The Oppenheimer Report 4/22/19

It’s very quiet here at Jasper Bark Lodge without our furry little girl. We had Jasper to sleep last Thursday, and while we knew it was the humane thing to do, it is never easy saying farewell to a beloved pet. These past few days have been especially tough, because everywhere in this house are mementos of Jasper’s life. Her toys are still in their toy box, her dog dish sits on the kitchen counter, and of late the counter is full of medications and supplements, signs of her geriatric care. I had taken her to the vet a few weeks ago, because I felt the end was near, but I needed an objective opinion. I was afraid that Shauna and I were too close to her to make the right choice on our own; that we might be in denial. It was confusing, because Jasper was still eating all her food, and she seemed to be holding her own. We reasoned that we (and she) would know when the time came. The vet confirmed my suspicion that several troubling behavioral changes indicated she was quite sick, and that the humane thing was to put her to sleep. I am surprised to find that many vets require a large fee to assess a pet before they will euthanize, and this seems wrong to me. The last thing an owner needs, after making the difficult decision to say farewell to a beloved pet, is to be charged a large fee to confirm the obvious. We sought the vet’s opinion, because Jasper’s case was confusing. People kept telling us, and we believed in our hearts, that we’d know when it was time, but it wasn’t clear to us. She was still eating and eliminating normally, but she was clearly failing. We were unsure whether she was in distress or not.

For any first-time pet owners faced with making this difficult decision, ask yourself the following questions. Does my pet have a good quality of life? Is he or she able to do the things that give him or her joy? For Jasper, that was guarding our house. She was the gatekeeper. She hated rodents, especially squirrels. She once caught and killed a flying squirrel that had somehow managed to enter our house. Those things are not easy to catch, believe me! She was very proud of her duties as watchdog, and albeit a noisy one, she was better than any burglar alarm we’ve ever had. If your pet’s quality of life is bad – and this can be difficult to assess – then it’s time. We were looking for the obvious signs, but the vet said that sometimes it’s hard to tell. With Jasper, there was perhaps evidence of a brain event of some sort. The only way to confirm that was to take her down to Toronto and have an MRI done, at a cost of about $3000. And if it was a brain tumor or lesion of some sort, it wouldn’t have been operable anyway. This was the first time either Shauna or I had had to put a pet down, because Jasper was the first pet we’d actually owned, single or as a couple. Before that, all the family pets, whom we borrowed from time to time, were owned by our parents.

When I asked our vet the questions no pet owner wants to ask, she was very understanding.  She said if it were her dog, she would put her down sooner rather than later. We trust our vet. We chose her because were disenchanted with our local vet, and because some friends had used her when they had their dog put to sleep. They reported that she was fair and compassionate, and she did not require the expensive pre-euthanasia assessment. Our friend’s dog was far more infirmed than Jasper, and could hardly walk, so the idea that it needed an expensive assessment to determine the course of action was absurd. Anyhow, I asked her if she made house calls, but she said we lived too far away. She recommended a mobile vet in Barrie who had once worked for her. Last Thursday afternoon, that vet came our home. She was caring and compassionate, and she made a very hard day a little easier.  She began her mobile vet service, specializing in palliative care and euthanasia, because she knew there were people like Shauna and me who would prefer their pet pass away peacefully at home. Jasper did so, in the comfort of her own home, on the bed she has slept in for many years, with both Shauna and I lying by her side. An emotionally difficult experience was made much easier because we were able to say goodbye to our pet at home. We love you Jasper, rest in peace. 

Written by Jamie Oppenheimer c 2019 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED