Euthanasia for Convenience?

[Speaker_for_the_Dead]

@Otto

FWIW, my mother is finding herself possibly facing this position. She has two cats, one 19 and the other 15. The 19 year-old defecates on the carpet in the living room, probably because it is not able to get down the stairs to the littler box. My mother has moved a litter biox upstairs but the cat still defecates on the living room. The 15 year-old is showing signs of diabetes, but there is no way my mother can treat the cat because it will not tolerate her being near him. My mother is in her 70s, recently widowed and dealing with her own health issues. She doesn’t want to put the cats down, but she’s also pragmatic enough to know that the likelihood of either of them being adopted out of a shelter is nil and heartbroken at the thought of taking them from a life where they’ve been pampered and loved for in one instance close to two decades to a life in a cage. I guess some people might, should my mom decide to put them down, as doing it for her convenience. If so I hope she can be forgiven.

I think that’s a different story. The animals are sick–we helped one cat limp through diabetes, and saw how unhappy his life was, so when another started showing signs, we had him put down rather than put him (and us) through that. I think the “convenience” thing is more like “ol’ Fluffy here is really tying me down… I mean, I don’t want to have to get up at 7:00 to feed her, and I was kind of hoping to go away this summer, but no one will take care of her. Oh well, better have her euthanised.”

[Balthisar]

@NinetyWt

It’s frustrating that the supposed dude in the story had the dog euthanized, when a shelter would likely have taken it.

Oh, I misunderstood the point of the frustration! I see now.

[Lust4Life]

Might be an idea to Euthanise the owner at the end of the summer and keep the dog alive.

[NinetyWt]

@Otto

FWIW, my mother is finding herself possibly facing this position.

Actually, your mother’s situation isn’t nearly what I was thinking about (my sympathies on the kitteh situation, BTW). I wish I could remember the poster who mentioned this! He’s a vet out west somewhere. Something along the lines of: person gets a pet, realizes pet actually takes some effort to care for, brings pet to vet for euthanasia. Seems like one person even won custody of some pets in a divorce then had them killed when their care became burdensome, or some such thing, rather than give them back to the ex.

[Khampelf]

@Muffin

Do they still euthanize teen pop idols each year like they used to back in the Bay City Rollers days?.

With the price of heroin so low they don’t have to, anymore.

[Long_Time_First_Time]

@Otto

FWIW, my mother is finding herself possibly facing this position. She has two cats, one 19 and the other 15. The 19 year-old defecates on the carpet in the living room, probably because it is not able to get down the stairs to the littler box. My mother has moved a litter biox upstairs but the cat still defecates on the living room. The 15 year-old is showing signs of diabetes, but there is no way my mother can treat the cat because it will not tolerate her being near him. My mother is in her 70s, recently widowed and dealing with her own health issues. She doesn’t want to put the cats down, but she’s also pragmatic enough to know that the likelihood of either of them being adopted out of a shelter is nil and heartbroken at the thought of taking them from a life where they’ve been pampered and loved for in one instance close to two decades to a life in a cage. I guess some people might, should my mom decide to put them down, as doing it for her convenience. If so I hope she can be forgiven.

Veterinarian here. There are some vet.s that euthanize healthy animals upon request, although many do not. I dont’ have an handle on percentages, but I’d wager more vet.s have a no “convenience” euthanasia policy than do. Those that do euthanize usually say that it is done to spare the animal being abandoned, mistreated, etc.

My local humane society recently stopped taking animals that have owners, and only take in strays. What they found was that it stopped the donation of animals such as those described above- not adoptable, old and sick critters. Owners were dumping them at the humane society to prevent either the grief or cost of having them put down themselves.

[Zoe]

NinetyWt: One of our veterenarian Dopers has mentioned this type of thing before; i.e. people bringing him pets to euthanize because the pet has become ‘inconvenient’. I can’t remember who, though!

This is close:

vetbridge: I have had several clients (I am a veterinarian) do/say things that, in retrospect, others have told me were sure signs of mental instability. But, as I’ve said, IANAMHW. An example would be a person bringing all of their animals in for euthanasia. This happens every so often. I do not routinely ask why, as I feel that would be intrusive.

