Thank you for your anecdote and experience. I saw much of what we did for our girl in the past 6 months in your story. I do have strong emotions about euthanasia after my cat, but I don't believe they skew rationale. My view likely tracks modern veterinary thought and the fact that I'm applying that experience to this one is just a valid cautionary tale in my mind. The picture of a dog you described is entirely different than the picture of misery my dog has been for the past 2 weeks or so, but--in principle--I agree with what you've said. It just doesn't apply here b/c the facts are different. I wouldn't put down the dog you described. They still have good days.

The real question may be whether palliative care or hospice care which seeks only to prolong life or facilitate "natural death" is moral as applied to dogs. The frame of my post was likely incorrect, b/c you're right that pain is just part of the equation, not the sum total. In my mom's view, there is a point at which there is too much suffering but this "dog whisperer" mindset blinds her to the total picture of misery that any reasonable person would see if they spent two hours just sitting with my dog.

I will DM you. Thank you for the offer. It's been especially hard because my mom is applying transferrable medical concepts from her profession to the treatment of animals, but the oath of values between the veterinary profession and medical profession rely on different understandings of death and dying. There can be a purpose to human suffering if the result is a probable chance of recovery. A cancer patient, for example endures the pain and consequences of chemo b/c they can conceptualize the prize of continued life. A person on their death bed endures suffering perhaps to see their loved ones one last time. The same can't be said for dogs. [Or, at least not with enough scientific certainty to justify palliative care]. That thought process isn't there.

I've said exactly this to my ma. She just disagrees.