You have probably read the tweet from a pet owner saying her vet told her that “… 90% of owners don’t actually want to be in
the room when he injects them so the animal’s last moments are usually
them frantically looking around for their owners &tbh that broke me” or another post allegedly written by a vet stating if you leave your pet during euthanasia you are a “coward”.
First of all, I cannot imagine any veterinarian saying any of those things. It is my belief that a lay person wrote those things and simply claimed the vet said them, but I could be wrong. Regardless, those posts are absolutely incorrect and those people should be ashamed of themselves. I also think that number is hugely exaggerated. Maybe 10% of owners don’t want to be present, and you know what, that is ok.
Euthanasia is a very personal thing and people have all kinds of reasons for not wanting to be present. Simply making the decision to have your pet put to sleep shows that you are compassionate and unselfish. Euthanasia is the ultimate act of love for your pet because it is completely about them- the owners get nothing out of it. The owners love their pet so much that they would rather be without them than keep them and have them suffer.
Your pet is not going to look around desperately for you or feel abandoned. Shame on those “vets” for putting out that misinformation and shame on them if they had a scared pet and they did nothing. Your vet can give your pet sedatives and other medications so they are relaxed and comfortable, I have NEVER allowed a pet to be scared or anxious before a euthanasia and the vast majority of vets will not either.
Please do not feel ashamed or upset if you choose not to be with your pet for euthanasia. I promise that the veterinarian and staff will comfort her just like she was their own and make sure she is relaxed and at peace throughout.
Oh thank goodness that tweet upset me to no end
my family (as in my parents and i) have only had to “put to sleep” one dog in our lives because he had cancer and could barely get around and it was in his mouth so it got to the point where he couldn’t eat. i was maybe like 13. I didn’t even go with them to drop him off, because i couldn’t face saying goodbye. I don’t even know if i said goodbye to him when they left, i think i just stared because i couldn’t face it. i just played with our other dog and held her pretty tight (she died of natural causes at the age of 15 about four years ago when i was about 22-23 and i wasn’t even there). when they got back i asked if they went in the room with him. They didn’t. I didn’t blame them in the slightest. it was the one of the roughest decisions we’ve all had to collectively make as a family. There’s nothing wrong with dropping them off. We want to remember them as they are, happy, waggy tails and standing upright. we don’t want the visual of them after the fact. I can only imagine how that would haunt some people
Sunshine and Shit Jokes 