For pet owners, one of the most difficult things to experience is putting an animal down.
With that in mind, it comes as no surprise that the majority of people don't want to be in the room when a lethal injection is administered by a vet.
But while it can be emotionally tough to be in the room when they die, according to vets, it's probably a lot better for the emotional well-being of your pet in its final moments.
In July Twitter user Jessi Dietrich tweeted: "Asked my vet what the hardest part was about his job and he said when he has to put an animal down 90 per cent of owners don't actually want to be in the room when he injects them, so the animal's last moments are usually them frantically looking around for their owners and that broke me."
A vet clinic in South Africa posted a response on Facebook, urging owners to stay with their pets until their last moments, saying they should stay for a "pain-free humane ending".
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The vet explained: "Do not make them transition from life to death in a room of strangers in a place they don't like. The thing people need to know that most of you don't is that THEY SEARCH FOR YOU WHEN YOU LEAVE THEM BEHIND!!!!! They search every face in the room for their beloved person. They don't understand why you left them when they are sick, scared, old or dying from cancer and they need your comfort."
For pet owners, the image of their pet scared and alone is a very upsetting one. However, other vets disagreed that it's the most traumatic thing.
One vet explained that she had "never had pets worry during their final moments" because the vets, technicians and other people working spend their time making the animal feel comfortable and safe during its final moments.
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While it's seems to be best for your pet's comfort if you can bring yourself to be by its side at the end of its life, if you can't quite bring yourself to do it or feel guilty for being absent for a pet's final moments in the past, don't worry.
If you can't be there, though, vets will do everything they can to make your pet feel safe and comfortable at the end of its life.
Featured Image Credit: PexelsTopics: Life News, Pets, Life, Animals