Saying goodbye – options for euthanasia

The life expectancy of your pet is varied depending on the species. It is worth looking into the life expectancy of your pet, they can often live longer in captivity than in the wild. At some stage it may become obvious that your reptile’s life is drawing to a close. It is then that you will face a painful and difficult decision on whether your pet should be taken to your veterinary practice and put gently and painlessly to sleep.

Euthanasia (often called ‘putting to sleep’ or ‘putting down’) is the term used by veterinarians for the process of bringing about an easy and painless death to prevent the suffering of an animal which is too old or sick to have a happy and fulfilled life. It is never an easy decision and should always be discussed with your veterinarian beforehand if possible. This allows you to understand what to expect and request anything that will make this easier for you at the time.

Quality of your pet’s life can be assessed through many different forms which will help you to come to your final decision. You may want to consider euthanasia if your reptile:

• Is suffering untreatable pain, eg from a large tumor or mass that cannot be successfully removed.
• Is no longer able to eat or drink normally and maintain their weight.
• Has such severe disease in the lungs that it is unable to breathe properly.
• Can no longer empty its bowels or bladder without pain or is incontinent.
• Is unable to stand or move normally.
• No longer enjoys playing or co-habiting with friends or their owner.
• Has become so blind or deaf that it cannot have a fulfilled life.
• Is ill and the emotional or financial demands of caring for it are more than you can manage.

It may be helpful to record your pet’s behavior, eating, drinking, toileting and overall demeanour to help you decide. Often the decision comes when they are having more bad days then good days.

Please take as much time as you need with your pet during this time, if you need anything or more time please speak to the veterinarian, they will be more than accommodating. It is important to discuss beforehand if you want to be with your reptile during the euthanasia process. To be able to give your pet the euthanasia drug they will need to be sedated, so that they are calm and still. This can be done by an injection of sedation drugs. Once they are sedated the veterinarian will be able to administer the euthanasia drug, this is done by injecting the drug into a vein (usually the tail) or the chest. An overdose of a drug which makes your reptile lose consciousness (and ability to feel pain or fear) is injected. Your reptile will be asleep in a very short time (usually a matter of seconds). Breathing and their heart beat will stop a few seconds later. Once this is done the veterinarian will check your pets heart using a special piece of equipment called a doppler probe to make sure it has worked.

The process is completely painless. Your pet will not suffer during this process but in their last moments your reptile may give a gasp which can continue for a couple of minutes after the injection has been given. Your reptile has died and the sound is caused by a muscular spasm which is perfectly normal. Other muscles in your reptiles’ body may also twitch and, as its body relaxes, its bowels or bladder may empty.

Discuss in advance with your veterinarian whether you wish to be with your pet when they are euthanised. It may be less stressful for your reptile to be held in your arms and to be able to hear a familiar voice. You may be comforted by knowing that your pet suffered no pain and met a peaceful end. However, if you are frightened or anxious your reptile may sense this and may also become upset. This is often personal choice and you should not feel pressured into being present if you do not wish to.

Veterinarians usually prefer to see their patients in their own clinic where all the equipment and trained staff they need is close at hand. But euthanasia is a special situation for both the veterinarian and yourself. If you want to have your reptile put to sleep in its own home then most veterinarians will be able to accommodate this.

Ultimately it is you who must decide whether or when euthanasia is the right thing for your reptile. Your veterinarian will be able to advise you on what the options are and make a sensible recommendation but he/she will not make the decision for you

It is rare that a decision has to be made on the spur of the moment, so it is much better to make your choice after talking it over with your veterinarian and with other members of your family. It is important that all members of the family are involved in the decision-making process and that they are all in agreement. Do not exclude children from this – talking with them before the decision has been made may help them to come to terms with it.

It is perfectly natural to feel grief after losing a pet and there is no shame in feeling strong emotions. Sometimes the first response to a pet’s death is anger or guilt, that more could not be done to save them. However, people experience grief in different ways and there are no hard and fast rules about what you will feel. It may help to have someone to take you home after your reptile has been put to sleep so that you do not have to return to an empty house. Talking to friends and family is important, especially your children.

Losing a pet is often the first time that a child becomes aware of death. It is usually best to be honest with a child and explain the truth as clearly as you can. Children may want time to say goodbye to their pet and seeing the dead body may help them understand what has happened. Marking the occasion with some kind of memorial such as a burial can be very therapeutic. Talking about the happy times and looking at photos of the pet will often help them and you to come to terms with the change in your lives. Children frequently get over the loss of a pet much more quickly than adults.

Your veterinarian will explain what can be done with your pet. They can arrange for your reptile to be cremated, or you may choose to bury them yourself. If you want to bury your reptile in your garden check first with your local authority that this is allowed and make sure that they are buried at least 2 feet (about 600 mm) below the surface. If your pet is cremated you should be offered the option of having the ashes returned to you and usually you can choose different boxes or ornaments. There are now independent companies that can turn ashes into many different objects and keepsakes it may be worth researching into this if you think it may be something that you are interested in. The other option is a communal cremation where the crematorium scatters the ashes at the crematorium, usually within their garden. Your veterinarian will do their best to accommodate your wishes.

This can often be a difficult decision and may require you to talk things through with friends and family. If you are considering getting another family pet its worth discussing this with the whole family to see how everyone feels about the situation. The relationship you build with another pet will never be the same as the one you had, but it can be equally rewarding. Overall, it is a very personal choice of what feels right for you and must be your decision.