Caring For A Seriously Or Terminally Ill Pet

When you have a seriously or terminally ill pet, its care can take an emotional toll on you and your family. While euthanasia may have crossed your mind, you may feel that you are not quite ready to reach that decision and choose to care for your pet as long as possible. If you go this route, there are some things you should know and do to give your pet the best quality of life possible.

Learn as Much as Possible About Your Pet's Condition

It's important to learn about the progression and stages of your pet's medical condition. This will help you know more about what your pet is going through and what treatment is necessary. It can also be useful to know how to slow or stop the progression of the disease and how to make your pet more comfortable.

Learn How to Give Proper Treatment at Home

Continuously returning to your veterinarian for regular treatment, especially daily or weekly treatment, is highly impractical and stressful for you and your pet. Work with your veterinarian to figure out how you can give treatment to your pet at home. This may involve learning how to give injections and other advanced procedures.

Prepare Your Home to Make Your Pet's Life Easier

Stress and excessive activity in the home may make your pet less comfortable. You may have to separate your pet from others in the household if you find they are picking on the sick one or being too rough. Adjust potential obstacles or make changes to furniture so that your pet can navigate the home more easily.

Realize When it's Time to Let Go

Making the final decision of euthanasia is difficult and there's no correct or perfect time to do so. Keeping a quality of life journal is extremely useful as you can chronicle your pet's decline and determine when it's getting close to the end. If your pet is not eating and is clearly in chronic pain, it may be time to let him or her go.

Caring for a seriously or terminally ill pet is a heartbreaking task and should only be done if you can keep your pet's quality of life as good as possible. However, if it becomes time to finally alleviate your pet's suffering, then euthanasia may be something worth considering. If you are going through the hard task of caring for a seriously ill or dying pet, and you need advice on whether to continue treatment or not, then contact your veterinarian.

Get in touch with a center like Sepulveda Animal Hospital for more help.

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