The most commonly debated topic in the realm of pets regards euthanasia. It is nearly as heated as the gun control debate on our end. Animal activists claim it's murder, murder I say, to the pet. Yes, euthanizing an animal does kill it, but it's certainly not murder. After having interned at a vet clinic for the past three months, a new light has been shed upon the gritty topic known as euthanasia. I used to be iffy on the topic myself, but after witnessing different cases I have realized that sometimes euthanasia is the best alternative, and I'm here to tell you why it's not such an ugly, terrible word.

Euthanasia, the word itself, when broken down into the prefix 'eu-' and '-thanatos,' literally translates to "good death." In veterinary medicine, when the term euthanasia is used, it is often meant in the connotation of the act of humanely killing an animal. Notice the word humanely. By definition, Dictionary.com states that it is the characterization of "acting in a manner that causes the least harm to people or animals." So when considering just the definition itself, we should realize that this procedure is not going to cause your animal any more pain than it is already experiencing. Euthanasia won't increase the pain threshold, it's to decrease it.

Typically, the pets most commonly to be euthanized are those experiencing a great deal of pain, having a multitude of health problems, elderly in age and weak, or even animals of any age with a painful medical problem that will get worse as time goes on, which the owner cannot afford to pay for. This is when euthanasia is acceptable. If a feline's abdominal region is filled with a massive tumor that is much too risky for surgery and the feline's blood work shows signs of organ failure, the best thing would be to put the feline down with a euthanasia treatment. It will make the pain fade away within seconds. Or if a canine comes into a clinic that has been hit by a car and the surgical treatment is out of the owner's budget, there's no way he can afford it, the best thing would be euthanasia. Veterinary practices aren't miracle workers nor are they obligated to fix your animal for free; therefore sometimes euthanasia is the best monetary choice as well.

You may think that the process of euthanasia is scary and intense for the animal, but it's really not. The two most common ways to undergo this treatment are these: 1) insert an IV catheter into the vein of a leg of an animal (typically a back leg for felines or a front leg for canines) and then inject the euthanasia medication into the IV line or 2) inject the euthanasia medication directly under the skin into a vein. The first way is typically used when the owner requests to be present for the euthanasia while the second is typically done for strays with medical issues brought in or when the owner doesn't want to be present. The fluid literally takes seconds before the pet is no longer suffering and in pain.

Whatever the reason may be, just do not take a miserable, painful animal back home. It may seem like a good idea and the "best" thing to do. But bringing this painful animal home to die is just going to make him/her suffer more, the pain increasing hour by hour, minute by minute. Yes, the familiar surroundings may put him/her in a more calming state, but physically he/she will be suffering more than you will ever realize. Taking a painfully ill animal home without the proper treatment given is just irresponsible pet owning. Imagine this human scenario: your kidneys are failing and you don't feel like eating or drinking because it physically hurts to do so, but yet you decide — instead of going with the treatment route the doctor has suggested — to go home and suffer without treatment or medication and hope for the best, even though you know that's not the best thing to do. Obviously, you, as a human, would not choose that option for yourself, would you? Then whychoose the option of going home to suffer until death for your animal? It makes zero sense.

If you can't afford treatment for your animal and the poor thing is only going to continue to suffer and get more painful, euthanasia is really the best alternative. You wouldn't want your animal to suffer more than he/she has to. Believe me, I've seen some cases where severely ill pets on the brink of death who should have been euthanized have been taken home instead. It's probably one of the most frustrating and saddening things to witness, because you know that animal is just going to suffer until a painful death when the euthanasia option would have put it out of its pain in seconds. But that was disregarded because of the bad reputation and aura that is given by the word euthanasia. Euthanasia in veterinary medicine isn't always a negative thing, it can be, indeed, the best alternative for your pet who's suffering. Like I said, just by the definition itself, we should realize that euthanasia is not going to cause your animal any more pain than it is already experiencing.