Jessica Pierce: "The Last Walk: Reflections On Our Pets At The End Of Their Lives"
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2012-10-25/jessica-pierce-last-walk-reflections-our-pets-end-their-lives
Author Jessica Pierce and her pet dog Ody
Photo courtesy Jessica Pierce
Bioethicist Jessica Pierce explores the practical, medical and moral issues facing pet owners at the end of a companion animal’s life.
Guests
Jessica Pierce
bioethicist and author.
Read An Excerpt
Excerpt from "The Last Walk: Reflections On Our Pets At The End Of Their Lives" by Jessica Pierce. Copyright 2012 by Jessica Pierce. Reprinted here by permission of University Of Chicago Press. All rights reserved.
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My "3 musketeers" were 2 Chihuahuas and a beagle, all stair-step in age. I had to put them down at ages 16, 15, 14 all in a 5-year period. It was very difficult, but at the same time an easy decision to make. People who let their pets go on in pain or suffering from dementia because they "can't bring themselves to do it" are selfish. It is the most honorable, respectful thing you can do for your pet. My 6# Chihuahua Toby stood in the corner for hours disoriented from dementia, my 10# Chihuahua Sugar didn't even recognize us anymore and was terrified all the time even though her body was still strong. Then a few years later, my 14 y/o beagle got cancer and her surgery was somewhat successful, but then she started building up fluid in her arms. She looked at me that day and told me with her eyes what she wanted.
I now have adopted a mutt and a westie from the local humane society. I only made it 22 days without a dog between my beagle dying and adopting my mutt. They are now 5 and 6 years old. They are my entire world. I'm even more attached to them than my "3 musketeers". And one day I may have to make the same brave decision for them.
I had to put down my sweet Hannah in March. I made an appointment for a Friday and let everyone know so they could come say goodbye. She was well loved and she had a nice week of visitors before she left us. We miss her every day. bobbi
We had an 11 yr old female english lab when we adopted a 9 wk old shih tsu. These 2 got along fabulously with the lab exhibiting maternal instinct. She showed the pup that she wouldn't nurse her, and the pup learned her place . Our lab lived til 14 yrs, beyond the expected lifespan, and I think it was due to the pup and our home environment.
For the man who is afraid his dog will be abandoned if he dies, please suggest he call the dog Breed Rescue in his area. When my Uncle had to move to a retirement community, we called Cairn Terrier rescue. They took the dog into foster care and eventually found a new permanent loving home for him.
Thank you so much for this program. Still feeling ambivalent, but we will be putting our dog down on Sunday in our home. It has been a very difficult decision and an amazing opportunity for our family with young children. We have talked openly with children and have invited them to help us make our plans. We will have a place in the yard to bury her and will invite friends to donuts and cider as we lay her to rest.
I'm writing you from France. When I was young my dad died in Madagascar. WE were in France while he died. Our two dogs howled for two days. . . we've always thought they knew my father died. They loved him so much. My mom was sure that was the reason why they cried so hard.
thank you Diane for a great show!
I'm a very very long time listener.
Bijou
I rehome Bernse Mountain Dogs for my locaL Berners club and once
had a gentleman come to me and ask for help in placing his dog with'
a new family as he had an incurable disease.
Just a thought for the man who called and was concerned about his Yorkie. There are wonderful rescue groups to help with these decisions and will take the dog at any time the owner is ready.
Sharon Hasenauer
Silver Spring, Maryland
My daughter recently experienced the death of her first pet, a calico cat who had been her companion during law school, her marriage and the birth of her first child. When my daughter called me, distraught at the thought of her loss, I could not offer "expert" advice even after many, many years of addressing end-of-life issues with animals. But I did ask her to tell her calico that even though she was very sad and distressed that she was suffering, she would understand if the calico needed to "let go." Shortly after my daughter took this advice to heart, her pet let her know that she needed to die, but with some assistance, leaving no ambiguity as to whether the timing was right. It was a startling reminder about just how devoted an animal can be and just how important it is to communicate with your animal especially when they are suffering.
