pet euthanasia should a child be there?

sassyblue

Ah pukkamum, your daughter reacted how my son did, upset at first when l said that the vet thought earlier in the week it was the end of our cats life, but then deciding what animal should replace her! Once your daughter's had a couple of days for it to sink in she might accept the inevitable.

Good luck x

Armchair23

You know when you read all that stuff about people who don't have 'resilience' and 'robustness' struggle and are way more prone to depression ?

That's because sometimes we're too keen on shielding our kids from the unpleasant things that happen in life and don't let them build a healthy response and way of handling shi*

Each time you come on something sad and unpleasant you may be hurt and tearful but hopefully you learn that you can survive this time and still be happy and have a life worth living.

So losing a pet is sad but we can and do get over it, an important lesson to learn. So so don't just stick it in a drawer and pretend death doesn't happen , it does for every living thing.

Give your kids a chance to learn and grow from the things that happen around them. They will see a pet, friend or family member die and it's up to you as a parent to just let them know that's OK.

It's sad but inevitable so hiding it away is a bit of a losing battle.

random1980s

I really would CONSIDER allowing the kids to be there. on balance of probability the animal is likely to drift off fairly peacefully, so the small risk of any complications probably wouldn't be at the front of my mind. I am of the view that shielding children does them no favours, life is what it is and whilst everything being like Disney world is nice, its not reality.

sometimes the best decision is the hardest one.

pearl123

Watching a loved animal being put down is hard enough for an adult to watch.

AnnieO1234

All I can share is that when I was 25, I went with my dad - big bloke who you wouldn't pick a fight with even then at 55 years old - to send our family cat to rainbow bridge. He couldn't and I mean couldn't stay in the room while it happened.

I've also been with my now DH and his mom when his dog (he had the dog before we met from being at school; the dog went to sleep a few months before the cat. Both were heart wrenching.

The mechanics aren't pleasant, good vets will hide it from you as far as they can, but it's not guaranteed. It's not guaranteed precisely how the animal will react. Please please while your twelve year old may handle it don't subject your daughter to it. Let then say goodbye and remember them alive, have a funeral.

Ending now to find the Kleenex x

lostinrates

Armchair23 wrote: »

You know when you read all that stuff about people who don't have 'resilience' and 'robustness' struggle and are way more prone to depression ?

That's because sometimes we're too keen on shielding our kids from the unpleasant things that happen in life and don't let them build a healthy response and way of handling shi*

Each time you come on something sad and unpleasant you may be hurt and tearful but hopefully you learn that you can survive this time and still be happy and have a life worth living.

So losing a pet is sad but we can and do get over it, an important lesson to learn. So so don't just stick it in a drawer and pretend death doesn't happen , it does for every living thing.

Give your kids a chance to learn and grow from the things that happen around them. They will see a pet, friend or family member die and it's up to you as a parent to just let them know that's OK.

It's sad but inevitable so hiding it away is a bit of a losing battle.

Equally, others struggle with the same, and other afflictions, because they aren't protected enough.

I really think there is no one size fits all approach.

poet123

I posted before about my dad and his dog. To put it into context he had worked as ground crew in the war and had been involved when planes returned and all that was left to do was to hose out the rear gunnery. He wasn't a softie (except with his family) but I really think that having to have the dog pts was one of the hardest things he ever did. I think the stress of it it caused a bout of Shingles and that in turn lead to compromised immune system.

System

At 7 I think I would worry about them understanding what illness and pain is when they have never experienced more than a headache or a fever themselves and then expecting them to understand why I am making the decision to end their beloved pets life.

Maybe I am overthinking things but I wouldn't want my child to witness the actual process of being pts.

I'd let them say their goodbyes beforehand.

squashy

Not euthanasia, but I have still not forgiven my mum and dad for re-homing my beloved dog without telling me! I was 13. I understood why (new baby, grumpy dog), but I needed to say goodbye.

System

squashy wrote: »

Not euthanasia, but I have still not forgiven my mum and dad for re-homing my beloved dog without telling me! I was 13. I understood why (new baby, grumpy dog), but I needed to say goodbye.

At least your Mum and Dad rehomed your beloved dog. My Mother opened my gerbils cages and let them run off into the garden.... she didn't tell me this of course, I came back from school and the cage was wide open. She told me she didn't know what had happened to them.

Many years later she admitted she'd deliberately opened the cage because she was sick of them. I felt sick to the stomach when she told me.:mad: