When To Put Your Dog Down Quiz - T-Tees - Your Answers Await, Life's Questions Unraveled

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When is the right time to put your dog to sleep?

When you have a heart-breaking decision to make about putting your dog to sleep your vet is there to help. It’s important to plan the end-of-life treatment in advance – then you can be sure you’re meeting your dog’s needs and maintaining a good daily lifestyle. There are lots of questions you’ll need to ask – and get answers that remove guilt and anxiety. Here’s a when to put your dog down checklist to guide you…

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When is the Right Time to Put Your Dog to Sleep?

Some of the common reasons to put your dog down include advanced age, terminal illness, intractable pain etc. There are some situations when putting a dog down is the only solution – and most of these reasons include when your dog is:

Critically injured and won’t be able to survive
In chronic pain that can’t be managed
Just existing rather than enjoying a quality of life
Very old and struggling
You’ll need to discuss the following difficult situations with your vet when:
Chronic pain can be relieved with medication or treatment
A terminal illness is diagnosed but symptoms aren’t apparent
Drinking and appetite are reducing with incontinence increasing
Visits to the vets are regular and filled with anxiety and stress

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How to Calculate Quality of Life

Your vet may advise you to use a quality of life scale for dogs known as HHHHMM that helps you assess the following factors – all scores are based on a scale of 1 – 10:

Hurt. Adequate pain control can be given via oxygen at home which is ranked as a vital pain management strategy allowing your dog to breathe properly, or by oral or injectable medication
Hunger. Hand feeding can be tried initially, followed by blended or liquid diets, and then tube feeding
Hydration. Helping to hydrate a dog that can’t drink properly may be provided by fluid given under the skin
Hygiene. A diluted solution of lemon juice and water can clean discharge and matted coats. It’s important to regularly change bedding, and turn bedridden dogs often to prevent bedsores
Happiness. If your dog isn’t experiencing joy, mental stimulation or family interaction you need to help with activities and company to prevent depression
Mobility. You can use a sling or harness for smaller dogs, and other support options such as carts and wagons for larger breeds to let your dog keep active and work through mobility issues More good days than bad. Bad days may include nausea and vomiting, unrelenting pain, and difficulty breathing – the quality of life suffers when there are many bad days one after another

Common Signs of Distress

You know your dog better than anyone but often you can’t tell the level of pain – look out for:

Vomiting and retching
Loss of appetite and thirst
Crying when touched or moved
Hiding and excessive sleeping
Rapid breathing
Shaking and shivering even when it’s warm
A rigid distended tummy
Excessive panting and drooling

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Making Preparations

When you decide that it’s in your dog’s best interest to gently euthanize you need to make arrangements with your vet. Cloud 9 Vets is a trusted provider of gentle pet euthanasia at home – and this may be the best way to ensure your dog is spared any unnecessary suffering. The vet will take the utmost care and consideration for both you and your dog. The vet appreciates you’ll experience overwhelming grief and sadness. You’ll be able to comfort your dog whilst your vet administers the initial sedative before delivering the second injection – and your dog won’t feel any pain at all. Your vet will also help you with the cremation following the procedure. You can choose to have your dog’s ashes returned to you to spread in a favoured place.