The ethical responsibilities of euthanasia – Washington Post

By Michael W. Fox By Michael W. Fox April 18 at 7:46 PM

Dear Dr. Fox:

I believe that most neutered cats belong in pairs. I have had nine Siamese cats, mostly in pairs. The surviving member of my penultimate pair grieved deeply and hid from me for about five months.

When she stopped hiding, she was a changed kitty. When she passed, I acquired a pair of littermates who never spent a night apart and were my best friends for 20 years. I did not want the surviving partner to go through what the last one had. I spent many hours thinking about their eventual demise.

At 19 years old, I knew, that, statistically, it would be soon. One evening, we returned home from dinner to find that our beloved male, Oedipus, could not move his back legs. He had jumped from a chair excited to eat three hours earlier. I knew time was short, so I scheduled euthanasia for the next day. I took both cats to the vet.

In the vets office, I placed Oedipus on the table and let his sister, Phaedra, out of the cage to join him. She jumped up with him and inspected him thoroughly. When she lost interest, I put her back into her cage.

After the vet euthanized Oedipus, and we were sure he was gone, I let Phaedra out of the cage to be with him again. She checked him out thoroughly and eventually lost interest again. I put her back in her cage, and we departed.

Her grieving process was very short. She looked everywhere in the house, and then adopted his position as primary lap cat. The difference in the grieving process with Phaedra seeing that Oedipus was gone was remarkable. I know in my heart that her being able to know he was dead and not suddenly just gone helped her.

I recommend allowing surviving pets to see the deceased, acknowledge the change in being and grieve gently, instead of fretting about the disappearance and fearing the same thing will happen to them.

I hope this information helps others with the future loss of their pets.

A.A.R., Naples, Fla.

DF: Your observations and suggestions are important for all cat owners to consider, beginning with adding another cat to the home if you have only one. The essential steps to take to introduce a new cat are posted on my website, drfoxvet.net.

I have also posted a long review on how animals grieve the loss of a loved one, human or fellow animal. As you note, some show little grief but might well benefit from having the opportunity to examine the deceased. Some cats will yowl loudly day and night after experiencing such loss, but others, like many people, seem to take it in stride.

In my experience, cats will search the house more frequently when the companion animal is missing (for instance, at the vets office) than after they have been able to see the body of the deceased before its removal from the home.

Dear Dr. Fox:

It became apparent that it was time to put down my 17-year-old cat New Years Eve. Not able to stand Kittens pain, I called around and found a vet who was willing to come to my home New Years Day.

He claimed a shot right into Kittens stomach was the best thing to do. After the injection, my family and I petted him for several minutes as he died. During this time, Kitten opened his eyes fearfully and gasped for air and then was gone. It didnt seem like a particularly painless way to go.

I would like your opinion on the least painful method of putting a cat or dog to sleep. I have other animals that will one day need to be put down.

S.S., Herndon, Va.

DF: I regret that you and your cat went through this experience, because this is not the best or usual way to euthanize a cat or dog.

Injecting the euthanasia solution into the abdominal cavity should be done only when a vein cannot be successfully injected, which usually ensures a smooth and quick unconsciousness and death from cardiac arrest. The abdominal injection process is slower, and the animal might struggle and gasp for air repeatedly.

When a limb or neck vein cannot be successfully injected, the best euthanasia protocol is to first give an injection of a strong sedative into the thigh muscle. This two-step procedure is the best way to help ensure a humane death. The next time around, request that the veterinarian who comes to your home follow this protocol.

Dear Dr. Fox:

We have a cocker spaniel who is quite active. When he was 3, he tore the ACL in his right leg. We opted for surgery, although I was a pastor, and money was tight.

We paid on the installment plan, and it was about $3,500 total. He wasnt overweight, but our surgeon insisted he still lose weight and take a short course of meds. Of course, he tore the ACL in his other leg a year later. Same price. We followed the surgeons orders regarding running and jumping, and he wore an Elizabethan collar to keep him from going after the sutures.

He is now 9. The only medication he takes is Dasuquin, which we get by mail order. Hes kept the weight off and has had no further problems, happily.

I love to watch him run. He is walked daily, except when its icy. He is pain-free. He can jump up without any problems.

Many people thought we should have had him put down. Im so happy we didnt. When I lived in the District, we went to a great clinic that accepted payments on the installment plan. It was worth every penny.

S.M., Crownsville, Md.

DF: Thanks for confirming the benefits of corrective surgery for this common canine problem, along with documentation of the expense and the accommodating payment plan your veterinarian set up with you.

Your dog was young and not a heavy-bodied breed; older dogs are poor candidates for this kind of surgery. Still, losing some weight was important. This is one factor that makes dogs prone to tearing their cruciate ligaments, as is a lack of regular exercise and sudden activity after a long winter indoors. I advise people to keep their dogs from being too active when they get outdoors and are still in poor physical condition.

Dear Dr. Fox:

My elderly father lives in a two-story house. He has recently become disabled, and he might have to live in the downstairs area only. There is one small bathroom on that floor.

The problem is that we currently use that bathroom for his cats litter box. Also, this 14-year-old cat uses the entire bathroom to eliminate, frequently going on the floor and foregoing the litter box, even when its clean. The cat has been doing this for years, and we cannot seem to break him of these undesirable toilet habits.

Because this is the only bathroom that my father will be able to use, we have to find a new location for the cats litter box. My father and his nursing aides will not possibly be able to share this bathroom with a cat who makes a daily disaster out of it.

Whats the best way to acclimate a cat to a new litter box location, and how do we get him to use it 100 percent of the time? Otherwise, were going to have to find a new home for this cat; I am unable to take him.

R.A., Newark, N.J.

DF: This is a challenge for an older cat! Your best hope is to buy a large wire dog crate, 4-by-5 feet or larger, and put the cat inside in the new room, along with a bed, food, water and a litter box.

Clean up the bathroom with Natures Miracle enzyme cleaner. Let the cat out, supervised, as often as possible for play and grooming, but never allow him back into the bathroom. The cat should adapt quickly to using the litter box in the confines of the cage, which can eventually be left open so the cat can come and go freely, or it can be kept most of the time in the closed room, with as much human company as possible, and let out and closely monitored at other times.

Correction

In an earlier column concerning a dogs fear of being in a car, I suggested a veterinary prescription of Xanax (alprazolam). However, I included an incorrect dosage: Rather than giving the dog 0.5grams, I recommend giving 0.5milligrams. I also want to add that you should never treat a pet with your own medications.

Michael W. Fox, author of a newsletter and books on animal care, welfare and rights, is a veterinarian with doctoral degrees in medicine and animal behavior. Send letters to Dr. Michael Fox in care of Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.

2017 United Feature Syndicate

Read the original:

The ethical responsibilities of euthanasia - Washington Post