[Balthisar]

Wasn’t there a nationally-publicized lawsuit not too long ago that dealt with something similar? I seem to recall a non-healthy dog (could be saved, but at great, great cost) that the owners wanted euthanized. The vet faked it can kept the dog. The original owners found out and sued.

[NinetyWt]

@Zoe

This is close:

That’s it Zoe ! Guess I had his location wrong. I searched for his posts in GQ but only for up to one year ago.

[Pullet]

@Balthisar

Why is that frustrating though? If the city shelter didn’t do that, then you’d have people killing their animals at home, or strays all over the place. Better to accept them in a shelter than do nothing.

To clarify: It is frustrating to the staff of a veterinary clinic, which normally functions to save animals, when someone comes in wanting us to kill a healthy animal just because. It is more frustrating in light of the fact that there is a specific city service that would do as the customer asks, and whose staff are emotionally equipped for the job.

ETA: What NinetyWt said.

[StGermain]

Not a dog, but when I was a teenager, I meet the little girl from next door walking down the street carrying her guinea pig in his cage. “Where are you taking Alfie?”, I asked. figuring she was going to a friend’s house. The kid, probably about 9 said, “I’m tired of taking care of him, so Mom told me to take him to the vet to be put to sleep.” 9 years old and she was ready to have her pet murdered. I told her I’d take care of him until she found him a new home, and had him a couple weeks. Growing up with an attitude like this, I can see how a person could get status symbol dog then throw it away when they were tired of it.

StG

[Reno_Nevada]

@Otto

FWIW, my mother is finding herself possibly facing this position. She has two cats, one 19 and the other 15…I guess some people might, should my mom decide to put them down, as doing it for her convenience. If so I hope she can be forgiven.

I just want to give some support to Otto’s Mom. What she has there are very elderly, ill cats. That is not the case of euthanizing an animal for the owner’s convenience. It is a difficult decision to make, but I believe she will feel a lot of relief when she finally puts the cats to sleep. Anyone who would criticize that decision is not worth talking to.

[Capcha]

Although it kills me to say this (putting down healthy animals), it’s better that than the owners throwing them outside to die, in any number of ways, or taking the matter into their hands; not a quick/ painless end IMHO.
remembers the sounds of a cat being drowned

[retusaf99]

@Otto

FWIW, my mother is finding herself possibly facing this position. She has two cats, one 19 and the other 15. The 19 year-old defecates on the carpet in the living room, probably because it is not able to get down the stairs to the littler box. My mother has moved a litter biox upstairs but the cat still defecates on the living room. The 15 year-old is showing signs of diabetes, but there is no way my mother can treat the cat because it will not tolerate her being near him. My mother is in her 70s, recently widowed and dealing with her own health issues. She doesn’t want to put the cats down, but she’s also pragmatic enough to know that the likelihood of either of them being adopted out of a shelter is nil and heartbroken at the thought of taking them from a life where they’ve been pampered and loved for in one instance close to two decades to a life in a cage. I guess some people might, should my mom decide to put them down, as doing it for her convenience. If so I hope she can be forgiven.

My condolence’s also.

We had to euthanize our 14 yo yellow lab last month. Nothing convenient about it. Trust me, it really really hurts. She couldn’t get up anymore to do the normal bodily functions like eating and relieving herself. (Goodbye, Annie.)

We’re left with a 12 yo Sheltie, blind, diabetic (insulin twice per day), mostly deaf, but the happiest damn dog I’ve ever seen, if she gets to be a lap dog once in a while.

But she misses Annie. Annie was her seeing-eye-dog dog. Annie sees a doggie event and starts barking…Miss Jenna joins in, because Annie told her to, I guess.

I suspect my vet would euthanize our remaining dog if I asked. Old, blind, deaf, lost her buddy, shots and pills every day.

I’m not a great believer in animal rights. I believe in people responsibilities for these animals we call pets.

Doug