#euthansia

[ask-a-vetblr]

I euthanized the family cat yesterday. He was still purring and being the same cat as always, but he was incredibly weak from eating barely anything (I don't live at home and hadn't seen him for months). I feel like I decided on my own to euthanize without consulting a vet because I was scared of having a drawn out battle that ended with him suffering. He was 16. The vet told me we could try giving him a shot to stimulate his appetite, get his weight up and go from there, but instead I cried and said I didn't want to see him get worse and I was prepared to euthanize. She said that was a valid option and we did it. But today I think I gave up on him and should have tried and worked to get a diagnosis. I'm torn because maybe he could have had more happy years. But I never wanted to see him suffer and I was worried the process would be stressful and painful. I don't know if I made a mistake.

Hi there, mod @the-kazoo-kid speaking. It sounds to me like you did actually consult with your vet. Sure, you may not have booked an appointment with the express purpose of talking about diagnostic processes and treatment options, but you did in fact bring him in to see a professional. It sounds like you knew your animal, and that you took appropriate steps given the situation.

Trust your vet, they would not have let you euthanize your animal if it wasn't a valid choice. Maybe you would have been able to find a diagnosis, but it's also possible that he would have suffered during that process, and that in the end there wouldn't be much that you could do.

The word euthanasia comes from from Greek, from eu ‘well’ + thanatos ‘death'. You chose to give your beloved pet a calm, peaceful death rather than asking him to endure pain and suffering during a medical process that may not have resulted in any meaningful results and that he had no way of understanding. That is a gift that you gave him. Be at peace with your decision.

[keter-class-anomaly]

every time i listen to Euthanasia it gets SADDER THAT'S NOT FAIR!!!!!

[missnoodliness]

Pathology Rotation

This is a weird rotation in many regards. I am very skeptical by nature and was very unsure that I would like this rotation. My hours were typically within the 8-5 range which made me and Coriander very happy.

Most days I spent my mornings doing clinical pathology

I made blood smears, cytology preps of tumors, cytology prep of cavitary fluids, doing manual white blood cell differential counts which is great except for when it isn’t, made urine preparations for sediment analysis. The list goes on.

We also did a lot of labwork analysis. This meant we pooled data from a patient’s CBC, Chemistry, VBG, urinalysis +/- coags +/- extra testing and tried to explain every minor elevation or decrease. I spent a lot of time on eClinpath trying to remember how living beings function on a biochemical level. We had these cases on an almost daily basis with in depth assignments that we then had to present to our classmates the following day, plus clinical skills competencies we have to pass to graduate, plus we would have slides assigned to be completed on our own time for practice so that we could talk about them as a group. We also had a midterm exam and a final exam. These were each a very in-depth case which took me a considerable amount of time and whose write-ups totaled 9 pages each. This portion of the rotation made me feel like I was swamped.

In the afternoons, we drove to our diagnostic laboratory and biosecure facility for necropsy. I enjoyed this part of my rotation more than I thought I would. The staff and faculty were extremely relaxed and welcoming. I did not feel out of place here. I of course called dibs on any non-traditional companion animals and my classmates were more than happy to oblige me. It also gave me a chance to really shine in rounds because hardly any of my classmates know differentials for these critters.

My family was surprised that this rotation did not bother me, but I think the veterinary community has a very different view on death than the average person. Being surrounded by death all day was a non-factor for me (aside from the smell) and it felt more like being an investigator than anything else.

Most of our caseload was comprised of cats, dogs, and cows, but there was so much more:

A Russian domesticated fox – primary pancreatic carcinoma with serosal, hepatic, and pulmonary metastasis

Bison bull calf with heavy Trichuris parasitism and BVDV

Hedgehog with Wobbler’s Syndrome – unknown cause but cool to look at on histopathology

A rabbit with severe dehydration

A wallaby joey with e.coli related septicemia

A macaw with an unknown diagnosis

A ball python with Spider Wobble

A Colobus with uterine adenocarcinoma

A mouse from our research lab on campus with mammary carcinoma

We had two assignments for this portion of the rotation related to necropsy sampling for a given case (I chose a meat rabbit case) and a diagnostic toxicology case. What I now know is that Zinc Phosphide is scary and humans need to be more careful about how we bait ‘pest’ species. A lot of these toxins can end up in our wild birds.

