Question:
One Saturday evening my beloved Akita dog, Rex, refused his food and upon examining his gums, I noticed they were very pale. The local veterinarian hospital had an on-call vet, so I rushed him to that facility -- he had an abdominal tumor and internal bleeding. They operated around midnight, and he died 32 hours later. I was not allowed to be with him the whole time, and he died alone in a cage!I have this constant mental image of him in a cage, alone, hurting and suffering from separation anxiety. I'll never forgive myself. I betrayed his trust, and he would never have done that to me. Perhaps my presence would have given him the will to live, but, if not, at least I could have held him as he passed.What are owners supposed to do to gain access to our companions when they are seriously ill? In big cities, this may not be a problem. But in small, unsophisticated towns and rural settings, this seems to be the norm. I'm realizing that certain animal caretakers are more concerned with their wallets than our co
W.W., Oldtown, Md Nov 13, 2005
Answer:
My sympathy goes out to you over losing such a wonderful canine companion.Most human hospitals provide a lounge area, sometimes with cots, for parents to stay while their children are in intensive care -- supervised visits (when not contradicted medically) being permitted. Ideally, similar arrangements should be made at veterinary hospitals for people in your situation. Access to an animal in critical care (and possibly dying or semi-comatose) should not be denied, except for those owners who are hysterical or histrionically demanding.The blanket excuse that the presence of an animal's guardian (who is emotionally stable and responsible) would upset the animal or get in the way needs to be questioned. The proximity of a beloved owner would certainly be a comfort to the animal.
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