Scoring Tools
Quality of Life Assessment
It's hard to be objective...
We know that it’s really hard to take the emotion out of assessing your pet’s quality of life. You love them; they are part of your family. How can you NOT be emotional? We understand but emotions are usually the reason that owners wait too long. They let their pet continue to struggle when it has been way past their time to pass on.
This isn’t wrong or bad. In fact your reluctance to hold on comes from love. But one of the biggest reasons we hold on to our pets is out of fear. Fear of the void that our pets will leave once they are gone. Somehow in our head we rationalize that having our pet here on earth in any form is better than not being her at all. We make up excuses and resist to face reality. We are living on “Denial Island.”
One of the biggest examples is our pet’s appetite. We have been to many homes where the pet is “still eating” but in reality the pet hasn’t been eating a healthy diet for months, or even eating an amount that is sufficient to sustain life. The pet is skin and bones.
Other reasons that we hold on and question ourselves is we do not want to end their life. This is especially true if they only have one bad day here or there. Many times we speak to families who just want their pet to pass away in their sleep instead of having to make the choice of euthanasia. They feel they are killing their pet and would prefer Mother Nature to do it and not them.
The fact is, Mother Nature’s way of death especially for our pets in a controlled environment, is slow, painful, and agonizing for your pet and for you. Additionally, you are NOT killing your pet. It is the disease or ailment or lack of quality of life that is killing them.
Tools to help you...
We know the struggle of knowing when the time is right to say goodbye. And we know what it feels like to wait too long. Below are several scoring tools to help take these emotions out of the equation. They will help you be realistic about you and your pets situation. Take time with your family to go over these so you can make the best decision for your pet. If you want to have some control of how you say goodbye and guarantee that they pass away peacefully at home in their sleep, these tools can help you do that. (Tools used with permission from Lap of Love Inc.)
**click on any line below for more information (each line is a link)
Your pets, our family.
It is an honor and a privilege to help you and your pet through this transition of life and death. At Eternal Pawprints, we are dedicated to making this process as easy as possible.
After all, our pets are family too! We all should be given the dignity and love to say goodbye in the comfort of our home surrounded by the people and pets that love us.
