Is it time to put my dog ​​to sleep?

I want to start this article by revealing that every sentence you will read here is my opinion. I don’t have solid research to back up anything I say. There was no peer review of the validity of this article prior to publication. I wrote this article for you because a dog that has been in our care at Kelsey’s Dog House for a long time concluded his stay with us this week. We will never see him again. His vet buried him. His owner’s decision to euthanize him was extremely difficult, as it is for most of us.

Dogs live fast

Dogs live very fast lives. They gestate quickly. They mature quickly. During middle age, they act at a very fast rate. Their hearts beat rapidly, even at rest. Food goes down in very few gulps and then comes out the other end in no time. They focus on one thing for just a few seconds, and then move on to something else. Their sleep-wake cycles are generally much shorter than ours. Even your normal body temperature of 99-102 degrees indicates that your physiology is working in overdrive. It’s no wonder that when dogs reach the later stages of their lives, their batteries drain very quickly.

Old age problems for dogs generally mirror our own. Blindness; deafness; and lack of mobility due to arthritis; loss of muscle tone; and wavering equilibrium are part of the old age equation. Fittingly, a dog seems to retain its sense of smell to the end. What distinguishes the old age of dogs from that of humans is the rate at which dogs deteriorate. While many humans take decades to show the wear and tear of a long life, dogs, living life in the fast lane, seem to reach a point where their health plummets.

An old dog

At this late stage, a dog is no longer himself. For example, although he may have been 100% reliable in conducting his business outdoors, reduced mobility and incontinence may cause him to relieve himself indoors. You can no longer play, in the traditional sense, or even explore because moving around is a chore. You may be disoriented most of the time because your senses are no longer giving you the feedback you need to navigate. Or you may just be too tired or sick to move around a lot.

Many dogs develop serious disorders and illnesses in old age. A dog with serious health problems will have to make frequent, expensive and stressful visits to the vet’s office. Older dogs with various disorders can experience varying degrees of chronic and acute pain. Pain relievers can ease pain, but further dull a dog’s already reduced senses and alertness.

Before continuing, I want to re-emphasize that what I am writing here is just my opinion, especially regarding suffering. I don’t think dogs suffer in the sense that humans would describe suffering. An uncomfortable dog does not have a verbal dialogue with himself about his bad condition. He does not feel sorry for himself, nor does he agonize that his condition will get worse. I think a dog is in pain; and chronic pain makes a dog weak. It makes you more prone to hiding, sleeping, or acting out of place. That said, I will also say that a dog does not place an emotional value on his pain as we humans often do. When we say, “That dog is suffering,” we are falsely assigning a human attribution to the dog.

What does it all mean

What does all this mean for a dog and our bond with that dog? Since each of us has our own unique behavior that we call a personality, each dog has its own unique identity. Also, dogs, like humans, have a role to play, a purpose, so to speak. I believe that every dog ​​has a job in this world, whether it’s taking care of a pack, taking care of the backyard, or just sitting on your lap to comfort you. Some of these jobs are formal and skilled, and others are taken on by accident or good luck. In any case, dogs are usually happiest when they play a role that seems to fit their identity. When your dog has reached a point where he can no longer do any of the things that make him a dog, when he cannot do his job, then he becomes a shell of what he once was. He may still be physically present, but his spirit is gone. Compounding the problem, when your poor health causes you to do things you have never done before, such as accidentally urinating in the house, this causes a degree of stress. A dog knows what it knows. When what a dog knows no longer applies, or something happens that seems out of his control, he can’t rationalize it to make sense of it.

Let’s get you in the mix. Remember your dog as a happy and vital companion. Your positive energy and approval were food for her soul. When all you can do for your dog is worry about his deteriorating condition, it sends wave after wave of anguish and worry in their direction. If you’re frustrated that your old dog is making a mess in the house or acting strange, that sends a message, too. Your dog looks to you for safety and comfort. While you will certainly do everything you can physically to make him comfortable when his health fails, you may also be inadvertently sending emotional signals that make your dog’s situation worse.

When it’s time

There comes a time in a dog’s life when it’s time to say goodbye. We’d love to hold onto our best friend forever, but we know that’s not going to happen. Your dog, although he may be devastated by blindness, deafness, illness, and other disorders, still resembles your dog. He is still warm and furry and his tail is still moving when you stroke him. Your memory of what once was can fill in the details of a dog that is no longer around. You may not be in pain, but you are no longer satisfied. It doesn’t matter that it still looks and feels like your dog, because the dog you knew is gone.

Many of us take a long time to reach this conclusion and it is understandable. Any decision to put a dog to sleep is difficult, feels premature, and is often tinged with guilt. You may feel like your dog has given you years and years of pleasure, and now you need to comfort and hold him as long as he’s willing to move on. Again, this is perfectly understandable and completely rational thinking from a human perspective. Consider everything I’ve written here about what it looks like from the dog’s perspective.

Once your dog’s health slips, nature has no intention of restoring him. Your senses have been dulled. His mobility, as he knew it, is gone. Fight to orient yourself. You may be in pain or so weakened by pain relievers that you cannot do any of the things you used to like to do. The comments he receives from you are full of pity. It cannot do its job. It can’t even perform normal bodily functions properly. Worst of all, none of this makes sense to him. The kindest and most loving act you can do right now is to gently help him find eternal peace.

Update 10-15-15: My wife and I had to euthanize one of our dogs last week. We did everything we could to keep our dog happy and reasonably healthy in her last years of life. There came a time when medications and nearly 24-hour care just weren’t enough.

In his final week, our dog seemed physically and spiritually exhausted. We felt like he was telling us, “It’s time.” Although we wish we could have her with us forever, we realized that her need was ahead of our wishes. He left in peace and without pain.