Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Stanislaus County

Veterinarian’s advice

Our guest sermon, Lessons Learned from an Old Dying Dog, is about the spiritual lessons learned from the experience. It gets five to ten visits a week. Some of them want advice about an old pet, not lessons. Our webmaster asked a friend who is a veterinarian what advice she would give. She is not of our faith, and her advice may sound harsh. She wishes to remain anonymous. Here it is:

Many of us think of our dogs and cats as members of the family; almost like children, except they are less demanding and drink out of a bowl on the kitchen floor instead of a cup. Losing a long-loved pet can be traumatic. The loss leaves an empty place in your heart and a spot in the favorite chair that will never be warm again. It is only natural to want to postpone that pain when a pet becomes old and infirm.

Dogs and cats do not fear death, the way humans do. They do know what pain is, though; physical pain, from old age, injury or disease. The kindest gift a loving owner can give a pet, when there is no hope, is a final, quick release from that pain.

Take your pet to your veterinarian. Hold it next to you and let one of us give it that final gift. It's OK to cry. People do it all the time. We'll give you time to recover and put a hand on your shoulder. Take your pet's body home and bury it under a favorite tree. Say a few words. If the Lord watches over every sparrow, surely He will know when a cat or dog has finished its run.

Please don't let your pet suffer because you can't let go.