By Jennifer
Coates September 25, 2017 at 07:22PM
At some level, animals seem to understand the concept of death.
From elephants who grieve for the loss of a herd member to whales who won’t
leave their dead babies behind, many species react to death in much the same
way that people do. But are animals able to understand that they are going to
die themselves? That is a different, more existential question.
In my work as a house call veterinarian specializing in
end-of-life care, I saw many incidences of a dying pet’s animal friends acting
as if they had some comprehension of the situation. In one case, I had sedated
the family dog and placed an intravenous catheter through which I was going to
give the final injection of euthanasia solution. Up to this point, the family
cat had remained at a distance. But just as I started giving the injection, she
walked up beside me, lay down, and gently placed her paw on her friend’s leg as
if to say, “Don’t worry, I’m here with you.”
A colleague also likes to tell the story of when she was in a
family’s home euthanizing one of their three dogs. Just as “Zoey” was passing
away, her two canine housemates entered the room, stood over her body, and
howled…very loudly.
But stories that reveal a pet’s understanding of their own
impending death are harder to come by. Many owners will talk about pets who
have “told” them that it was time to let them go. In most cases, the pets turn
inward. They withdraw from the people they love and no longer show any interest
in what is going on around the house. At other times, dying pets seem to seek
out more attention from their caretakers or do things they have never done
before. Do these behaviors indicate that these pets understand they are dying
or are they simply caused by the pet’s declining health? It’s impossible to
say, particularly since we can’t help but interpret the circumstances through
the lens of our understanding of a pet’s mortality.
On the other hand, I have witnessed several instances when it
seems as if a pet has chosen the “right” time to die. In one case, a
heartbroken family member was rushing home to spend a last few minutes with a
pet who had taken a sudden turn for the worse. He was flying in from overseas
and was experiencing some travel delays, but his dog gamely held on. Once he
arrived, the dog cuddled with him, gave him a few licks, and then slipped into
unconsciousness until I arrived to help him on his way.
I believe my own dog, Duncan, may have had a sense that his end
was near. He was an absolutely ancient black Lab. At the end of his life, it
became obvious to me that he was dying even though every test I ran on him came
back perfectly normal. If any dog died of “old age,” it was Duncan.
During his last few weeks, he’d dodder out of my back door in
the morning to look for the perfect place to rest. Once he found it, he’d spend
some time gazing around him with a look that seemed to say, “Today is a good
day to die.” Then, he’d lie down and sleep the entire day away. When he awoke
in the evenings, he looked so disappointed to find himself right back where he
started.
We’ll probably never be able to definitively answer the question
of whether pets know when they are going to die. What is vital, however, is
that owners and veterinarians recognize when the end is near so that we can
provide all the love and care necessary to make their last days as good as they
possibly can be.
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I was speaking to another animal lover recently. I
shared my still-lingering heartache with her. Melodi was able to come along
side, since Her Little Palmer died several years ago. And there are the
emotions and those things that still trigger her memories. We rattled on for
well over half an hour, and she said the most amazing thing… “Bill, I’m
convinced that you’ll see Your Little Buddy again. I’m sure she’ll be in heaven
waiting for you.” Those words encouraged me, and were “for such a time as
this,” since I’ve thought about that possibility a lot since she left us. And
I’ve questioned how heaven can be heaven if our dear little pets aren’t allowed
there.
Oh, the
thrill. Oh, the delight. If God allows me to see My Princess and My Buddy
again. (Princess was my first dog; a black and white Cocker Spaniel. She was
hit by a dump truck. Could it have been a full 60 years ago)? But perhaps Our
Savior will smile, and beckon with His hand, as if to say, “Well, Bill there
they are. What are you waiting for? There’s fields and flowers and trees
aplenty. Go for it. Romp and run and carry on. Love Those Wonderful Little
Puppies of yours for all you’re worth. And with this I’ll turn and My Two Most
Favorite Creatures will be looking up at me, expectantly; eyes shining, ears
twitching and tails wagging. And my heart will skip a few beats, and I’ll scoop
them up into my arms; one in each, and they’ll rest contentedly against my
shoulders. And best of all… we’ll remember one another and the love we knew
will be undimmed and stronger for the years we’ve missed.
Excerpt from “My Little Buddy” by William McDonald, PhD. Copyright 2017.
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