In response to annmitchell 's post - I'm sorry for your loss. I had a similar experience with my PomChi.
For Robert's compassionate question about his Yorkie's care if Robert predeceases him:
Please consider finding a suitable adoptive owner in advance of inevitable indications. You can coordinate with your local animal shelter. It may take a bit of doing, interviewing candidates, but everyone will be more comfortable when the time comes.
To caller Bob, he should know about rescue organizations that are breed specific - a search for Yorkshire Terrier Rescue should put him in touch with people who love Yorkies & take them into their homes before finding their new forever homes. These people care deeply about their breed & work hard to find the best new home for their rescues. That might set his mind at ease.
Thank you for a great program. We laid our 14 year old Bear to rest on 10-15-12 after his bone cancer rapidly spread to his lungs. He was an eternal puppy. We could tell when it was time because of how much he withdrew inside him self after he became non-ambulatory and we had the vet come to our house for euthanize. We couldn't have done it any other way. Pay attention to your pet, they will tell you when it's time.
Please tell the caller whose concern is that he may pre-decease his Yorkie to contact a Yorkie rescue group. Perhaps he can arrange with these wonderful breed rescuers to care for his beloved pet in that case.
My beautiful little friend died of heart failure last month. A cavalier king charles spaniel cursed with a genetic propensity for this fate, she lasted a good long while thanks to an intelligent veterinarian, and my family's continued investment.
I've witness several dogs go downhill just in terrible pain.
I decided from the get-go to continue all medications (>$250 per month), expensive food (>100/month and a daytime dog-walker to check on her ($110/month).
If I could not have afforded this, it would have just destroyed me. I seriously would have sold my car to pay for her care. This dog saved me quite literally from a very black time, and I loved her so much, but I also wasn't willing to keep her alive to make myself feel better.
My criteria: Is she still willing to have a good time, even if muted?
Can she still go outside to relieve herself--this is important, dogs like to be clean
Is she still highly motivated by food? a dog that cannot eat cannot sustain
Is her personality still intact? At times, she appeared confused but still her doggie self.
Can she breathe without great pain? Suffocation is a terrible thing.
When she went, I was grateful that I didn't have to make the choice to euthanize, and she went pretty fast. As always she was looking out for me.
My last three rescued dogs have been seniors so I knew when I adopted them that I wouldn't have them for long; however, my focus when I adopted them was their quaility of life as seniors.
One of my dogs was euthansized at home (a wonderful experience) and the other at the vet's office (an equally awful experience.)
The decision to euthanize each of my beloved dogs was incredibly difficult. I was unprepared to grapple with the ethics of me (not my vet) choosing to end a life. What right did I have? Was I making the best decision for my pet? Why did I feel so conflicted.
Culturally, death and end-of-life issues need to be more visible and much more talked about, with our pets and with our people.
Unfortunately, I was only able to hear a portion of this show, but it touched me deeply, and brought me to tears. We lost a very beloved cat, Timothy, last Friday. Timothy was 13, and had lived for the past 6 or 7 years with diabetes, and most recently with thyroid problems. Yet despite his illnesses, he was a most remarkable cat. Everyone loved him. He was personable, vocal, affectionate, and had many canine-like traits. He was the "mayor" of our little neighborhood. Although over recent months we had seen changes and realized that he was slowly going down hill, the day before he died, he was out visiting neighbors, eating well, and acting quite normally. The next day, Friday morning, I realized he was not well, and decided to stay home to monitor him. He died around 11:30 AM, lying peacefully on the living room floor, with me at his side, and I am quite certain he did not suffer. When we went to the vets the next day to share our sad news, the office staff was heartbroken. They all loved Timothy. I felt very comforted when one of the vets said to me, "You definitely did the right thing keeping him home, and not calling us. Where would you want to die? In a cold, sterile hospital, or at peace in your home with loved ones around you." I knew then that we had made the right decision about Tim. He is buried under a rose bush in his favorite garden outside our kitchen window, and we know he is at peace. We will miss him terribly.
