My Pet World: Quality of life for chronically ill pets is a balancing act

Cathy M. Rosenthal, Tribune Content Agency on Dec 28, 2022

Still, they had been lucky to get “a wonderful vet out of retirement” to take over. I made the appointment trusting that they had found a caring vet who would follow the same procedure I expected from my regular vet. I was shocked when the vet came into the treatment room with his assistant, who grabbed my cat as the vet quickly did the injection. Ginger (my cat) screamed as I watched helplessly. Then the vet joked about how Ginger still had had a lot of fight left in him. I couldn't believe what I had just witnessed, and I still (after several years) relive that horrible moment.

— Carol, Tucson, AZ.

Dear Carol,

I received many letters about the end-of-life experience for pets. It's surprising how many people have had an experience similar to yours – and mine. I have had two bad euthanasia experiences with my pets and now always make sure I have this discussion with my vets long before I need these services to make sure we are on the same wavelength.

My hope is by sharing these letters other pet owners will begin having that same conversation. A vet should be able to explain how they handle euthanasia in their office and accommodate a pet owner’s thoughts and wishes. If they can’t accommodate a pet owner, then this gives the pet owner time to find a new vet.

I believe most vets are sensitive to a pet owner's grief and will do whatever they can to make the procedure easier on the pet and his or her owner. But, it’s essential pet owners ask those questions now while their pets are still healthy.

Fun fact: What are the most popular dog and cat names for 2022? The list varies, depending on the company surveying pet owners. But Trupanion, a pet health insurance company, scanned their database of 800,000 pets, and discovered the most popular pet names for 2022.

The top 10 dog names are Luna, Charlie, Bella, Daisy, Milo, Lucy, Cooper, Bailey, Teddy, and Max. Max has been in the top ten list and number one on most lists for many years. The top 10 cat names are Luna, Oliver, Loki, Milo, Leo, Bella, Charlie, Mochi, Lily and Willow. Three of the top ten names – Luna, Charlie, Bella – are on both lists.

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(Cathy M. Rosenthal is a longtime animal advocate, author, columnist and pet expert who has more than 25 years in the animal welfare field. Send your pet questions, stories and tips to cathy@petpundit.com. Please include your name, city, and state. You can follow her @cathymrosenthal.)