The cat castrate went really well and I was quite chuffed sadly, my second first came quickly afterwards (not the cat thank god).
I had to euthanise a native bird that came in and was very, very ill. Sad, but ultimately far more humane than watching it die slowly over the day.
Euthansasia (eu- good and thanatos meaning death) is performed when death is more humane than letting the animal live. This means that if the animal is in a lot of pain that will either not resolve or will not resolve quickly, if the animal is very ill and the owner cannot afford the cost of continued treatment (hospitalisation bills can quickly and easily enter the 1000’s), the animal is a native and has no hope of recovery or recovery to a point where it can be released or if the animal is badly injured and the owner can’t afford surgery costs, it can be considered more humane to let the animal die than suffer.
Sometimes animals are euthanased because there is no one who CAN cover the cost of treatment. This often happens with strays who are in car accidents. The injuries are often severe and there is either no owner, or a non contactable owner. Sometimes people move or get a new phone and don’t change the paper work, CHANGING THE PAPERWORK IS REALLY IMPORTANT!
Sadly, you can’t adopt and pay for every injured stray, trust me, I would really, really, really love to. But I (and many vets) can’t afford to and it breaks my heart. You wouldn’t expect anyone else to work for free, so please don’t ask it of the vet.
Let me say one final thing on the subject:
Vets don’t take the decision to euthanase lightly. It’s not a cost saving exercise, it’s not a money maker, it’s not because they are heartless. Trust me, they are not heartless, most vets have a heart so big it consumes them.
Be nice to your vet, please?
