This is the most common question I am asked in my role. As pet owners we have the privilege of being able to prevent or end suffering of our beloved pets! But this comes with the burden of making a decision that few are ready or prepared for in life.
The advice we are given is often unhelpful. “You’ll know when the time is right”. “They will let you know”.
After over thirty years as a vet and more as a pet owner do I know the right time, always? No. Nothing wants us to have to make this decision. Our pets are members of our family, and we are making a decision to end their life.
There are available, on-line, quality of life (QOL) assessments. I not a fan of these. They ask questions that require yes, no answers and the situation is a lot more nuanced than this. I have seen pets that have catastrophic injuries that would tick many of the boxes of being happy and having a worthwhile life. The injuries are so severe that left would leave the individual with these injuries to die a slow and painful death. Also when taking these assessments we, as the pet owner, know that the outcome is potentially catastrophic and this can colour our answers.
I bring an intuitive approach to this question. This takes into account the needs of all the parties involved. The owners, the pet in question and the nature of their relationship.