able to focus on the recovery of the puppy.

After sedating the puppy with heavy doses of pain medications, we were able to take radiographs and see the full extent of the puppy’s injuries. They were not good! She had a broken shoulder (1), separation in the lumbosacral (spine to hip) joint (A), a broken femur along the growth plate (B ), and multiple fractures of the hip (C & D). To make things worse, all of the injuries were along the right side; the puppy would not be able to support its own weight during her recovery; she was severely debilitated.

The fate for the puppy was also a humane ending of her suffering. I couldn’t believe it! This family had suffered more in one day than I had ever seen with my job! It was horrible. I can work the rest of my life without having another day like this one!

Sarasota Animal Hospital

How to Handle Your Pet's Emergency with Financial Limitations

In Part 2 of the euthanasia series, I touched on the unfortunate scenario of your pet needing extensive medical care, but your finances are too limited to provide that care. Most importantly, you need to know that if this happens to you, you are not alone! Unfortunately, this situation arises all too often. The best way to handle this situation is to be prepared for the unexpected. If you are not prepared though, I will provide some options for you.

Pet insurance is a great way to plan ahead for the unexpected. You still have be prepared to pay for the services at the time they are rendered, but reimbursement will be provided once paperwork has been submitted. There are several different companies and plans to consider. You should always read the fine print and consider all options before committing to a certain company. This is a great resource for financial assistance for your pet's care. Some plans even assist with routine wellness care.

worradmu / FreeDigitalPhotos.net



For unprepared times that require financial assistance, there is financing available through Care Credit and Chase Health Advance which offers extended payments with little to no interest rates. The veterinary clinic has to be established with these institutions to accept these financing options, so always check ahead before acquiring these lines of credit. These are great options for those who qualify and can really lighten the burden in an emergency or unexpected procedure.

Some clinics have more options than others. You need to be open and up front with your veterinarian about any financial constraints so that they can assist you the best that they can, as early as they can. Some clinics may have limited funds available for those in need. You may even be able to find an organization in your area that would be willing to help financially support a treatment that has a good chance of a positive outcome. It never hurts to ask.

In the end, if the necessary treatments cannot be administered, we need to choose to relieve the suffering of the pet. A few years back, we had a dog in the clinic that broke its neck. Most would agree that without major medical intervention, euthanasia would be the best outcome to prevent undue suffering. However, this owner was able to send this dog to a specialist, and about $10,000-12,000 later, the dog walked out of the clinic with no long last effects. Not many of us would be able to provide the same treatment if presented with the same scenario. If faced with this decision, realistically, many of us would have to choose euthanasia. It’s a harsh reality that we must face sometimes, but there's not always enough money.

In Part 3, we will talk about how to know when is the best time to get a new pet when faced with euthanasia.



Sarasota Animal Hospital



How do you know when “it’s time”?: Part 2 - When?

In Part 1, I discussed why euthanasia can be a good thing for our pets when they need it. Now, I want to use this opportunity to give some pointers on how to know when “it’s time” to help your pet by euthanasia. Each pet’s situation is unique, therefore, consult with your veterinarian when you think it’s time. When you see that the time is nearing, it is important to prepare your family for what’s ahead. Everyone needs time to say good-bye and to prepare. If everybody is in agreement when the time arrives, the process will be a lot smoother for everyone.

I’ll address a few common reasons for euthanasia and cover each situation individually. In any situation, though, the main priority is to do what’s best for the pet.



Long Term Illness



graur codrin / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Pets with long term illness usually slowly become sicker over time.  You’ll start to see things like:

• Lack of activity
• Lack of family interaction
• Vomiting, diarrhea, not eating (even their favorite treats)
• Reclusive behaviors

Cancer

This is in itself a “long term illness,” so you’re looking for a lot of the same symptoms. You also want to consider the situation where cancer treatment is not an option or is either already performed to its maximum. When you are out of cancer treatment options and they’re showing the symptoms above, consult your veterinarian.

Trauma/Sudden Debilitating Illness

In these cases, rely heavily on your veterinarian’s recommendation. It's easy for the stress of an emergency situation to cloud your judgement as an owner. Ask your vet about chances of survival and if a complete recovery can be expected. Don't be afraid to be straight forward and ask if euthanasia is necessary. Be sure to find agreement with the rest of the family if possible. 

Arthritis

dan / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Arthritis can be very difficult to manage in your pet. There are many different options on how to treat arthritis, but when those options are exhausted, your pet will not be able to find complete relief. They may still interact with the family, eat well and appear happy. Rather, you'll see that you have to help them get up, help them up the stairs, they may be having accidents in their bed because they can't get up to go outside. I believe that choosing the "right time" for an arthritic patients is the hardest decision to make.  You usually have a pet that is mentally still with you, but yet very much in pain. The decision is usually made when we see how uncomfortable they are with their pain and we can't do anything about it but euthanasia.  

Financial Limitations

This is the toughest situation to be in. It leaves an opportunity for devastating guilt to set in on the owner. In an ideal world, we, as owners, would have unlimited funds to provide whatever care was needed for our pets. Also, in an ideal world, we as veterinarians could provide free care to whoever needed it for their pet. It's such a hard reality to face, but in the end, if the necessary treatments cannot be administered, we need to choose to relieve the pet of its suffering. For more information on how to deal with these financial limitations, see my next post, "How to Handle Your Pet's Emergency with Financial Limitations".

If you feel comfortable, please comment below and let others know how you knew it was the right time for your pet.

Sarasota Animal Hospital