OUR FINAL FAREWELLS
Dorene Olson, BA, CPDT, APDT #761, NADOI #1001C
TARA Training and Behavior, LLC
Teaching Animals with Respect and Affection
WyndSong Border Collies and Canada Goose Management
314-956-1310
The topic of this column is neither welcome nor lighthearted, but one that all of us who share our lives with shorter-lived creatures must inevitably face in the end. I speak of pet loss and euthanasia, and as I write this my friend of half my life, my eighteen-year-old cat, Miraia, lays dying in my lap of terminal cancer.
Of the 6 pets, which I have lost in the last 18 months, I have been graced with very elderly, long-lived companions. My Irish Wolfhound, a breed whose average lifespan is under six years of age, lived to be 11; my 90 lb. Pit Bull mix was with me for nearly nineteen years, and I recently lost Miraias brother. The cats were my first pets that I rescued when I was an 18-year-old college kid and had just moved to the United States to attend pre-veterinary college. Even such a long history together doesnt make it any easier to let them go.
When the final time comes for out beloved companions, we have to make decisions regarding how and when we help them gracefully end their lives. Some of us are gifted with the ability to pay vast sums of money to specialists and keep our pets comfortable while extending their lives with expensive medicines and medical procedures. Others of us have to consider our families, our budgets, and our abilities to doctor at home. Our lifestyles need to be considered when evaluating how much of our time, energy and resources go into our pets fading future. I usually spend greater than 10% of my gross income on basic animal bills alone, not counting emergency or board certified specialty care outside of their routine medical care. But I do not have children or other humans dependent upon me, so that is a luxury I can indulge in.
I trust my veterinarian to advise me on the timeline of my pets final days. Our guidelines are as follows: is my pet able to keep himself or herself clean and comfortable? Does he or she still have the ability and interest to pursue the things that s/he loves? Can I alleviate any pain or discomfort that he or she may be enduring through medical intervention? When the answers to these questions are no , then I turn to my veterinarian to help me make my final decision to end my pets suffering.
If a pets caretaker decides to remain with his or her animal throughout the euthanasia process, they should absolutely be allowed to do so. Most practitioners are aware of pet owners needs to remain with their companions for their final journey. Some practitioners give the pet a mild sedation before the euthanasia procedure. Euthanasia of companion animals is now painless and easy for the pet, consisting of an overdose of anesthesia that halts the bodys functions and sends the pet peacefully into a final sleep. If one chooses to remain with ones pet during this process, a staff member from the veterinary clinic should be on hand to describe the procedure and make sure that the owner does not have any questions or fears. Some pets will vocalize, urinate, defecate, or tremor after the euthanasia solution is injected. It is important for the clinician or staff member to reassure and explain to the sorrowful client that this can be a normal, neuro-electric process of the body systems shutting down, and that the pet is not in pain or aware of what his or her body is doing. Miraia will be euthanized at home, where she will be in the comfort and security of her friends and familiar surroundings, a choice which I am making because she is not comfortable or accustomed to the veterinary clinic setting, having been healthy all of her life. I will also be able to specially receive her own ashes back, so that she can join my other departed friends and never be lost to my many moves and travels.
After the Pet is Gone
The immediate period following a pets death leaves the lonely human companion to a private grief and despair. Many people do not understand the deep and lasting bonds that people develop with their companion animals, and callously suggest that you just get over it or it was just a new dog/cat/horse/hamster/bird or get another one, youll feel better . Avoid such careless advice, and pamper yourself with what comforts you. This can be spiritual counsel, a walk in the woods, a new gift, a bath and early night in. It is important to realize that, as any beings involved in a serious relationship which has now ended, we can experience feelings of anger, denial, grief, despair, and helplessness. These feelings can last for as much as a year, and are very normal and natural. There are many resources now available, such as pet loss support lines, grief support groups, and some very fine books to help people with their feelings. Do not suffer alone; ask your veterinarian to refer you to some resources which might help you. Or you can call me, as I have recently developed a list to keep close at hand.
Love them while they are here, their times are too short.
Post script, 2/2004
Miraia died a day after writing this and one week before this article was published. She is still survived, as of this writing, by her sister Chelsea, now 22 ½ years old. I still miss her daily, and in re-reading this article, still mourn her passage without any cessation of the pain that I felt upon her loss. At times I forget that she is gone, and can still see her in my minds eye and laugh at her always clownish antics. She has not been replaced by another cat; she has been gone for more than two years.
