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Putting your dog to sleep is one of the most traumatic decisions you'll ever have to make. It's easier pulling the plug on a human family member than it is for your dog, because at least you may have a living will or have talked to your family member about how they want to die. But dogs are very good at non-verbal communication. Your dog will let you know without a shadow of a doubt when they have decided that enough is enough.

Time To Adjust

Some illnesses come as a shock to both you and your dog, but after a couple of months or even a couple of days your dog has learned to adjust. This is especially true in the case of a dog having one leg amputated or a dog going blind. After an adjustment period, they usually are their old selves again, even if they look a little funny. Before you decide to put your dog to sleep during these problems, you need to let the dog adjust to his or her new life circumstances.

Comparison To Usual Behavior

Your dog becomes one of your closet family members and friends. With daily interaction and observation, you soon learn all of the things that make your dog wag his or her tail every day. You know the things that give the dog's life extra fun and extra flavor. When these things are suddenly taken away, your dog will act dejected, depressed and not excited about anything. If weeks go by where your dog has given up on food, walks, socializing and play, then it's time to have a serious talk with your vet.

Quality Of Life

We use the phrase "quality of life" so much that it can be hard to remember what it means. Some people think it's time to put a pet to sleep when their quality of life dissolves and not the pet's. You have to take your own hardship or inconvenience away from the picture. Some people think incontinence is a quality of life issue. It's not. It's just an inconvenience.

However, if your dog is soiling himself or herself because they can no longer stand up, than this is a quality of life issue. When they can no longer eat, drink or move about, then you have to think how you would like to be stuck in such a body. If your dog's tail still wags and the ears lift up in expectation at the start of a new day, then the dog still wants to live.

But when the day comes when you say good morning to the dog and the tail no longer wags, then this is the time to do the compassionate thing and put the dog out of his or her misery.

Learn more about this author, Rena Sherwood.
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