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How to Prepare for Pet Euthanasia
Without question, the day a pet owner must have their pet euthanized is the hardest day of that pet owner's life. There are some things you can do to prepare for the procedure as you celebrate and mourn the life of your family member.
Step 1: If you suspect your pet's life is nearing its end, set up an appointment to see your veterinarian immediately. If your dog is in pain, you will not have time to waste. However, if you are faced with the tough decision of when to put her to sleep your vet can be of assistance with the scheduling of the procedure based on your pet's symptoms.
Step 2: Talk with your veterinarian about your options regarding the time period after your pet has been euthanized. If you desire, are you be able to take your pet home and bury her? Is it possible to save her ashes in a special urn? Settle on these details, including costs, prior to the day of her being euthanized.
Step 3: If you have chosen to bury your family pet, prepare her burial spot in advance. (When we had to put our Rottweiler down due to kidney disease, our small town vet was kind enough to do the procedure at our home so that we could easily transfer her to her burial site.) Mark the burial spot with a stone bearing her name. If you've chosen to keep her ashes, select the urn and the spot in the home where it will be placed.
Step 4: Once you decide on a day for your pet to be euthanized, work on accepting it as a natural outcome. As the day draws near, some pet owners try to convince themselves that the pet is having a good day and the procedure should be postponed. The grief process will be that much more difficult if you are only postponing the inevitable.
Step 5: Assemble some special mementos of your pet. You might want to capture some photos of her and begin creating a scrapbook, or perhaps you'd like to memorialize her paw print in cement.
Step 6: Spend a lot of time with your beloved family member. If she's able, spend time doing the things that once brought her joy…a walk around the block, a ride in the car, fetching a tennis ball. You want her last days with you to be filled with happiness, even while your heart is filled with sorrow.
These steps should assist you in beginning the grieving process, which often begins as soon as pet owners have made the tough decision that their pet is to be euthanized.
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