Sunday, April 27, 2008

When a pet becomes ill, owners are often faced with decisions that have ethical, emotional and financial costs. Lorri Greene, a psychologist and the author of "Saying Good-Bye to the Pet You Love," stresses that pet owners in this situation need to prioritize. She suggests that they ask themselves the following questions and factor the answers into their decision making:

· Is there a reasonable chance for a cure or comfort for my pet?

· How much extra time am I buying the animal?

· What will its quality of life be during and after treatment?

· Do I have the financial, emotional and time resources to deal with this?

· Do I have the physical strength for all that will be required of me?

· How many of my pet's usual activities will it be able to continue?

· If I were in my pet's place, what would I want done?