Euthanasia - the HHHHHMM Scale

Inexile

http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=1523&S=2&EVetID=3001459

There has been a few posts recently on how to decide when its time to let your pet go. Recently we decided to let our 12 year old go.

Even though our vet though it was the right decision a small part of me wondered did we make the decision just a fraction too soon. Then a friend sent me on article which make reference to the HHHHHMM scale and I found it really useful.

Just wished I had the info sooner. I hope others may find the scale helpful too.

Inexile

belcampprisoner wrote: »

would you be as quick with your mother in law

???? Excuse me ????

Hellrazer

belcampprisoner wrote: »

would you be as quick with your mother in law

This forum isn't the place for comments like that.Consider this a warning or I will give you a holiday from the forum,

Rachiee

Great link inexile its such a hard decision to make. I do think the pet is often letting you know its time when it stops eating and playing.

JustAThought

Rachiee wrote: »

Great link inexile its such a hard decision to make. I do think the pet is often letting you know its time when it stops eating and playing.

Thank you for posting this InExile - it was very thoughtful, particularly given the circumstances your found yourself looking for advice on some weeks ago. The article is very clear and honest reding and gave some very insightful supports to people who might now or in the future have to think about and face this difficult option and not know where to start.

I can't believe that girl posted that comment - I suppose she thought she was being funny - there are clueless dopes everywhere.

I had been worried that the article would encourage you to score to euthanise a pet - in gave it was quite the opposite - very good article - thank you for posting. I hope things are Ok at your end & with you & yours.

Inexile

JustAThought wrote: »

I hope things are Ok at your end & with you & yours.

Thanks for your comments - its much appreciated. Things at my end are well different. We found the house very quiet without our girl. Even our two other dogs couldnt fill the void so last week I ended up adopting a spaniel x, well I supposes she is a CKC x. While she will never replace the dog we lost, or her sister before her, she is a joy and has helped lift the gloom.

Feel a bit like a merry widower but I think my old girl would approve.

boomerang

My own vet has a very good take on this.

With people, we tend to prize a long life and celebrate milestones as the years go by. It's a happy thing to reach a great age.

But for our pets, it's quality of life rather than quantity that matters.


Another vet said something to me last year that stayed with me. She said in her experience, pet owners tend to wait about two weeks too long when the decision has to be made. And often the pets are suffering on for those two weeks. I saw my dad do it with our own family dog - he just couldn't let him go and it would have been fairer to Guinness had he let him go that bit sooner.

Having said that, have any of us the strength to make that timely call?

boomerang

Inexile, I responded the very same way to the loss of my own dog last year. I didn't think I'd be the kind of person to rush out and adopt another dog so quickly, but that's the need I felt. As you say there was such a sad absence in the house. I adopted a completely different kind of dog, because I would be too heart sore even now to adopt the same breed again. Josie was in no way Amber's replacement. I honoured Ams by giving another rescue dog the available spot in my heart and home. I think Amber would approve too. xx

Zoundz

I have to make this decision quite a number of times over the course of a year (keeping small pets with short life spans is heartbreaking at times) - this scale is a useful extra tool, but so far nothign quite matches experience and just years of having to do it and recognising all the signs of an animal letting you know when it's time...

Still - there's no harder decision to make every time I do it I feel like I'm being horrily unfair. I know why I'm doing it, and I know it's the kind, right thing to do... but it doesn't get any easier

(((hug to anyone who's lost a pet recently))))

xx