If they're clearly dying, shouldn't we help shorten their suffering?

[chickensioux]

Quote:
I also agree with this. It's often hard to tell when a chicken (or other pet) will rally and it's always a judgement call. Euthanasia in not an easy choice. I have chosen it with some pets and carry some guilt with it but ultimately knew it was best and at other times have tried and tried to save a pet and lost it anyway and wondered if I should have chosen euthanasia. Either way, it's never easy and always a very personal decision.

 

[redhen]

Yup..its not an easy call to make...
i always think..what if it can get better?? You just never know... it is hard..

 

[jjthink]

Very hard. It was in retrospect that I knew I made the wrong call re: Betty...Haunting. Distinct from the situations described in this thread though are all too many cases I read about where the handwriting is on the wall, there is no way to go but down, and still a slow sad dying is allowed. This coming from someone who would never want to give up too soon.

It is equally hard to read threads where someone says their hen has been very ill for weeks, they've done nothing yet to help them and finally they are plugging in; my heart breaks for that suffering being who needed help much sooner. To me ignornace is just no excuse. When you have a life in your hands you have to be prepared to pay attention or you shouldn't have them in the first place.

Well,,,,have a good day all...May you and your birds be well.

JJ

 

[Gypsy07]

I think I agree with everything you've said. I too have read lots of wait-and-see methods of dealing with sick animals, and it doesn't sit right with me.

Last week I found one of my hens with what seemed to be a broken leg. My boyfriend said I should just wring its neck. He's a farmer and very unsentimental about small animals. I phoned a friend of a friend who's a vet and described the injury, and he said clean it and splint it and it should be okay. I asked on here for advice, and got the same info about splinting it. So I splinted it up and kept the hen inside. She was eating and drinking and looked bright enough, but the next day I cracked and took her to an avian vet. He X-rayed the leg and found a horrible compound fracture that was restricting blood supply to the foot and he said it would never heal even with metal pinning and bone grafts. (He said that was an option that people with very valuable hunting hawks often go for!) Anyway, I had the hen euthanised once I knew there was nothing that could be done. And afterwards it worried me that if I had taken the wait and see option, which I almost did do, her foot would slowly have turned black and died off, probably gone gangrenous, she'd have been in a lot of pain but I wouldn't have known it cause hens hide discomfort very well, and it would have been a horrible death. Treatment cost me more than 5 times the value of the hen, but I was happy to pay it. I know a lot of people say they can't afford vet fees, but if that's the case I truly think they should euthanise sick or injured birds very quickly, or just not keep them at all.

 

[tdgill]

how does a hen get a broken leg

 

[easttxchick]

My philosophy is you do what you can to the best of your ability and, if at that point there is no improvement, you have to do the humane thing.
Quality of life is a huge deal with me.

 

[Hunny]

I dont know how to say this tactifully, and of course I'm VERY new to this. (first chicks still in the brooder).
However I belive the Lord gave us animals for 1) food and 2) enjoyment.
If a chicken or any other animal does not or will never have a good quality of life, and bring more stress/work/sadness/pain then enjoyment, then its time to help them and end the suffering.
At the same time, I do (currently) view my chickens as possible meals someday. So if I ever have to cull, (without a diease) I plan on using their meat to bless our family with food.

 

[Gypsy07]

Quote:
We're not sure how it happened, but we think she must have got in the way of a horse. My hens free-range all day and they're always hanging out at the stables with the horses and trying to steal their hay and nest in their straw. I thought it would be an unusual thing, but the vet said that chickens break their legs quite often. Apparently the heavier breeds often land badly when jumping down from their perches and that kind of simple break usually heals quite well, but my hen had a very bad break and it wasn't fixable...

 

[Sunny Side Up]

Quote:
JJ, I know you've been going through a tough experience there with your hen, but I think you're being too harsh now. We all are responsible for our own animals, and we trust that everyone here is doing the best they can with the wisdom & resources they have, and making the best choices they know at the time. Certainly we all make mistakes, and this forum helps us to learn from each other's. This issue is a very very very difficult one, when situations are unclear but hindsight is 20/20.

The argument could be made that taking extreme measures to medicate and do surgery on a chicken is prolonging its suffering as much as keeping it comfortable and waiting to see if it recovers on its own. But I would say that both methods are an equally valid attempt to care for an ailing bird, and the choice is up to the individual owner. The argument could also be made that when you have an animal's life in your hands you have to be prepared yourself to end its suffering if ever you're faced with such a crisis situation, or you shouldn't have them in the first place. But that would be a harsh thing to say, and I would rather leave those choices to the individual owner.

In many instances it's a perfectly valid form of treatment to keep an ailing chicken isolated, warm, comfortable, clean, fed & watered and wait to see if it recovers on its own. If it truly is "very ill" it won't last for weeks but expire sooner on its own. If its symptoms hang on for weeks then perhaps some sort of medication or natural remedy should be applied. But the time will seem longer for the human owner tending to the bird than to the bird itself. Certainly we need to pay attention to its condition and if we perceive them to be worsening or suffering we probably should help them to The Other Side of the Road. But I don't think it's really A Better Place, for humans maybe, but not for animals. It's just The End for them, and back to the dust they go.

And again I say, animals do not perceive time the same way that people do. They live primarily in the present moment, and a long illness or confinement seems the same as a single night's rest. That's not an excuse to allow their suffering to endure any longer than necessary, but also not a reason for additional concern that their illness may be extended. It really doesn't seem like a long time to them.

I'm grateful for this forum, for the opportunity to share our wisdom, to learn from each other's mistakes as well as our own. I apologize if I stepped on anyone's toes here.

 

[MakNat]

I believe in culling. I've had to do it several times. Just can't stand the suffering. It breaks my heart everytime.