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[RC] Euthanizing an older horse and that can of worms - Kristi SchaafMichelle wrote:
You can tell by looking at them and watching them every day, whether they are still happy and enjoying life, despite the pain they may be going through. Is it kind to euthanize an animal that is in pain, yet still enjoying their life? They still have that sparkle in their eye =) Everyone has their own opinion, but I don't know if I agree with it being better to do it a week too soon than an hour too late, but we may have different views on what this "week too soon" looks like.
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I respect your opinion, Michelle. This is a very gray area! That said, here's mine.. It can be VERY difficult for an owner to know what a week too soon or an hour too late looks like. And if that eye sparkle slowly fades it can be impossible to remember what it looked like at full sparkle. So, I don't think you always CAN tell if they're still enjoying life. There's often too much human emotional baggage and gradual decline of health in the pet clouding that vision.
To me, 'week too soon' means that my pet isn't going to get better. It means that the question of 'is it time' has entered my head. It means that since he lives in the moment, I want him to actually still have more GOOD moments than bad when I say good-bye.
Kristi
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