Dear Auntie Hazel,

                I have received your letter, and i am sorry to hear about Wilbur. Many animal owners have asked
all the time when they will know when its the right time to put the animal to sleep. It's a hard decision to
make by yourself, that's why i always tell them to talk to their family, talk to the vet, and the best way is
to keep a diary about your animal activity.
                I can give you some useful indicators about animal's quality life that you can guide of:
1. is the animal responsive?
2. does it have the ability to walk?
3. does the animal want to eat, and if so, how much?
4. is the animal drinking? how much?
5. can animal urinate? how often and how dar away from the place?
6. can the pet defecate? how often, is it normal and how far away?
7. how much weight is the pet losing?
8. does it appear to be in pain?
9. how long is the pet spending at the vets ?
10. are the animal's symptoms getting worse?
11. is there any chance of recovery?
12. have you ever felt that you are keeping the animal alive because its too hard to say goodbye?
              Another common question the people are asking me frequently is if they should allow their
animal to die at home naturaly. Unfortunately animals very rarely die in their sleep and natural death is
not always quick and painless. Sometimes it can be very painful and highly distressing for the animal, and
may take several hours, that's why i consider that is more humane to euthanise.
          I will explain to you the genral steps for the euthanasia process. Sometimes this is done at owner's
home and not at the vet practice, but the procudre is mor or less the same:
I. The owner will arive at the vet clinic
II. They will be asked to wait in a quiet place until the vet is available.
III. They will be asked to fill in the appropriate legal paperwork giving their written permission to
euthanise the animal.
IV. The vet may take the animal away from the owner to place an intravenous catheter
V. The vet may give the animal a sedative to calm it down
VI. The vet will offer the owner time to say goodbye to the animal
VII. When the owner is ready, the vet will then use the euthanasia drug, which is similar to an
overdose of anaesthetic.
                                The drug is administrated into the animal's bloodstream, and the animal will lose
consciousness almost immediately and then pass away. The vet will make sure that the animal is dead.
They do this by listening to the animal's heart, looking at the animal's mucous membrane colour and
eyes.
                              The vet will then offer some time alone with the animal, as some people like to sit with
the deceased animal to grieve for a while and then regain their composure before leaving.
                            The vet may escort you out of the vet practice via the back door. Some veterinary practices
will ask for the bill to be paid before you leave, and others will send the bill out after a few days, or they
will ask you to pay prior euthanasia.
                            Signs of a dying animal:
 dilated pupils
 a grey/blue colour to its mucous membrane
 a dull appearence to the surface of the eyes
 eyes wide open
              Also the animal may:
 urinate or defecate
 cry or whine
 have a moment of excitation
 go rigid
 arch its head back
 breath heavily and deeply
 gasp intensively
 muscles may twitch or ripple
 trembling may occur
 liquid can drain from the animal's mouth or nose
                  A few hours after death, the body, will become stiff and rigid. It can last for many hours,
and then the body will go floppy again, and may also swell and become bloated with gas.
                  Here are a few signs that an animal is dead:
 no heartbeat
 no respiration
 dilated pupils that do not respond to light
 a grey/blue colour to its mucous membrane and tongue
 the animal does not move or respond to you
 the animal does not blink if you touch the surface of the eye
 there is a dull appearance to the surface of the eyes
 eyes wide open
 the animal’s body may be stiff or floppy
                You have to pay attention to these signs, because I know people that they have
continued to administrate the medication to a dead animal, or they have buried their
hibernating animal, because they thought is dead.
                From what I have understood from your letter, you want to bury Wilbur in your garden,
but you will have to have enough space, energy to dig up a deep whole, so the other animals will
not be disturbed. And this solution is cheap and you can plant a shrub or a tree in his memory.
                Another cheap solution is routine cremation. The vet practice will have a contract with a
local pet crematorium, who will collect the animal’s bodies from them, and they will then carry
out cremation.
                Animals will be cremated in batches, and the ashes are then usually scattered in the
grounds of the crematorium. They will also have a garden of remembrance that owners can visit.
                Or you can choose individual cremation, where the animal is cremated by its own and
the ashes are then returned to the practice for the owner to collect. Most places offer a choice
of container for the ashes. You can have a biodegradable box (this is a cheaper option) that the
ashes can be kept in, or ashes can be buried or scattered or kept in a wooden casket or urn with
an engraved name plate if you prefer.
              You may have other options, such as:
 burial at a pet cemetery
 ashes turned into a diamond
 cryo-storage
        Some practices have a remembrance book in their waiting room. It is a book to which
owners can add special photographs, words and poetry about their much loved pet. And
some of the vet practices will send a condolence card to recently bereaved pet owner. This is
normally hand-written by the veterinary surgeon who provided the most treatment to the
animal, or the one that carried out the euthanasia.
              It is not just people that grieve, also animal members of the family will be affected.
Despite the fact that they cannot tell us about the sadness that they are feeling, I believe
that they do feel a sense of loss when their companion has gone. It seems to affect some
animals more than others.
              You have to look for signs of grieving:
 restless
 reduced appetite
 subdued and depressed
 they may search for the lost animal
 barking, howling, meowing, yowling, whining
        From my experience, it is a good idea, if possible, to let the other animals in the
household to see and smell the body; this will give them closure. I feel that animals do
know what death is, and they wouldn’t be worried where the lost animal has gone.
        How you treat them depends on how they have reacted. If they seem fine, then just
treat them normally, but monitor them in case they do start to show signs. Animals
showing signs should be given lots of tender loving care ( TLC ), so lots of cuddles and
attention are good. Temp them to eat with their favourite food. Give them a nice
comfortable bed. In Fluffy’s case keep it in for a few days until you will see some
improvements, and since is a senior cat, keep a very close eye, as it will suffer the worst,
and it will need to eat and drink.
        I hope I covered everything you wanted to know and I feel sorry for Willbur.
Kind regards,
Lawrence