Death..not a subject we like to discuss but hopefully I can help shed a bit of a different light. The above graphic image is a picture I took of horse that died of starvation and neglect. That is one extreme side to life. The other side surrounds the humane euthanasia's that I am fortunate enough to be able to perform.
Euthanasia is a large part of any veterinarians life, but I have had on overdose in the last 2 months. After today, I will have euthanized 7 beloved horses within the last 8 weeks and 1 beloved dog. It is a heavy burden but as with so many things in life, there is the yang to the yin, both sides. Enabling an animal to take it's last breath as we know it is for sure a heavy burden. It is also an extreme "honor" (I have yet to find the word that fits perfectly, so honor is the best I have come up with to date). The euthanasia's I have been blessed to be a part of, have all been sad and all have been liberating. Sad for me, sad for the others involved in the animal's life. Liberating for the animal who was burdened with the pain/discomfort of it's physical body. Whether an old horse is facing suffering through another harsh winter, or a horse who has such pain in it's abdomen that it is bleary eyed with agony... which medications cannot relieve, or a horse whose feet hurt so badly from the affects of laminitis - that walking to and from water is simply more than they can bear (in spite of our best efforts to give them relief); or an old dog who simply gets no joy in greeting us at the door or going for one of their beloved walks with their favorite human.....you get the drift. I am blessed that we can enable these suffering creatures to take their last breath as we know it. But the equally strong side of me does all that I can to help them continue their life. And I am joyous with each new foal I encounter. Life is full of extremes and my day to day life seems to be much about the extremes of life and death.
I hurt, along with the people making the decision to euthanize a beloved pet. Yet I am grateful for the pain and the extreme difficulty in making the decision. I think this is as it should be. It should be a difficult decision, I think it would be sociopathic for it not to be.
My heart goes to all of you who have suffered the loss of a beloved animal. My hope is that they are running free around us, eating to their hearts content with none of the health worries that overeating brings to us in this life. And running as fast as their legs will carry them, with no sore feet, joints or any other aches or pains! Just being the same joyous spirit they were when we knew them in their physical body, minus their physical discomfort.
