Vet Shares That There Are More Emotionally Draining Things In Their Job Than Putting Animals To Sleep
Losing a pet is a heartbreaking experience akin to that of parting with your human family member. So it’s no wonder that for many pet owners and animal lovers, putting your furry friend down seems like the hardest thing anyone could ever do. But for the vets around the globe, it’s an inseparable part of their daily work.
And one anonymous vet decided to refute the common belief that animal euthanasia is the most difficult part of their job. In an illuminating and touching post, this vet explained why that’s the case and wondered if “Does that make me a bad vet? Hopefully not.”
The author went on to list three other hardest moments of being a vet, and they really put this job in a whole new perspective and it has to do more with people than with animals themselves.
One anonymous vet explained why putting an animal down is not the hardest part of their job in this touching Imgur post
Image credits: jaminriverside
Other vets elaborated on why being close to your pet when the vet is administering euthanasia is vital
Image credits: jessi_dietrich
Image credits: jessi_dietrich
Image credits: jessi_dietrich
And this is what others had to say about parting with your beloved animal
What makes it so hard for any dog owner to part with their beloved furry friends is that special bond these beautiful animals share with humans. In fact, owners are so close to their dogs that the majority love them as much as their children, suggests Anna Trobec, an animal researcher from “Petovly.”
Anna has recently conducted a study surveying 2750 dog owners to get a clearer picture of the human-dog bond.“It positively surprised me how a high percentage of dog owners would do anything they can just to save their dog and keep him or her healthy,” the researcher told Bored Panda over email. “After all, we do think of dogs as our children, and they certainly consider us their parents,” she added.
Anna also said that 99% of those surveyed consider their dogs family members, which explains why the death of an animal hurts as much as the loss of a family member. Moreover, “60% of respondents feel like dog parents, not dog owners, which further lessens our differences which we bear as species.”
I'm dreading the moment I will have to say goodbye to my girl...Sometimes when I think about it, my heart literally hurts :(
I don't know how old she is, but when her time comes, spoil her and be there for her at the end. It's hard, but I was lucky to have a sensitive vet who let me stay with my cat and a kind relative was by my side.
I had the vet and his nurse come to my house. They sat with her for half an hour with me. We talked, they patted her and reassured her and she was very comfortable with them. She had no fear. We laid on our huge bed (she is a massive neo mastiff) I sang "you are my sunshine" to her while she held me and the shot was given. She relaxed completely and had crossed the rainbow bridge while i sang the last verse and then cried. Very few vets come to you and I can't say it enough, how wonderful and personal our experience was having them in our home. She had no fear and that means everything to me.
Well that's really sad. I'm not crying, must be those darn onions.
We did the same thing. When my dog Bella had to be put down we had the vet come to our house. We gave her her favorite food and pet her until she was gone. Watching her body get loaded into the back of the vet's Jetta was one of the worst moments of my life. We had her cremated and spread her ashes on the beach (her favorite place). I really hope she's in a better place now.
Take it from me: cherish every moment you can. Even the mundane ones and even before you even THINK she will be gone.
I've been there a few times. Enjoy and embrace every precious moment you have with her. Prepare for, but try not to be consumed by, her eventual departure so that you enjoy the today that you have with her. Not gonna lie: her death will GUT you. For now, however, she is still here. Hug her, love her, and enjoy every moment you have with her. ❤❤
:'''( same.I have 3 dogs and i always end up giving them more hugs when reading things like this.
I thought I'd never be able to cope with being in the room with any of my pets when they had to be euthanised, but I've done it several times now (all elderly animals) and I'm so glad I did. The thought of any of my babies being alone at their end is too much to bear. You just have to suck it up and remember to think of them and not yourself.
Same here. My responsibility, my decision, my place is therefore at their side. I want the last words they hear from me to be "I love you".
I did the same thing. Stayed with her the entire time. Made sure she knew we loved her and would miss her. Because that was so hard to do this is why we don't have any more dogs. Can't go through that again.
After all, they have been there for you. My first cat had an unfortunate reaction to the anesthesia when they were prepping him for surgery. I couldn't be there for him. When his litter mate brother developed cancer, I vowed I would be at his side. It was difficult saying goodbye, but I thank God that he too was unconscious by the time they put the needle to him. While it was painful saying goodbye, it was not nearly as painful as losing five members of my immediate family in as many years.
I would have thought seeing abused animals would be on the top of the list.
I don't know how often people bring their abused pets to the vet. I imagine that vets are more likely to see abuse at a shelter or a sanctuary. Bless one of my friends, she took someone's abused kitten to the vet, then told the owner that it had died so that she could adopt it. Bless the kitten, because she grew into a wonderful companion to another cat who had been abused.
Often animals that have been found abused get taken to the vet from the person that found the dog, the rescue, police etc for a check up. Like you said about the kitten. So they would likely see more than what we think, which is extremely heartbreaking.
Faith in humanity restored for one more day
I couldn't agree more. That is something I absolutely would not be able to deal with on a regular basis without having a breakdown.
I'm dreading the moment I will have to say goodbye to my girl...Sometimes when I think about it, my heart literally hurts :(
I don't know how old she is, but when her time comes, spoil her and be there for her at the end. It's hard, but I was lucky to have a sensitive vet who let me stay with my cat and a kind relative was by my side.
I had the vet and his nurse come to my house. They sat with her for half an hour with me. We talked, they patted her and reassured her and she was very comfortable with them. She had no fear. We laid on our huge bed (she is a massive neo mastiff) I sang "you are my sunshine" to her while she held me and the shot was given. She relaxed completely and had crossed the rainbow bridge while i sang the last verse and then cried. Very few vets come to you and I can't say it enough, how wonderful and personal our experience was having them in our home. She had no fear and that means everything to me.
Well that's really sad. I'm not crying, must be those darn onions.
We did the same thing. When my dog Bella had to be put down we had the vet come to our house. We gave her her favorite food and pet her until she was gone. Watching her body get loaded into the back of the vet's Jetta was one of the worst moments of my life. We had her cremated and spread her ashes on the beach (her favorite place). I really hope she's in a better place now.
Take it from me: cherish every moment you can. Even the mundane ones and even before you even THINK she will be gone.
I've been there a few times. Enjoy and embrace every precious moment you have with her. Prepare for, but try not to be consumed by, her eventual departure so that you enjoy the today that you have with her. Not gonna lie: her death will GUT you. For now, however, she is still here. Hug her, love her, and enjoy every moment you have with her. ❤❤
:'''( same.I have 3 dogs and i always end up giving them more hugs when reading things like this.
I thought I'd never be able to cope with being in the room with any of my pets when they had to be euthanised, but I've done it several times now (all elderly animals) and I'm so glad I did. The thought of any of my babies being alone at their end is too much to bear. You just have to suck it up and remember to think of them and not yourself.
Same here. My responsibility, my decision, my place is therefore at their side. I want the last words they hear from me to be "I love you".
I did the same thing. Stayed with her the entire time. Made sure she knew we loved her and would miss her. Because that was so hard to do this is why we don't have any more dogs. Can't go through that again.
After all, they have been there for you. My first cat had an unfortunate reaction to the anesthesia when they were prepping him for surgery. I couldn't be there for him. When his litter mate brother developed cancer, I vowed I would be at his side. It was difficult saying goodbye, but I thank God that he too was unconscious by the time they put the needle to him. While it was painful saying goodbye, it was not nearly as painful as losing five members of my immediate family in as many years.
I would have thought seeing abused animals would be on the top of the list.
I don't know how often people bring their abused pets to the vet. I imagine that vets are more likely to see abuse at a shelter or a sanctuary. Bless one of my friends, she took someone's abused kitten to the vet, then told the owner that it had died so that she could adopt it. Bless the kitten, because she grew into a wonderful companion to another cat who had been abused.
Often animals that have been found abused get taken to the vet from the person that found the dog, the rescue, police etc for a check up. Like you said about the kitten. So they would likely see more than what we think, which is extremely heartbreaking.
Faith in humanity restored for one more day
I couldn't agree more. That is something I absolutely would not be able to deal with on a regular basis without having a breakdown.