Trusting Nature To Do What�s Best

I was chatting with someone who runs a sanctuary in another town and I told her about the story of Sunshine Courage. She was very inspired with Sunshine’s recovery, and she said, in her experience of decades of looking after animals, she has encountered on many occasions, paralysed dogs, which when left alone, started to heal on their own and could finally walk again! So, she said, all this hurry to have animals euthanised just because the vet says they will not recover, is sometimes, so unnecessary.

I agree. Sometimes you just have to let things be, let Nature take its course, and the Universe will take care of things.

By the same token, so it is with the option of giving the order to euthanise. For us, we have never given this order to any animal, no matter how bad a state it is in. I’ve seen really bad cases, and yet, the vet is able to repair the injury or, the animal miraculously recovers by itself.

For the terminal cases, let Nature decide, let the Universe decide, just hang in there for a few more days, and you won’t need to make that painful, difficult and often, regrettable decision of having given the order to have an animal killed.

Last night, a rescuer asked me how much it could cost to have a kitten euthanised. I said I don’t know, because we’ve never done it before. After a few hours, she sent an sms saying the kitten had passed on. It was just a matter of a few hours of waiting and making the animal as comfortable as we can. I would think a better option would be to spend the money and time to make the animal as comfortable as we can, ie. give painkillers, if need be. It is just like doctors prescribing morphine to terminal cancer patients to ease their pain (while waiting to die).

Then, we don’t have to play God and we can let God do his job (“God” here is used figuratively to mean “The Laws of the Universe”). After all, life comes from the Universe and only the Universe can take it away.

It may be helpful to remember these questions that we must honestly ask ourselves if we are faced with that difficult decision or pressured by others to give the order to kill – Are we ending the animal’s suffering or our own? �Is it because we cannot bear to see it suffering? How do we know the animal is suffering?

I have personally handled clear-cut “bound for euthanasia” cases, those which the vet said had absolutely no hope anymore. Joanie survived obstructed labour and severe necrotitis of her internal organs. �Bushytail survived necrotising mastitis where every single one of her milk glands had been severely infected, the vet said there was not even enough skin to suture after removal of the two worst-off glands. Sunshine survived a transacted spinal chord (paralysis) and is thriving now. Tara and Sean both survived distemper. Brownie survived Canine Parvo (thanks to RetroMAD1 and the conventional treatment). Mickey survived a blocked bladder where surgery was almost impossible. Wendy lost the battle to distemper, but she fought on until the end with peace and strength written all over her eyes. I saw that, because I nursed her. Vixey and Mac were at peace with their terminal conditions (Vixey had brain retardation and kidney failure, Mac passed on of old age).

And people ask, HOW do you know they were at peace?

I answer: That was what I saw in their eyes. That was what I felt in my heart.

And I ask, in return, how do you know for sure if an animal wants you to have it euthanised? Euthanasia is killing. There is no turning back once the shot goes in.

So, it boils down to not about what is right or wrong, but how much we are willing to do, and that we do what�we�think �and feel is best for the animal. After all, they are at our mercy. As such, we owe it to them to give them the best that we can.

Some people believe that killing is merciful if its purpose is to end suffering. I cannot comment on this as I’ve not suffered anything so severe that I wish someone would kill me to end my suffering. Even if I were, I might wish I could die quickly, but I don’t think I would want my loved ones to bear the guilt of having ordered my death. On the subject of “mercy kiling”, I remember what my late�Chief Reverend said once, when asked about it. He said:�How can there be such a thing called “mercy killing”? Mercy and killing can never go together.�

That, of course, was his personal opinion, coming from his decades of serving people in need.

My take on this would be this: It is NOT about right or wrong. It is about doing the best we can…for the animals, not for ourselves. We need to be very clear on this.

Source: http://myanimalcare.org/2012/03/10/trusting-nature-to-do-whats-best/

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AnimalCare is a registered society that promotes caregiving to street animals and helps in their neutering and medical needs. AnimalCare has a Medical Fund, Food Fund and Education Fund.

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