Aside from being constantly swamped with work, this was good information for my upcoming NAVLE which I take 12/9. The anxiety is setting in and it feels as though there is absolutely no way in the world I will be prepared for it. I am tossing around the idea of getting a piercing or tattoo following it to reward myself.

On a brighter note, my next rotation is a small animal externship where I take Coriander for his veterinary care. They are a very dedicated group of vet professionals that I am excited to work with. Bring on the critters!

[ask-a-vetblr]

When do I know if I should euthanise my horse due to old age?

So, I have this horse who's age we don't really know - he could be 19, he could be mid-20's but we don't know because no-one can decide whether what's on his passport is the truth or just a guesstimate and the vets can't quite decide and agree on his age based on his teeth.

So, anyway, he's got a bit of arthritis but he's moving okay and he's eating okay. When I saw him today, his back was dipped quite a bit, his ribs were easily seen and the area between the point of his hip and his stifle looked very hollow.

Now, when I asked the lady who looks after him for me (she has a lot of experience with horses and knows her stuff but I think she's the sort of person to be very reluctant to put a horse down), she told me that that's just what old horses look like, that he's actually at a decent weight, me seeing the ribs is just because of the way the back drops and that even if she gave him more food his body wouldn't 'be able to utilise it'.

Another thing is: a few months ago his ribs were NOT visible and his thigh not hollow despite his back being dipped around about the same amount (I don't tend to see this horse much cause I don't ride him and he's kept in the far paddock and stable and looked after by grooms and the lady.)

The lady is also good at successfully keeping retired horses healthy - I remember a mini that she had that was completely blind and deaf (and I think epileptic?) and around 30 years old but the horse looked healthy and like a much younger horse.

Now, I am slightly worried that her reluctance to 'give up on' and euthanise animals is bleeding through a bit and would just like to know what signs to look for for when I should euthanise my horse.

gettingvetted here.

We really can't comment on the quality of life of an animal without being able to do a hands-on exam. You have the opinion of a caretaker and have asked for the opinion of strangers on the internet - but what has your horse's vet told you about the situation? They will be the best equipped to help you make a decision.

[ask-a-vetblr]

how do you even go about diagnosing a brain tumor in a cat? years ago we treated my kitty with bi-monthly shots for assumed arthritis for a good while, until one day she collapsed and we were told now she hadn't actually had arthritis at all but a brain tumor? the details have been lost to being young and upset but i know no extra tests were done before being pts, nor did they necropsy afterwards. the question has just been niggling at me lately how that diagnosis came about?

gettingvetted here.

The only way to definitively diagnose a brain tumor is with an MRI or other advanced imaging. However, we can rule out a lot of other conditions with other tests (bloodwork [generalized or specialized], x-rays, ultrasound etc) and of course just by asking good questions about the symptoms. Severe, sudden personality changes; severe/sudden or rapidly worsening seizures; severe/sudden or rapidly worsening incoordination (ataxia); or severe/sudden changes in certain metabolic processes would certainly have a brain tumor as a possible cause. After other causes are ruled out, sometimes the only thing you have left is a brain tumor which are usually inoperable and thus people are unwilling to spend the money on advanced imaging.

[faithroots74]

Bad legislation makes for bad law

This is the first of a series of new videos responding to recent UK House of Commons debates and legislation on abortion and euthanasia.

Bad legislation makes for bad law

[faithroots74]

Who is imposing their religious views?

The Justice Secretary Shabana Mahood has come out strongly against assisted dying. She has made it known that she has religious views that underpin her position. Lord Falconer who has himself attempted to bring an assisted dying law into force through the House of Lords has complained that people should not impose their religious views onto others. It is worth noting two things, first that…

Who is imposing their religious views?

[opalitesdahlia]

Him, again

hes asleep, doggy doggy