Sweetheart, Is This What You Would Have Wanted? A Reflection On Euthanasia
AnimalCare 
Apr 27, 2012 
AnimalCare, NGOs 
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Ref:http://myanimalcare.org/2012/04/26/can-we-neuter-our-way-out-of-killing/
Remember yesterday’s article which I posted (link above) about rehoming being more important than neutering and urging shelters to be no-kill ones?
I sent the article to two shelter managers and I did not receive a straight-off “No” from them. Rather, one replied saying their shelter is working towards no-kill. The other said theirs would reflect on the contents of the article.
When it comes to the question of euthanasia, I think most of us agree that “unjustified” reasons like “moving to an apartment”, “the skin problem is too bad”, “I have no money for vet bills”, should not be entertained by vets. But then again, what is “unjustified” in our opinion can be very justified in the opinion of the owner.
THAT is the whole problem, isn’t it?
Where do you draw the line?
In our experience, several cases were clear-cut euthanasia cases, like Sunshine Courage, Bushytail, Mickey – all three are alive today because we refused to give up and refused to give in. Sunshine was paralysed. Bushytail had pyometra and mastitis in all her milk glands, Mickey had a blocked urethra and a hidden penis.
Here’s another article written by the same author. He had his cat, Gina, euthanised, and these are his reflections:
http://www.nathanwinograd.com/?p=7885
Let me just cut and paste the last part here:
I continue to struggle about the decision to end Ginas life, and hope I did the right thing. I have been assured by others that I did, but, for the first time in my life, I am not so sure. And I also cant help but think of larger implications; that if hospice care were the norm and people no longer killed their companion animals even at the end-stages of their lives, or at the very least, if doing so was not the common choice, the ramifications for the sanctity of animal life would be tremendous. If the discussion were to unfold as a movement, as a society, within the veterinary community, and carried the same weight and gravity that it evokes when the topic relates to the same issue, but concerns our human family members, the impact on societys tolerance for the mass killing in what we euphemistically call shelters (but are often little more than death camps) would be sea-changing. I believe that is what we owe the Ginas who allow us to share our lives with them.
If only she could have answered me that day when I whispered in her ear as we said goodbye to her for the last time, Sweetheart, is this what you would have wanted?
You know, this was one of the reasons that made me decide to hang on with Wendy, our most difficult case ever – I did not know what she really wanted.
Wendy was dying of distemper, it was beyond help. The vet advised and some quarters pressured me till no end to have her euthanised. I was accused of being “cruel” because I did not give the order to have her killed. Strange, isn’t it, that not killing is deemed cruel? And the even stranger thing is that those people who insisted I was cruel and that Wendy was suffering had never even visited Wendy before. So I did wonder how they knew she was suffering.
Say what you must, but the truth is, I could not do it. I looked into her eyes, and I saw her strength and peace. I could not take that away from her. I had no right.
Even with Sunshine Courage, I was reprimanded for not ordering her euthanasia. And again, this was by someone who had not even visited Sunshine. Why does one give the order to kill another living being when one has not even seen her, much less, nurse her?
In our spiritual practice, we do not have hard and fast rules. Every case is different. There are rules, of course, but we basically go by what we FEEL and think is right. It is the heart and brain working together to make the best possible decision.
A spiritual teacher whom I consulted said this: Ask the animal, and you shall receive your answer.
So, I “asked” Wendy, and I received her answer, as best as I could interpret.
On the question of euthanasia, as a medical fund that is no-kill, of course we will go all out to provide no-kill support and care for all the animals who come our way. But please let me state here that we have never said euthanasia was wrong nor have we ever judged those who opt for it. I think I need to make this very clear to everyone, because those who believe in euthanasia get very upset with us for promoting no-kill.
We are not upset with those who support euthanasia, so why are they upset with us? Let us respect each other for what we do since we all have the animals’ best interests at heart, only in our own ways.
Wendy had the will to live on, and as her caregiver, I owed it to her to see her through and I did that, with the help of friends.
I read from somewhere that animals have simpler minds than us (which could be a good thing) and if they are our pets, they remain faithful and devoted to us till the end. And animals know when to let go. But those who are pets, have attachments to us, just as we have to them. So when it is time for them to go, sometimes we have to give them permission to go. Whisper to them, “It’s ok to go.” They will know when to go.
I saw Vixey and Mac tbrough till the end, they were my pets, they passed on just a few years ago. And Puffin and Remirth too, my childhood pets. Remirth waited for my mother to come home before breathing her last. She had cancer, but was loyal till the end. During Puffin and Remirth’s days, we lived in a small town, euthanasia was unheard of. We nursed our animals till the very end. We coped.
And as I look back now, I have no regrets.
At least I do not have to bear that lingering doubt that the author has, and wished he could have received an answer when he whispered, “Sweetheart, is this what you would have wanted?”
Further reflections:
On building a no-kill community:http://www.nathanwinograd.com/?p=8908
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