Making the decision to euthanise your dog

8 min read

The decision to let your dog go is never made alone, nor against them: you build it with your vet, by looking at their day-to-day quality of life (their pain, their appetite, the things they still want, their good days and their bad ones). Sparing them suffering is not a betrayal, it is a last act of love.

Looking at their quality of life, in your own way

Look at these markers together, over several days, never on a single bad day. None of them decides on its own: together they show a trend, the trend of their own comfort.

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These markers draw on the 'HHHHHMM' scale by Dr Alice Villalobos, meant as an aid to reflect and to talk things through with your vet, never as a cold score to be tallied up. It has one real merit: it shifts the focus onto what your dog is going through, rather than onto your own grief alone.

Deciding with your vet, step by step

The 'right moment' is not something you read off a page: you build it with your vet, at your own pace.

Write down what you see

Over a few days, their good moments and their bad ones, what they still enjoy, what they no longer do. These observations are worth their weight in gold to your vet.

Talk to them openly

They are the one who examines your dog, gauges what can still be eased and suggests a way forward. Tell them your doubts and your exhaustion: that is part of what this appointment is for.

Ask the real question, together

Not 'how long can I keep them', but 'am I letting them suffer for my sake?'. You answer it together.

Choose the setting that feels right for you both

At the practice or at home, somewhere calm, with you by their side if you wish. Nothing is required of you; everything is a choice.

Prepare for what comes after, without rushing

What happens to their body, and your own grief, are best thought through calmly. Your vet is there to guide you on this too.

The signals that invite a conversation

Markers to help you know when to pick up the phone, at your own pace. They invite you to talk to your vet, never to decide alone, and you do not have to carry this on your own.

To note and to mention

Less spark, sleeping more, keeping a little to themselves
Eating or drinking less well than before
Hesitating to get up, to move, to do what they used to love

To raise without delay

The pain returns despite your vet's treatment
Refusing to eat or drink over several days
House-soiling accidents that visibly distress them
Taking no more pleasure in anything

Time to call, not to wait

Visible suffering that no longer eases
Difficulty breathing, real distress
Far more bad days than good, day after day

Crying even before they go, feeling sad, on edge or worn out while you care for them: this is normal, it has a name (anticipatory grief) and it takes nothing away from your love, quite the opposite. Talking about it with those around you, or with your vet, really does help.

To carry on, gently

guideAssessing your dog's quality of lifeA practical way to track his comfort and joy day by day, the concrete foundation behind this decision.Read the guide guideGrief and the legal side: what to do with your dog's bodyAfter he's gone, the paperwork and legal steps explained, so you're not figuring it out alone while grieving.Read the guide guideVeterinary care for your senior dogThe vet guiding this decision is the same one tracking his ageing, here's how to set up that ongoing care.Read the guide guideCognitive decline (senility) in the senior dogConfusion, disorientation, restless nights: cognitive decline often weighs heavily on this decision, learn to recognise it.Read the guide guideArthritis and mobility: keeping my dog comfortableJoint pain and lost mobility are among the clearest signs to watch when judging his day-to-day comfort.Read the guide guideIncontinence in your older dog, without scolding himAn incontinent dog isn't one to scold, this guide helps you factor it in gently, without guilt, as part of your decision.Read the guide

Villalobos A. — Quality of Life Scale ('HHHHHMM') (2004)
End-of-Life Care Guidelines, AAHA / IAAHPC (2016)
Recommendations on the recognition and treatment of pain, WSAVA Global Pain Council
Guidelines for the Euthanasia of Animals, AVMA (2020)
Ethics committee opinion on animal euthanasia, Ordre national des vétérinaires (2020)

Frequently asked questions

When should you euthanise your dog?

When their suffering no longer eases despite treatment, and their bad days clearly outweigh the good. Look together at their pain, their appetite, their pleasures and their mobility over several days, then talk it through with your vet: they are the one who assesses your dog's true condition and helps you decide.

When is the right moment to euthanise your dog?

There is no universal 'right moment', and you will never be 'too early' if you spare them suffering. The right time is built with your vet, based on your dog's comfort, not on a calendar. Many owners would rather be 'a day too early' than 'a day too late'.

What happens during a dog's euthanasia?

It is a gentle medical act, carried out by the vet, at the practice or sometimes at home. Your dog falls peacefully asleep, without pain, and you can stay by their side if you wish. The vet explains each step in advance and respects your pace.

Can you euthanise your dog at home yourself?

No, never. No 'gentle' or 'natural' home method exists: it would make your dog suffer, and French law forbids it. The only pain-free ending is an act carried out by a vet, who can, in fact, very often come to your home.

Is euthanising my dog a betrayal?

No. It is neither abandoning them nor 'killing' them: it is refusing to let them suffer when nothing can ease it any more, perhaps the last act of love you can give them. The true measure is their comfort, not the length of time you would have liked to keep them.

Can you stay with your dog during the euthanasia?

Yes, if you wish: many owners choose to be there, a hand on their dog, to see them through it gently. But nothing requires it of you either, and do not feel guilty if you do not feel able to. Talk it through with your vet to prepare the setting that feels right for you both.

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