Knowing When It's Time: Quality of Life

This is the decision every owner dreads, and having a structure makes it less impossible than relying on a feeling on a bad day.

Use a scale

Score hurt, hunger, hydration, hygiene, happiness, mobility and whether good days outnumber bad — each out of ten, weekly. A trend on paper is more honest than memory.

Track the things that mattered to this animal

Greeting you at the door, jumping onto a favourite spot, interest in food. When those have all gone, that is information.

Ask your vet directly

Ask what they would do, and what the realistic trajectory is. Most vets will answer honestly if asked plainly.

Aim for a week early rather than a day late

That framing is what most owners say afterwards they wish they had used.