When is Euthanasia OK?

Posted on July 7, 2010

Written by
Mauricio Dujowich, DVM, DACVS

As veterinarians we swear to “above all, do no harm”.  So my question is what would you do when you are asked to euthanize a healthy animal?  I bet the knee-jerk response was to say “of course I would not euthanize a healthy animal”… but let me give you some scenarios that I have encountered over the years.  In some instances the answer may be clear on how you would approach the decision, but in others it may not be so clear.  What if your boss tells you that you have to do it?   This article will pose different ethical scenarios involving what some might consider right or wrong in putting an animal down.  Hopefully these scenarios will make you think about what you would consider an acceptable situation for putting an animal to sleep.

Scenario #1

It was my first year out of veterinary school and two teenagers brought in a 3 year old cat for euthanasia.  After speaking with the owners their chief complaint was hematuria.   I performed an exam on the cat and found no overt abnormalities.  I asked the owners if I can do a urinalysis to evaluate for a urinary tract infection.  They declined this as they had already done that before and now the problem has recurred.  They stated they would actually prefer to “just euthanize”.  I offered treating the cat empirically with antibiotics and discussed briefly the possibility that this cat may just have feline lower urinary tract disease.  The owners still declined and requested euthanasia.  Ethical dilemma?  Not in this case.  I was pretty comfortable telling the owners that their only option with me was to treat with antibiotics, otherwise they would have to go somewhere else to have the euthanasia performed.  They would not relinquish the cat, so they left with antibiotics.  What would you have done?  Is it right if a veterinarian down the street performs the euthanasia?  Is it more inhumane in the long run to have prescribed antibiotics and have the owners, who clearly wanted nothing to do with the cat, keep the cat?

Scenario #2

A long-time client comes into your hospital after backing over his dog.  You know this client very well and know for a fact that finances are not an issue.  Initially the owner is devastated that he backed over his dog and is willing to do all that is necessary.  However, when the owner received the estimate for the surgery and post-operative care necessary, things changed.  Despite having disposable income, the owner felt that the estimate was simply too much money to pay for a dog.  This was the daughter’s dog and the owner’s plan was to tell his daughter that her dog did not make it through surgery and died, while in reality, we were to euthanize the dog.  So this 10 year-old girl is going to hate veterinarians for the rest of her life for letting her dog “die in surgery”.   To top it all off, you feel very strongly that the estimate presented to the owner was within reason and know for a fact finances are not an issue.  So you ask yourself, “what is this dog’s prognosis?”   It is possible this dog might be fecal and urinary incontinent secondary to a tail avulsion.  There are many incontinent pets out there that are managed successfully by dedicated owners.   I repeat DEDICATED OWNERS.  Initially, this was not an issue for the owners, but once the estimate was presented it became an issue.  So are they truly concerned about the continence issue or are they being stingy?  Would they be dedicated owners?  Should the owners be pushed to at least give the dog a chance since they have the money?  What would you do?

Scenario #3

A dog presents on the emergency service after being attacked by another dog.  The dog is extremely critical and needs an emergency tracheostomy tube.  The dog also needed an emergency laparotomy to fix multiple abdominal wall hernias as well as resection of a compromised segment of bowel.  After further investigation I come to find out the dog that attacked this dog is owned by the same owner… and this was not the first incident.  The owner is definitely distraught by the situation and seeks your advice as to whether the other dog should be euthanized.  They love the other dog dearly and it is a really good dog except for this “prey-type” behavior that gets triggered.  Would you euthanize this dog?

Scenario #4

I was still in high school and it was my second week working as a veterinary assistant.  I was about to restrain for my first euthanasia.  I will never forget this one.  Her name was “Dulce” and she was a beautiful Doberman.  She was approximately 5 years old and she was being euthanized because her owner obtained a new puppy and they just don’t seem to be getting along.  The doctor I worked for euthanized her that day, and I got to be the one to restrain her.  Is it weird that I feel guilty for holding this dog?  Should I have said something?  Now that I’m a veterinarian would I do the same thing that this doctor did?  What would you do?

Conclusion

I guess we can argue until we are blue in the face and realize that there may not be a truly right answer.  My approach to euthanizing otherwise healthy dogs has always been to rule out all other possible alternatives first.  After ruling out all other options, I am then faced with a really tough decision.   Usually I tell the owners that I cannot perform the service for them.  Sometimes it is obvious for me what to do, but at other times the decision becomes cloudy as there seems to be a lot of gray in between.   My only advice is to listen carefully, be objective, and listen to your heart.