A case out of the UK brings to mind an important and controversial question: Is it better to put your sick pet to sleep, or to let him die naturally at home?
Here are the salient points of the story:
A debate in the United Kingdom centers on whether negligence or kindness killed a 17-year old Great Dane.
Darren Stephens, 28, argues that his dog Chad was loved dearly. While he knew the dog was ill, he couldn’t bear taking Chad to the vet, knowing he would be put down.
Prosecutors representing the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals argued in court this week that Chad did not have to suffer. Read the whole thing.
Now, I’m of two minds here. First, 17 is an unheard-of age for a Great Dane. Big breeds usually top out at 12 or 14 years, or less if they receive only average care rather than excellent care, so clearly the owner took care of his pet, and Chad lived a good, long life. But second, if your dog is so immobile that he can’t move or eat, are you keeping him alive for you or for him? It’s a tough call.
What I’m 100% certain of, though, is that painting the owner as “killing [the dog] with kindness” is absolutely insane. The dog was dying anyway. By all rights, he should have been dead well before the age of 17. The guy kept the dog alive out of kindness; he didn’t kill him. That’s what the whole debate is about.
It’s been a long time since I had a pet old enough to even think about this stuff seriously, but I do think about the day when I’ll have to make a choice about Pickles, Ty, and Murphy, and it will likely be a lot sooner for them than it will be for Zoe, Isabel, and Julius. I don’t know what I’ll do. But I do know that I can sympathize with a dog owner who just doesn’t want to say goodbye.
What do you think? Is euthanizing a sick pet kinder than letting him live out his time? Leave a comment.
Tags: meow bark blog, pet advice, animal news, euthanizing pets, putting your pet to sleep, great dane killed with kindness, animal cruelty, great dane
Hi there, my older brother Herkamur Dogg got cancer of his butt when he was 16 and Mama and Dad took really great care of him as long as they could. They even wiped his butt when he couldn’t poop right anymore! But when he started having more “bad days” than “good days” they didn’t want him to be in pain anymore, but it was a difficult decision for them. I think they did the right thing, even though I still miss Herk. But I hope that if that ever happens to me, they wouldn’t let me be in lots of pain.
C-ya,
Murphy Dogg (cool name, huh?)