Quality of life Assessment
How Do I Know?
If your pet has been diagnosed with an illness or is simply showing signs of aging or struggling, the question of when euthanasia becomes the best option may be weighing on your mind and your heart. This is the number one question I get asked. It is one of the most challenging and complicated decisions we will ever have to make for our beloved pet. Many pet parents express that they hope their pet will “ tell them” or give them “ a sign “ or even a “look” to tell them they are ready , while others say they wish they pass peacefully in their sleep. Unfortunately, this is rarely the case. Pets instinctively hide their pain and illnesses, so it is important for owners to understand their pets specific condition and what that might look like near the end of life. How is their ailment impacting their quality of life currently, or going to in the future ? Dr. Pearson and her staff are here to help you and walk along side you , to empower and guide you through your pets end-of-life journey. Call for a consultation or submit a request via text or online. Let Dr Pearson’s years of experience in hospice and palliative care help to guide you. We are here for you and to help make this difficult time a serene, peaceful, and loving goodbye.
Assessing Your Pet's Quality of Life: Using a Quality of Life Scale
The fact of the matter is that in times of extreme emotional duress, it's best to consult an objective, independent voice about when it's the best time to say goodbye to your furry friend. There are a number of quality of life scales available online for pet owners who are struggling with the decision of whether or not to let their pet cross the Rainbow Bridge in the face of severe illness or injury. Peaceful Pathways For Pets, LLC recommends either of these two quality of life scales.
Ohio Quality of Life Scale
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Using a Pet Quality of Life Scale
The hardest part of caring for a sick or aging animal, whether a cat, dog, parrot, or ferret, is that your beloved pet can’t communicate with you using words. It can be extremely hard to tell from day to day whether an animal is well or ill, and how they are feeling.
Both of the two scales we linked to above are surveys meant to objectively assess whether or not your pet is experiencing distress or severe complication from their illness or advanced age. Peaceful Pathways For Pets, LLC recommends gathering your family together and looking over the chart together. Talking about the decision to gently end a suffering animal’s life together can make the decision easier, and it can help reluctant family members realize that sometimes, pet euthanasia is in fact the most compassionate choice.
With that in mind, take a look at your animal’s behavior over the last several months. Both scales include helpful lists of behaviors that may indicate a pet is sick, in pain, dehydrated, or having mobility issues—even if those issues weren’t apparent to you before.
If you and your family consult the test and realize that your animal may in fact have a low quality of life according to whichever scale you use, maybe it’s time to consider euthanasia. Euthanasia can provide a gentle and comfortable end of life to a pet who is experiencing severe health issues. It reduces pain and distress for both you and your beloved pet.
It’s not a decision to be taken lightly, of course. But if your pet has more bad days than good days in a month—it may be the most compassionate decision you can make.