When is it time to say goodbye to a pet at end of life? We talk about this agonizing decision in this episode and here in the show notes give you a tool to help. We also rebroadcast S1E27 about the death of a pet.
In this Episode:
Transcript
00:00 – How to Decide when it’s time to Euthanize a Pet
01:40 – Amy on the Choice to Euthanize Gracie May
03:53 – Intro to rebroadcast of S1E27, on the Death of a Pet
05:21 – Southern Comfort Food Classics
14:50 – Charlie Meets Al Pacino on the set of “The Hunters”
24:31 – The Death of a Pet
42:55 – Marley and Me
49:26 – Outro
When is the right time to say goodbye?
Marianne shares her own story about Dimple Rose, who she talked about in S1E27, and in two blog posts (Meet Dimple Rose, A Rose Has Fallen). She also shares a writing from a local paper about the decision to euthanize Gracie May. These may help you in your own decision.
A Question of Quality of Life
Dr. Alice Villalobos developed a Quality of Life Scale to help with this difficult decision. She found that many pet caregivers felt that using the Quality of Life Scale to decide when to put their pet down reduced their personal angst, guilt and anguish, as they wrestled with subjective feelings and emotional decision making. See the guide below, and a more complete article explaining it here.
Related Content:
- Meet Dimple Rose
- A Rose Has Fallen
- S3E1: What you can do to help a grieving pet
- S2E3: Psychics Who Can Communicate with Pets
- S4E31: All About Hot Tubs: How To Keep You and Your Pets Safe
- S2E10: Planning a Memorial Ceremony for Your Pet
References:
- The Peddler’s Post Newspaper
- Quality of Life Scale: When to Put a Dog Down – Dr. Alice Villalobos FNAP
Resources:
- Pet Quality of Life Scale: PNG | PDF
- Your Dog’s Golden Years – Amazon
- Helping Your Dog Cross the Bridge: How to Assess Your Dog’s Quality of Life by Dr. Alice Villalobos
S1E27: The Death of a Pet
(To give our staff a holiday break, we are rebroadcasting this episode)
For those of us that love our furry friends, it’s hard to explain how difficult the death of a pet is. Others may try to minimize it, and ask why we don’t just replace it, but in this episode we talk about why pets are so meaningful to us, and why we grieve them, even as much as other humans.
Research shows that the death of a pet can indeed hurt as much as the loss of a relative. See the article here.
Marianne and Charlie act out a scene of Marley and Me in our “Funeral Theater.” To watch a clip of the same scene, see below.
We also talked about Pet Doulas, who help ease the transition with a dying pet. Here’s a short documentary about Lucy Morgenstern, Pet Doula:
You won’t want to miss our very own interview with Lucy Morgenstern, in S2E10: Planning a Memorial Ceremony for Your Pet.
Recipe Time!
Marianne and Charlie continue their talk about Southern funeral food. If you’re getting hungry, here’s the recipes!
Have your own favorites? We would love to hear them! Contact us below.
Want to tell us about your pet? We’d love to have it in our comments as a memorial. Thank you!
https://blog.feedspot.com/palliative_care_podcasts/
Everyone Dies: and yes, it is normal!
Everyone Dies (and yes, it is normal) is a story about a young boy named Jax who finds something special on the beach where he and his grandpa Pops are enjoying a wonderful day. Pops helps Jax understand that death is a normal part of life. This book provides an age appropriate, non-scary, comfortable way to introduce the important topic of mortality to a preschool child. Its simple explanation will last a lifetime. Autographed copies for sale at: www.everyonediesthebook.com. Also available at Amazon
Mourning Jewelry
We offer a way to memorialize your loved one or treasured pet with a piece of handmade jewelry. When people comment on it and the wearer can say for example “I received this when my mother died” which opens the conversation about this loss. All our jewelry is made with semi-precious stones and beads, vintage beads, and pearls. You can choose between earrings or bracelets and the color family. Learn More
