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How do you make the decision to put to sleep

Alicia

Alicia

Mama Doe
Jelly is so up and down. She’s got a heart condition, one of her valves doesn’t open and close properly and her trachea doesn’t work properly either. She’s been on medication for a week and will be for the rest of her life but she’s just not herself. She’s on and off food and today I put her in the garden just to watch her away from Felix and she just sat there and then let me scoop her up to put her back in the shed (normally she’d be hopping around and tricky to catch) she was due to go to the vets on Tuesday to be checked again and see if she’s well enough to be vaccinated and I’ve made a list of questions for the vet.

I’m worried about her quality of life, I don’t know if she’s happy or if she’s in pain. Today is not a good day for her and I don’t want to make a rash decision but I don’t know what to do. I wish she could tell me. What should I do?
 
Sadly no-one can tell you what you should do. Every single PTS decision is unique and can only be made by the main care giver and the Vet treating the Rabbit.

I doubt Jelly is in pain, her lethargy is almost certainly due to her heart condition. There may be some tweaks in her treatment regime that could be made, when heart disease is first diagnosed it is often the case that it can take a few weeks of trialing various drugs and doses. That said, in some cases it may just not be possible to obtain a treatment regime that allows the Rabbit to have more good days than bad.

I hope your Vet can help you make whatever decisions are best for Jelly x
 
I'm really sorry to hear this, and can really empathise with you. I was in just this position this past week with my beloved Treacle. I let her go Friday, it was so so hard, but felt right. Every situation is different and as Jane said, maybe the vet can help and advice. Big hugs I know it's not easy xxx
 
So she’s not eating, her poos are really small and she just seems so lethargic. I don’t know what to do, I’ve got her wrapped up in a blanket and shes with me but I think I’m putting off the inevitable but I’m worried I’m not giving her a chance
 
It's so difficult. The decisions I have found worse have been when the pet is up and down. For me, even if I know the time is imminent, I can't take them on a 'good' day. It feels too unfair - that they are showing a little spark for life, and therefore I need to respect that.

Lots of love to you x
 
Alicia said:
So she’s not eating, her poos are really small and she just seems so lethargic. I don’t know what to do, I’ve got her wrapped up in a blanket and shes with me but I think I’m putting off the inevitable but I’m worried I’m not giving her a chance
Click to expand...

Could you contact the vet, they are probably best to advise you. Really sorry you are in this situation xx
 
I'd give your vet a ring if you possibly can - you could ask about trying painkillers as a trial to see if that makes a difference, but you might want to look up the Quality of Life questionnaire - ideally done in advance so you might have to do some honest thinking, but it might help you get a clearer picture. It was designed to help caregivers of animals to assess when it is time more clearly.
I'm sorry you are in this situation.
 
I´m so sorry Jelly isn´t doing well :cry:
Terrible decision to make :(
Maybe as the others has suggested try to call the vet?

Lots of hugs for you and Jelly.
 
I always just knew with mine
But maybe I was 'lucky' (I mean in the fact that I just knew)
Although to be fair with Bumble the flies were starting to circle and so i knew it was time... Not that they got to her I didn't give them chance
Thinking of you xx
 
I always make a decision on what is best for the animal. How much quality, how much stress, how efective the treatment is... I try not to give up too fast. And I find it easier to let them go if I done my best for them while they were alive.
 
I took her to the vets yesterday and they’ve admitted her. They said she’s ok this morning and eating on her own but this happened last week and then she went downhill again when she got home so I’m just taking it a day at a time, they want to keep her in for a few days so I’ll know more then
 
Vibes for Jelly and hugs for you. Really hoping something can be done to help her. It's a terrible position to be in, debating QOL. Doing assessments frequently on my Yorkie, who is aged with many issues. I empathize completely. xxxxx
 
I understand what you’re going through. We had to make the decision with our first bunny, and we were agonising over it for some time. I thought about the quality of his life over the last few months- he was unable to eat on his own, couldn’t groom himself and was confined in a very tiny area due to EC. Once I made the decision I knew it was the right one.

I’m sorry you are going through this, and sending as many vibes as I can to Jelly.

I would go with your gut x
 
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