My Opinion Regarding Chronically Ill Pets

[Yeshuasdaughter]

Sometimes I meet people who talk about their dog with cancer going through chemotherapy, or their diabetic cat, or their pet that went blind.

I smile politely. But I don't know what to say, and so I get very quiet at these times, because inside, what I'm thinking is, "What a sick, selfish human being. Keeping the animal alive for their own entertainment and comfort, when the best thing for the animal would be to put the poor, suffering creature out of their misery."

It is sickness and cruelty to drag an animal through the pain and complications of what are considered in people to be some of the worst diseases of humanity.

Sheesh, be an adult and put your pet to sleep. It is no different than torture to keep it alive so you won't be sad.

They are animals and don't understand what's happening to their bodies. Animals by their nature are driven by the senses. All they know is to push through the pain and sickness. Put your animal to sleep so that they won't suffer for the rest of their life.

Yes they'll get extra cuddles over the years, but those cuddles will be mostly for your own selfish needs. An animal in pain is a tortured animal. Put the poor creature to sleep.

That's all I have to say about that.

 

[Hazel_1914]

Sometimes I meet people who talk about their dog with cancer going through chemotherapy, or their diabetic cat, or their pet that went blind.

I smile politely. But I don't know what to say, and so I get very quiet at these times, because inside, what I'm thinking is, "What a sick, selfish human being. Keeping the animal alive for their own entertainment and comfort, when the best thing for the animal would be to put the poor, suffering creature out of their misery."

It is sickness and cruelty to drag an animal through the pain and complications of what are considered in people to be some of the worst diseases of humanity.

Sheesh, be an adult and put your pet to sleep. It is no different than torture to keep it alive so you won't be sad.

They are animals and don't understand what's happening to their bodies. Animals by their nature are driven by the senses. All they know is to push through the pain and sickness. Put your animal to sleep so that they won't suffer for the rest of their life.

Yes they'll get extra cuddles over the years, but those cuddles will be mostly for your own selfish needs. An animal in pain is a tortured animal. Put the poor creature to sleep.

That's all I have to say about that.

Thoroughly agreed.

Put the resources towards the pets who can't find someone to love them.

Compassion is the root of this but it's better redirected where it will do more good. I've seen a Guinea pig left wandering around in a hedge after neighbors moved out of an apartment, but wasn't able to catch it in time. The dumpster is full of kittens every spring.

Two cats I caught as babies. They're grown now and a bonded pair. When they are old I hope to keep them comfortable and not force them to linger in their pains, and I will be very sad indeed to lose them. But I would then be able to take care of another cat, and for the other cat(s), this would mean everything.

 

[monkeyclogs]

partly agree.

i'm a little more nuanced in what I consider to be unnecessary suffering though. if the condition is manageable without significant suffering I wouldn't consider that a reason to euthenise. the examples of diabetes and blindness for example might be manageable by medication or lifestyle adaptations and cause limited suffering.

but, I'm quick to euthenise where there is either a chance of continued suffering or the treatment is likely to cause further suffering. I did have a dog with cancer. they did discover it by chance (he'd been attacked by another dog and it was discovered as they sedated him to give him stitches) but they were able to operate almost immediately and got the whole tumour. I would never have put him through chemo, at that stage I'd have been obsessively monitoring signs of suffering and euthenised if he was. but luckily he went on to have 4 more suffering free happy years.

in contrast some of my friends keep going beyond what I think is fair for their own benefit. I often struggle not to intervene.

much like you describe i feel it's selfish to expect another to suffer for your benefit and believe death is sometimes better as it ends that suffering. As humans we have more autonomy than animals to make our own decisions.