Making the decision to have an animal euthanised or put to sleep, can be extremely emotionally and mentally challenging. It can even be physically tiring as they require extra care or if you are up and down several times a night to your ailing animal companion,
You know that the decision you are looking to make is not a question of “if”, but “when”. Sometimes it is clear-cut or it is taken out of your hands. You may end up playing catch-up, following the unexpected death of your loved companion.
We can make the last days or time really count with our animals, but the actual pressure felt in terms of deciding when to call it quits can become a long, drawn-out affair, fraught with anxiety, doubt, soul-searching, detaching and guilt, even regret. Some of us would prefer our animal companion to pass away quietly during the night or hold up a sign that says, ”Now”.
Some animals die without outside intervention and some don’t, well at least, that is, they don’t in the time frame that we are comfortable with. We can worry about what level of pain they are in, applying human thoughts and imaginings to their situation.
Sometimes what they need from us, is an assurance that we will walk beside and not abandon them. They live in the present and are astute at picking up our intentions and emotions. I had planned to leave my horse Sunny for a few months. He had a worsening health condition and I was apprehensive about going. My subsequent decision to stay was reassuring and felt right. It was the right decision for both of us and I was able to monitor his health, while also being in tune to when he had had enough. When it came time to let him go, I knew clearly that he had reached a point when keeping going was not serving him well. It was time.
There are no hard and fast rules reaching the decision to euthanise an animal, but many people try to ascertain the “level of joy in life” and/or “pain level” in their animal as a guide on a practical level as well as using their inner guidance. Discussion with a vet can be very helpful. The routes of postponing life by the use of medication or surgery are also considerations as well as the reasons for doing so and the repercussions of doing so. Finances may need to be taken into the equation.
Other people’s thoughts on the matter may help you decide, or confuse you. I have found that being still and really focusing on my heart space and asking myself what needs to happen right now will bring me clarity. I ask myself, if I was to phone the vet for an appointment to euthanise my animal, right now, would that honestly be the call to make and would my legs take me there, right now? I try to see what my body is telling me as well as my inner knowing. There was a time when I thought Sunny was ready to go and I sat in his paddock asking the question. He came up to me, breathed on my head and I knew it was not time. I took him to the beach, which he enjoyed so much. It was a few months later that even going to the beach brought no joy.
People monitor closely their animal companions, riding the up and down days, looking for signs of letting go and readiness. I think that making this decision can be as much a “right of passage” as anything that marks significant turning points in which we really can grow through sometimes painful terrain and terrain where you must learn to trust yourself. Not only do you make a decision on life in the physical and therefore the non-physical, but you then may experience a mixture of relief, release, grief and life without that animal being physically in your day. Some people do become aware of a connection, in some way, shape of form, following the death of their animal. This may come in the form of a dream, a picture, a symbol or any number of ways that are meaningful and clear to you.
Our relationships with our animals can be strong and heartfelt and it is sometimes really nice to have support at this time. I nearly always work with nature, in the form of First Light Flower Essences of New Zealand®. I put them in a blend to give to animals and people to assist with preparation, decision making and grief or loss, remembering that animals close to the one who has gone often need help too.