Pet Quality Of Life Scale

[sarabz]

Our beautiful Bella's 14th birthday is on April 28. We're having conversations with our vet about the qualify of life scale (HHHHHMM).

 

https://my.vetmatrix.com/0033049/storage/app/media/5c2145cb7e460_QualityofLifeScale.pdf

 

Right now I'd say Bella is a 48/50.

If you used the scale, at what point did you say "enough"? Were there areas in which your pet was a 10 and others that were just unacceptable?

 

She's been healthy the whole time she's been with us - no issues except some lumbosacral stenosis which has been a slow progression and arthritis, so we've been very lucky.

 

[LaFlaca]

This is a fabulous resource. Thank you so much for sharing. It will definitely help making that most difficult decision.

[cleptogrey]

we went thru this with felix. my vet also had a quality of life talk since she knew that i did not want to do anything heroic, a dog with failing kidneys, chronic pancreatitis and lyme/anaplas, LS and all the old age syndromes that seem to plague our breed. we just wanted to let him be happy and comfortable(tramadol worked wonders for him). a regime of prednisone increased his appetite and kept him very happy for a good couple of months.

 

our guide line was:

as long as felix was still playing

eating

could get up by himself he was fine.

 

he played with his balls in the yard, ate 6 meals a day, socialized with all of our daughter's viola students and kept them company during lessons up until the very end.his desire to go on walks never ceased even though a walk meant going down the driveway. then one night he stopped eating(no fresh cooked-hand held chicken) the night before he couldn't get up out of his beloved crate. then we knew it was time.

 

it's a difficult decision, but you too will know when it's time. felix literally waited for us to return from our camping trip and within 2 days he went from playing, watching joe in the studio to not getting up on his own. he was a peace when he passed. watch there is a rally just before the great decide.

[winnie]

We lost Faye Oops and Beatrix to osteosarcoma.

We lost Bonny in a tragic accident.

We lost Darcy to a tumor.

We lost Celeste to hemangiosarcoma.

 

I think it’s easier, in a way, when the decision is made for you. It was always very clear to us when our dogs were ready to cross. I’m sorry you’re having to think about this with Bella.

[Trudy]

I think it’s easier, in a way, when the decision is made for you. It was always very clear to us when our dogs were ready to cross. I’m sorry you’re having to think about this with Bella.

 

About 8 million times easier when the decision is made for you or maybe 3713 times easier when there is an underlying medical condition.

Just failing mind and body - so much harder.

[Fruitycake]

With Monty it was mobility problems (and oncoming winter with ice and snow) that tipped the scale. For Allie it was increased and uncontrollable anxiety (causing severe diarrhea when any additional stress occurred). For my cats, Fruitcake was in kidney failure and her appetite failed so I had to hand feed her *any* time she might maybe eat (including multiple times in the night)...and she told me it was time when she sat hunched over her water dish with such a look of...misery on her face, like she was thirsty but couldn't bear drinking any more. And (cat) ShadeMan had what appeared to be a stroke and could not walk. And one morning our prior still dog, Marlie, was lying on the floor and didn't get up for breakfast and the emergency vet said it was likely a ruptured aorta (easiest decision, not fixable).

 

I had a similar QOL form up on the side of our oven for Fruity for about a year, and looked at it daily to be conscious of how her life had been changing for the worse. That was the hardest decision, because her decline was so gradual over probably 18 months. It was immensely difficult to know exactly where the line should be drawn.

 

I wish you luck in your own navigation of this very hard decision. I wish *everyone* luck, actually.

[cmc333]

 

About 8 million times easier when the decision is made for you or maybe 3713 times easier when there is an underlying medical condition.

Just failing mind and body - so much harder.

This

[FiveRoooooers]

I can't believe Bella is looking at 14 I still picture that young'un looking out over her balcony in NYC!

 

Having an underlying medical condition does make the decision less of a challenge. That decision has been made for me so many times. With others, it was seeing that we were getting close and choosing to help them on their way before the impending crisis occurred. You may recall that Pal was 14.1, with LS and LP and a tired body that was simply wearing out. Over the years we had done multiple rounds of tx and rx and the responses were no longer there. His last day was grand, and as we waited for our wonderful vet to arrive Pal gave me the sign that he was, indeed, ready for his wings.

 

I believe that you will know when dear Bella is ready. Hugs to you.

[Remolacha]

 

About 8 million times easier when the decision is made for you or maybe 3713 times easier when there is an underlying medical condition.

Just failing mind and body - so much harder.

Yes, so true. Fred the ancient cat is failing, has been for awhile now, so hard with cats especially. Conner too, but not as far along. Not that I want a crisis either!