Palliative sedation as alternative to pet euthanasia

Ethical, legal and clinical issues must be respected when considering the request to euthanize a pet. The necessity to alleviate pain or suffering of the animal have to be counter-balanced with the owner willingness to deal with time consuming care procedures and expensive therapeutic cycles. On the other hand, the decision to euthanize a pet may elicit in the owner a feeling of anxiety as he/she may trust in the hypothetical success of further therapy with the feeling of causing something of irreversible. Nevertheless, handling ethical dilemmas, regarding euthanasia seems to be the worst stressor causing psychological problems to the veterinarians. Furthermore, it cannot be disregarded that the Italian law punishes “anyone who kills an animal without necessity” and, then again, who does not take care of own animals assuring them the medical care. Case by case, the veterinarian may propose to the pet’s owner the “palliative sedation” protocol as an alternative to euthanasia as to manage, in a highly professional manner, the end of life of the animal. This option should be considered only when it is aimed to reduce the patient’s consciousness of severe symptoms which are intractable and intolerable and when the animal has a terminal prognosis, a chronic progressive disease or terminal geriatric status. Palliative sedation is ethically acceptable if the following points are met: the administered medication offers legitimate patient benefits; the owner doesn’t feel to put down his/her pet; and animal death is expected as imminent (days or hours, not weeks or months).