What a crazy coincidence. We put our 13 year old lab this morning. I got in the car to drive home from the vet and your show was on. It really made me feel so much better about the decision we made.
TK Boise, Idahoesa
What a wonderful show today! Thank you so much Diane & Jessica for speaking about this topic.
I'm in my 50's now & have been very blessed to have adopted a number of animals. I have made the big mistake of adopting a younger animal for an older one or grieving one after their 1/2 brother or sister has passed away and I so agree with you, why do we think it's almost some sort of requirement to euthanize sick or aging animals but we won't even consider such a thing for humans? Are we so above this or, as Jessica questioned, is it to relieve the burden of care for the human &, at least to this point, we won't admit the same for humans?
I believe these animals (all animals, not just dogs or cats) have souls just as humans & who are we to decide their end-of-life moment for them; God? At the same time, though, if an animal is terminal & everything that could be done, has been, without causing them further stress or pain, then I have had to euthanize my 16yr old black Lab, Nick & my 16yr old dlc cat, Mys. But caring for them in aging & sickness will always be my honor & duty & I will not fail them for selfish reasons. Would we consider caring for our children, in sickness or infancy a burden? Unfortunately, we do categorize caring for aging humans in this way.
Your book gives us so many things to consider that I think many do not.
Again, thank you both for this wonderful show. I
I am trying to get ready to work and I cannot stop crying. How is it I lost my Mother last year and my Father 8 years before but my beautiful Golden 10 years ago. Thinking about her always makes me terribly sad.
we recently helped our 16year old male tabby cat pass. we introduced a mixed breed rescue puppy to the household two years before. they LOVED each other so much: grooming each other, sleeping together. TeBone the cat totally set appropriate boundaries with Basqui the dog. Basqui accepted these limits wonderfully; and, i dare say, with understanding...
when TeBone was ready...when the family honored his time table...he knew we heard. Basqui was aware, too. On that morning, TeBone was much more aware of Basqui. What appeared to be THAT talk, if you will, Basqui just sat there...laid there...and watched us carry TeBone out to the car. It was the greatest lesson we learned!
Wonderful interview. I lost my husband in April and had to put his little Yorkie down two weeks ago. I could relate to all the feelings expressed and still cry thinking about the loss of both my husband and his little Bugsey. Bugsey started showing a health decline shortly after his Master passed away. I was hospice to Bugsey until his death. I took him to the Vet to put him down knowing it was the right thing to do, but one of the most painful things I have had to do.
I waited too long to put down our dog and regret it to this day. It's so hard to make the decision, especially when you have family members involved....
I just got a new puppy that like the author is doing his best to get all the attention. My dachshund is 11 years old and for his breed, is very old... I feel guilty when I get home and have to immediately attend to the puppy but I am hoping he will be better once my fiance and I, have our own place so that Ollie will get the attention he needs.
We have 3 dogs - two cockers and a pug. One of the cockers is very old (she is a rescue dog we adopted over a decade ago). As such, I related to many of the stories and comments. I listened to the entire wonderful program while driving back from an appointment. By the end of the show I was crying my eyes out while tyring to keep my composure. What an excellent guest and program. Thank you.
Two of your shows Diane have made me cry: today's interview with Jessica Pierce and your show with Maurice Sendak. Crying in the 'good' sense for such moving interviews. My partner 'killed' my cat Whisky without asking my permission to take MY cat to the vet to end his life. That would have made an interesting discussion! I'm now thinking about my 15 and 7 year old cats and what to do when their wonderful days will end; this interview was so thought provoking. I will be making the decision come the time, this time. Merci, thanks Diane for another fantastic show. Bravo.
