Making the Decision to Euthanize a Pet
Pet Euthanize Decision
Deciding to euthanize a pet is one of the most difficult decisions a pet owner will ever have to make.
Unfortunately, debilitating conditions and chronic health issues caused by aging or illness can minimize a pet’s quality of life to the point where the owner must face the very difficult prospect of considering euthanasia.
Advances in veterinary medicine have made deciding what to do even more challenging since it seems like there is always one more therapy to try or one more medicine that might help.
Even with all the alternatives we have today, it is likely that at some point you will be faced with making next to impossible decisions regarding your pet’s end of life. If the time should come, you want to make sure that you’ve done all you can for your beloved family member.
Deciding to Euthanize: Things to Consider
The process of deciding to euthanize starts with asking a veterinarian to evaluate your pet’s health. As part of the evaluation, many veterinarians use what they refer to as a “Quality of Life Index.”.
The index is a guide for evaluating the pet across a number of important criteria. One of the most commonly used indexes is the HHHHHMM Scale.
The scale was developed by Dr. Alice Villalobos, DVM, DPNAP. Dr. Villalobos, a renowned veterinary oncologist, created the scale as part of Pawspice, a hospice program for terminally ill pets.
When using the scale, the veterinarian will work with the owner to evaluate the pet on seven criteria: Hurt, Hunger, Hydration, Hygiene, Happiness, Mobility and More good days than bad. Each category is rated on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being ideal. A total of more than 35 is considered an acceptable quality of life.
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