Thats a very shallow take on reality you have here.
Sure, being a good owner means providing care, safety, food, entertainment and most of all: love.
But still, its a dog. (Or cat. Or rabbit or whatever.)The moment the situation could sink you financially, that is the moment you pull the plug, take the hit, the pain and move on. You have that choice with an animal. And 9 out of 10 times it’s the best option for everyone, including the animal.
You don’t hurt something, create more suffering just because you can’t take the loss.
Looking at the last year of my Fathers life we all (himself first and foremost) wished we had that humane option as well. Fall to sleep. Float away painless. But alas, for humans we don’t have that option. For reasons no sane people can explain we humans must cruelly endure a lot of pain, mental stress and indignation in that final period.
And we should not extend that cruelty (because thats what it is, most life prolonging “final” care in our seniors) to our pets.
Accident? Broken paw? Appendicitis? Or similar fixable stuff? fix it!
I think we agree at a high level, but differ on the specific degree of what’s treatable. Bacterial infections used to be a death sentence most of the time and are now largely treatable. Thankfully some cancers are at that point or on their way to the same. This is why more nuance is needed instead of proclaiming all cancers a lost cause.
A lot of things about the human healthcare systems are messed up in the U.S. and certain other places. Veterinary care isn’t at the same level yet (though the greedy are working on it). A lot of veterinarians keep their prices as low as possible so more families can afford care, and treating these conditions isn’t financially unreachable.
Thats a very shallow take on reality you have here.
Sure, being a good owner means providing care, safety, food, entertainment and most of all: love.
But still, its a dog. (Or cat. Or rabbit or whatever.)The moment the situation could sink you financially, that is the moment you pull the plug, take the hit, the pain and move on. You have that choice with an animal. And 9 out of 10 times it’s the best option for everyone, including the animal.
You don’t hurt something, create more suffering just because you can’t take the loss.
Looking at the last year of my Fathers life we all (himself first and foremost) wished we had that humane option as well. Fall to sleep. Float away painless. But alas, for humans we don’t have that option. For reasons no sane people can explain we humans must cruelly endure a lot of pain, mental stress and indignation in that final period.
And we should not extend that cruelty (because thats what it is, most life prolonging “final” care in our seniors) to our pets.
Accident? Broken paw? Appendicitis? Or similar fixable stuff? fix it!
Liver or kidney failure? Heart disease? Cancer? Brain damage? (Partial) Paralysis?
Nah. Don’t hurt it and yourself more. Take the loss.
I think we agree at a high level, but differ on the specific degree of what’s treatable. Bacterial infections used to be a death sentence most of the time and are now largely treatable. Thankfully some cancers are at that point or on their way to the same. This is why more nuance is needed instead of proclaiming all cancers a lost cause.
A lot of things about the human healthcare systems are messed up in the U.S. and certain other places. Veterinary care isn’t at the same level yet (though the greedy are working on it). A lot of veterinarians keep their prices as low as possible so more families can afford care, and treating these conditions isn’t financially unreachable.