Thank you for this wonderful interview. I cried in my car when you said that sooner is better than later when it comes to an ailing pet. My beloved JRT Smidgen, who had always had a serious heart defect, lived so many more years (8) than her dedicated vet ever thought she would without any medical interventions. That's the way I wanted it. When her health failed and her heart was giving out, I made the decision to put her down. It was not supported by another vet, who wanted me to use all sorts of interventions that I had neither the heart nor the money to use. I took Smidge to another veterinary practice where my decision was supported, and I stayed as long as I wanted to with my sweetest canine friend. When an identical JRT was located through a local rescue for me to adopt, I truly felt that Smidgen found her (Scout) to help me heal.
I think you missed an opportunity to help the gentleman whose age and health condition made him worry that he would pre-decease his Yorkshire Terrier and that the dog would end up in a shelter
It seems to me that with the huge number of privately suppored rescue shelters that have grown up that he could find one now (many are breed specific) that would make arrangements to take ownership of the dog if that time came. These are all non-kill shelters run by people who love animals and see themselves as last good resorts. Often the animals are fostered among a small group of animal lovers. I know in our region such rescue operations have taken on whole "puppy mills" and worked to readjust them and find homes. I feel certain that given his circumstances your caller could identify one he likes and build a relationship with them now to make arrangements for care of his beloved dog should he die and have it documented as part of his final wishes or will, to be carried out by an executor or family member. Here's the website for the National Yorkshire Rescue group and I am sure there is one in his state. I would bet that he would not be the first to have made such arrangements. http://www.yorkierescue.com/
When I put my 13-yr-old shih tsu Tubbs to sleep in Jan. 2012, it was a clear-cut decision: His heart disease had taken a sudden disabling turn, and he couldn't stand or even breath without great effort. As the vet made the final injection, I held Tubbs in my arms and we looked into each other's eyes while he slipped away. I cherish that memory and have no reason to second-guess the decision. Now 14 yrs old, Tubbs's litter-sister Tess is experiencing the usual symptoms of old age plus periodic liver-related infections. I'm glad I can take care of her and pay for medications and treatments that help maintain her quality of life. If and when surgery and/or a more extensive (and expensive) medication regimen is recommended, however, I'm not sure how I'll balance practical and ethical issues. I HATE that costs will be a factor, but they must be, along with the potential trauma of treatment/recovery and the potential for extending her life and enhancing its quality. When the time comes, I wish she could tell me what she wants.
We had three Akitas in our house at one time, Kenji, Kira and Koda. One terrible month, October 2008, we lost Kenji at 13 1/2 on 18 October, and then Kira on 30 October at 10 1/2. Kenji had developed bloat and would not make it through the surgery, so he passed quietly in my arms. Kira passed away from a broken heart. She also passed in our arms. The weight of losing two of them in such a short time still haunts me to this day. Being there for them was important to them. I remember looking into Kenji’s eyes and asking him what he wanted me to do. He just looked at me with his beautiful brown eyes and I understood. He was tired and hurting, and he wanted to move on. I had to let go of my selfish need to keep him here on this Earth, and listen to his wishes. I cannot explain how he communicated this to me, but all I know is that I sat for an over an hour in the emergency room looking into his eyes trying to think of another way. Kira’s passing was just devastating. She did not want to live without Kenji, and she did the same thing when it came time for her to leave us. She gave us lots of kisses as to say “everything will be OK”. Koda is doing OK but misses Kira terribly. All I can say is that if someone truly respects and loves their pets, then be there for them when it is time to say goodbye
My little girl is 13 now. I am already trying to get myself ready. I know deep in my heart that this will be the most painful event of my life (and I have buried both of my parents and an older brother already).
I hope that I don't have to make the choice for her... it sounds selfish, but I am hoping that when the time comes, I will awake to find her at the end of my bed, sleeping comfortably in eternal peace.
We are already taking more walks together, enjoying more car rides together, and playing more in the yard together than ever before.
I have also requested the book for our college library (we have many pet owners who will enjoy this valuable resource.
Best wishes to all, Bob