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  • Home
    Welcome
    Home Pet Euthanasia of Southern California
    • Welcome
    • Why at home?
    • What do I do next?
    • Overview
    • Blog
    • Navigating our Website
    • Our locations
    Forslund (36)Annie cropped horizontal
  • About us
    About us
    Home Pet Euthanasia of Southern California
    • What makes us different
    • What we do
    • Meet the team
    • Photo Gallery
    Forslund (33)Family, cropped
  • Services
    Our Services
    End of Life Care
    • Pet Euthanasia
    • Pet Hospice
    • Quality of Life Assessments
    • Aftercare (Body Care)
    • Education for the Pet Parent
    • For the Veterinarian
    Fletcher23 hug

    See all Services

  • Preparing
    Preparing
    Preparing for your pet’s euthanasia
    • COVID-19 precautions
    • Choosing the right euthanasia service
    • Is it Time?
      • Quality of Life
      • Understanding Pet Pain
      • Natural Death
      • Pet Hospice
    • Preparing for the event
    • Forms
    • Videos and podcasts
    • Should other pets be present
    • Should Children be present
    • Fee Schedule
    • FAQs
    • Why at home?
    hand and paw
  • Is it Time?
    Is it Time?
    Assessing Quality of Life and Pet Pain
    • Quality of Life
    • Understanding Pet Pain
    • Home Tests
    • Am I “Playing God”?
    • Natural Death
    • Pet Hospice
    megamenu-testimonials
  • Testimonials
    Testimonials
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    Video shot #15 Jolie
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Am I “Playing God”?

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  4. Am I “Playing God”?

 

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This is a question that people frequently ask me.  It is very difficult to assume the responsibility of ending a life, especially the life of a pet that you consider an intrinsic part of your family, a friend, a soul mate.  Am I playing God?  How can I make that decision?  What gives me the right? These are questions a pet owner faced with this painful moment frequently ask themselves.

Here is my personal viewpoint on this very delicate aspect of dealing with a pet's end of life.

When we assume the responsibility and the position of a pet's guardian, caregiver, owner, we care for them, feed them, provide them with shelter and all the comforts of home, nurse them back to health when they are ill, take them to a veterinarian when they are sick, etc...

Without a doubt, we are artificially extending their lives and without our help, they would have died a long time ago due to a mechanism that nature or God set in place that prevents prolonged suffering.  We took this mechanism away thousands of years ago, when we started domesticating animals and to an even greater degree in recent years when keeping a pet loved, sheltered and having all the comforts of a cosy home, plenty of food, advanced veterinary care, etc... It is very unlikely that their lives would have been 10 to 20 years in length or even perhaps longer, without our help.  In my viewpoint, this also comes with the responsibility to say enough and to take the kindest, most courageous course of action when extending their lives brings them more pain than death would.  It IS a decision that takes courage and it is the last act of selfless love we can offer them.

Are we indeed "playing God"?  Have we not, starting from thousands of years ago when we first domesticated them?  Do we not still, from the moment we welcome them in our hearts, in our homes and we care for them to such a degree that they cannot fend for themselves?  I think that to a degree, we do and when we start playing that game, God also gives us  the responsibility to carry it through.

My pet is suffering, what do I do?

Education for the Pet Parent

  • Pet Euthanasia
  • Quality of Life
  • Understanding Pet Pain
  • Natural Death
  • Videos and podcasts
  • Should Children be present
  • Should other pets be present
  • Am I “Playing God”?

Related Subjects

  • Pet Euthanasia
  • Quality of Life
  • Understanding Pet Pain
  • Natural Death
  • Videos and podcasts
  • Should Children be present
  • Should other pets be present
  • Am I “Playing God”?

Who we are

Home Pet Euthanasia of Southern California

Our caring and compassion is what sets us apart.  As you will see in our bios, each one of us has a different story on how we ended up “in this business”.  It is more than a business for each of us.  Myself, my husband Todd, our manager, Tracy, our doctors, Dr. Julie, Dr. Lily, Dr. Daniel, Dr. Lisa, Dr. Lis, our client care specialists Danielle, Sandra, Mary and Marc, our webmaster Jeff…  we each have our own story and we invite you to get to know us better by clicking here.

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Home Pet Euthanasia of Southern California
407 West Imperial hwy Suite H #252
Brea, CA 92821
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657-221-7500

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