Pet Euthanasia Versus Natural Death
Should You Euthanize a Pet or Wait for Death to Come?
Natural death is a concept that requires definition. In nature, our pet would die when he was no longer able to feed himself, evade stronger predators, survive climatic extremes, or when he fell victim to serious illness or injury. Nature would not patiently nurse him through a prolonged, chronic illness. No, nature would have purged Buster from the population without passion or prejudice as soon as he wasn't fit enough to survive within the context of a purely natural life. That is what natural death is about.
In truth, the first time we vaccinate, deworm, sterilize, provide any other type of routine or emergency veterinary care, house, or even feed a pet, we effectively take nature out of the equation. Why, then, would we even consider it reasonable to expect nature to provide a humane ending to a life of which we spent every day denying and battling the effects of nature?
Long, slow, debilitating illness has nothing to do with nature. It has only to do with our ability to fight off nature. Allowing nature to step in under such unnatural circumstances often does not result in a kind death for the pet. Wasting away with sickness is rarely kind.
Pet euthanasia, on the other hand, is the humane end of life facilitated by man when deemed necessary. It is the final mercy extended to a wholly unnatural life. Euthanizing a pet is our last and most profound responsibility: a responsibility we assume the day we bring a pet into our lives and make him effectively dependent on us for his day-to-day existence. Pet euthanasia must be considered within the context of the animal's life as well as his impending death. To euthanize a pet is to recognize our responsibility for making it possible for our pet to live long enough to fall victim to a terminal illness, as well as our responsibility for providing a compassionate and unselfish resolution.
There is no such thing as "natural death" in companion animals. Understanding that reality will put the critical choice of pet euthanasia or natural death into proper perspective.
Published by Laurie Frazer
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- There is no such thing as "natural death" in companion animals.
- Nature would not patiently nurse a pet through a prolonged, chronic illness.
- Humane euthanasia of a pet is our last and most profound responsibility.
5 Comments
Post a Commentmy pet rabbit is 8++years, slowly withering away. I feed n groom him daily. It pains to see him so weak but at the same time I struggle about putting him to sleep vs allowing him to live out his last breath.
I've never thought about "natural" death vs. euthanization in this way before. Thank you for your perspective.
It is never easy.
Not having had to make this decision yet, I wonder what criteria or guidelines I should consider when determining the best timing for euthanizing our beloved cat?
Laurie, I appreciate your perspective here, especially about the owner of a companion pet accepting responsibility for both the pet's life and death. "Natural death" seems like an idea that's being much discussed these days.