I remember so well the day Martus came into my life… In those days I was managing a vet clinic on Magnetic Island, and one of my less pleasant jobs was to euthenase feral cats trapped in the local rubbish dump. Then in came this huge black tomcat, with a baby possum clinging to him. I sedated him and removed the possum, and then we desexed him, and he moved in… And left several pound of dirt and fuzzy black hair on my bed end over the next 6 years!

Over the past few weeks, Martus started sneezing blood, and then one side of his face and head swelled out- most probably a tumour in his sinuses- and then, just the other day, I could see he was in distress, just not happy…

So… How do you know when it is time?

Sometimes it is easy, sometimes a little harder to know- animals don’t ’suffer’ with pain like we do- they just seem to accept it, and be. However- I know that (as long as you are not too attached to your pet- but more about that in a bit) you can nearly always tell when they reach that point- suddenly they will seem to be ‘not right’, or ‘not happy’. This can happen gradually, which may make it a bit harder to discern, or they may be going along ok one day, and then quite clearly NOT ok the next. Every pet is unique.

There are a few signs that it is definitely time though…

• When your pet stops eating altogether.
• When your pet can no longer get up to go to the toilet.
• When your pet is crying out in pain.
• Or… when you simply look at them and know it is time.

Take heed of these signs! And if you are not sure, please talk to your vet.

And now we will step back to the attachment issue…

Our pets have no fear of death- for them it is as natural as breathing.

It is usually us who have a fear of losing the unconditional love that our pets so freely bless us with. And sometimes this can make us keep our pets alive longer than perhaps we should. I also believe our pets love us so much that they will hang on through any amount of suffering for us.A good question to ask yourself is if you are willing to let your pet go. I encourage you to be willing to.

So- It’s time… What next?

Now you need to either take your pet to the vet, or have a vet come to your home, and gently put your good friend to rest. I prefer in home euthanasia, as it is so much less stressful for our good friends- since I started home visits, I have helped many a gallant old soul pass in the peace and love of their own home space.

Afterwards it is normal for you to be sad, and to grieve- our pets are members of our family! You may need to dig a grave, and bury your friend, or in some areas there is access to pet cremation and burial services. I find it is a lovely thing to have some sort of ritual or ceremony to celebrate the life of your good friend.

I also think it is a good idea to involve the whole family, kids if you have them. I believe that one of the greater reasons that pets share our lives is to teach us about life, and death. It’s a great opportunity to learn about the reality that we all must face one day. Some people avoid being there, or keep their children away… And whilst I honour their choice, my truth is that it is better to face, accept, and embrace the feelings of sadness, grief, and pain that come up- otherwise one tends to lock them inside, and this is not healthy.

What if I don’t believe in Euthanasia?

It’s ok to let old humans die naturally, so I can’t at all see how it can’t be alright for you to allow your old pet to do the same, as long as you make sure that adequate pain relief is provided. I actually think we are more compassionate with our pets, to be honest.

Life Goes on…

I always encourage people to consider getting another pet, especially if they only have one, and even more so if they are old and live alone. Who knows- if you believe in reincarnation, they might even come back again!

I hope you enjoy every minute of the time your pets share with you…

Until next time,

Dr Edward