As a family, make a list of things that your pet loves to do, and activities you enjoy sharing with them. It is important that everyone in the family has the chance to contribute to this discussion, as each family member may have a slightly different relationship with the pet.
Discuss your concerns with your Veterinarian, or a caring trusted friend to gain some perspective.
Keep in mind that the items on the list may not be what they were when the pet was younger. Laying on the couch and watching TV with the family is a perfectly acceptable item to have on this list, even if going on a five mile walk is no longer in your pets’ abilities.
Put this list somewhere near a calendar. Each day review it, evaluating if they were able to do or enjoy an appreciable number of things on this list.
Mark the calendar daily + = good day, – = bad day, / = status quo.
Review the calendar weekly: when greater than 50% of days are bad, or if less than 25% are good than consider it may be time. This exercise of “Quantifying” Quality of Life attempts to make a very emotional and subjective decision a bit more objective. And though nothing makes the decision to say goodbye to a loved pet any easier, sometimes it can make the right decision more evident.
Our emotions surrounding this subject can be mixed and confusing. The best we can do is to try to quantify the things that make life worth living for our pet, and assess the facts without letting our emotions completely overwhelm the decision making process.
Making the decision to euthanize a cat or dog is the hardest part. When the time comes, most pet owners find peace when the decision is made and they know they are acting in the best interest of their pet.