Knowing when to say goodbye . . .

Patty has been on everyone's mind and in their hearts recently as we had to bid faithful Stewie goodbye and allow him the peace to cross over the Rainbow Bridge. One of the most common questions heard by veterinary staff is exactly the situation Patty faced . . . when do you know it's time?

Truly, there's no easy answer: Every pet, every family, and every situation is different. A veterinarian I know once said that "I would rather help my friend a month too early than a day too late." That really resonates with me and I routinely share that thought with clients.

The issue here is that since our pets can't describe how they are feeling in terms that we are familiar with, the whole topic is very subjective. Thankfully, hospice and end-of-life veterinarians have devised a wonderful scale to bring a little objectivity to this sensitive subject.

You can see here that this Quality of Life Worksheet allows the pet parent to "grade" their pet in seven different areas to help determine if letting go is a good idea. Each day, you grade your pet from 0 to 10 in the areas of Hygiene, Hydration, Hunger, Hurt (pain),Happiness, Mobility, and More Good Days than Bad. Then add up the scores: 70 (perfect) would be a great life for any pet!! If the score drops below 35, it's time for a decision because the pet's quality of life is not good. We need to either change treatments, add medications, or other adjunctive therapies in order to raise the score, or we need to make the call that it truly is time to say goodbye.

It's never easy, but maybe this tool I linked to above can bring you a little peace of mind and help you during this tough journey. #PetLoss, #CVJ, #CertifiedVeterinaryJournalist, #PetPalsTV, #Veterinary, #EndofLife