Why are DOGS treated BETTER than human beings?

When a dog becomes seriously ill, his/her owners or caretakers will usually take him/her (if they truly LOVE their pet) to a Veterinarian, to have the animal mercifully "put out of his/her misery. "But let "Uncle Bill" or "Cousin Egbert" get into the same position, the mere THOUGHT of ending THEIR suffering, is suddenly "appalling," or "unthinkable!"So, it is "OK" to end the suffering of a helpless animal, but "OK" to prolong the misery of a human being? Why?

Why do we treat our pets, BETTER than we treat the human beings about whom we care? What is WRONG with this picture? Asked by Scorpio7 42 months ago Similar questions: DOGS treated human beings Pets.

Similar questions: DOGS treated human beings.

I don't think there's anything wrong with it You’re forgetting one thing. People have an opportunity to refuse medical treatment, and in the event that they’re not capable of making a decision, they have the opportunity to issue advance directives (like a living will) specifying exactly what kinds of treatment they want and when. Animals do not have the ability to tell their people whether they wish to have treatment or are ready to let go.

They also don’t have the ability to understand and accept some of the more difficult treatments. If my kitty became sick or injured and I knew that he’d have to suffer tremendously for several months before getting back to normal and living out the remainder of his life, I’d really have to consider if it was worth it. Not because I don’t want him around for as long as I can have him, but because I’d never be able to explain why I was hurting him.

If it were my mother in that situation, she would know that there’s a "light at the end of the tunnel" and realize that there’s a purpose to the suffering she has to endure. I used to work in a nursing home, and you’re mistaken if you think that family members always want a serious, terminal illness treated. I’ve met and talked with many, many family members who really struggle with these decisions, trying to weigh quality of life vs. longevity.

And a good many of them ended up choosing comfort services (primarily hydration and pain management) over active treatment. There are plenty of people who believe that doing anything other than fighting tooth and nail against death is appalling, just like you say. But don’t discount the many people who believe that a person should have the opportunity to die with a minimum of suffering, even if that means having fewer weeks or months or years to live.

And on the flip side, I have to wonder how many people choose euthanasia for a pet because they’re not sure if they can cope. My cat is diabetic, and though his diabetes is in remission, there was a period of time where I was testing his blood sugar regularly and giving him insulin shots. I still feed him four times a day (which can be a huge inconvenience), and the frequent feedings mean that the only time I can leave town for more than a few hours is when I want to become a burden on my friends.To me, it’s worth it.

I love my cat more than I love going on vacation, and his quality of life is excellent - I have no reason to believe he won’t live out a normal lifespan. You’d be amazed, though, at the number of people I talked to who said they just wouldn’t be able to do it. Sometimes the "it" was the shots, or the blood tests, or sometimes it was just micromanaging his diet.

I looked at it as not having a choice; it would have been appalling and unthinkable to put him down for something I could so easily treat. Apparently a lot of other people would have felt differently. For people or pets, I’m firmly of the mind that needless, extended suffering is, well, needless.

A pet who has little hope of recovering but faces a lot of suffering should be humanely put to sleep. A person in the same situation should be able to refuse medical care (or accept comfort measures) without repercussion. The problem isn’t necessarily leaving people to suffer - sometimes that suffering is worth it in the end.

We have a problem when we try to project our own wishes (for extended time with the person, to avoid the inconvenience of caring for someone, or the pain watching him suffer) onto someone else who may not agree with our definition of "worth it. " The big difference between your two scenarios is that, while an owner has to make that decision for his pet, we owe it to people to let them make that decision for themselves. If my cat were able to communicate his wishes to me, I'd let him decide for himself, too, but since he can't, I'd have to use my best judgment.

If I had a family member who was unable to communicate his wishes and hadn't left advance directives, I'd have to assume that that family member wants to be treated until I'm told otherwise.

If we treat pets better than humans, why are there so many in shelters, starving on the streets, being abused. Yes, we can (much to our sorrow) put our animals down when they are beyond help. We are not allowed to help our human loved ones in the same way.

Maybe one day we will be able to stop their suffering legally,too.

Dogs are friends Dogs are often treated better than people because they have unquestionable loyalty, rarely abandon you, and don't care what you look like. They are always there for you and never let you down if you treat them well. Kim .

OMG! Welcome to my world. I've asked this precise question,almost ver batim,for years.

Working in critical care environment,I've seen prolonging of suffering that I'd have to catagorize as vulgarly inhumane. Most often,it's the family having issues with letting go,they desperately clutch the miracle will happen card. It's staggering sometimes to see what they refuse to see.It's also on my plethora list of things I place some blame on the media.

The media will sensationalize some one in a gazillion recovery,and then every family thinks that's gonna be their grandma. Truth be told more often than not many of those "miracles" if objectively were further examined,there'd be an explanation.In So.Fla. The incidence of pediatric drowning is higher than anywhere else in the country.

When I did pedi. Critical care I was involved in over 200 drownings,and every one of those families talked about the child in Chicago,that drowned but survived. Yes,that child did,because it was icewater and completely stopped all metabolism.

That's a rare occurance,but the media blared it,and desperate people cling to it. The one that gets me riled up,when discussing life support withdrawl,with families,is they'll refuse and say it's up to God. And I'll look at the patient,on mechanical ventilation(that's me),with gabbled mess of lines going in & out,and I'm like well I don't think God's intention is this?

I'd like to think God is more benevolant than that. I think the point being is we're interfering with God's agenda for this person. I also feel this is an arena,were the physician,can be influential.

The manner & tone,that families are presented with in regards to withdrawl,can be tantamount.It's also were I've seen that small percentage of "greedy" physicians. I knew a nephrologist,who'd talk families into reversing their decision to withdraw,and the patient in question already smelled of death. But on the flipside.

Here also is that ugly reality of our lawsuit crazed society. I remember a family,that was convinced withdrawl was the most humane thing to do. After it was over,it was tears & hugs,and Thank You for helping us in this difficult time.

Lo & behold a distant relative in another state,had a neighbor,who said x,y,&z and tah-dah,they wanted to sue because we confused them,and took advantage of their vulnerability. I've said it too many times to count. I hope "my time",goes like this.

I'm snowboarding in the Swiss Alps,I miss a turn,and they find my a** in the spring thaw,with a big ol' grin on my face. Or I finally meet up with my beloved Padma Lakshmi,& she shall we say wears me out to death..........again with a huge grin on my face.

Its clear. People Like animals better because they are too lazy and too selfish to take the time to put up with another human being. They use animals as an easy way to get out of dealing with humans.

Animals are so loving, Oh they are so loyal. See its all selfish. Everything to cater to the self centered person that cares more for a animal than human life, human emotions, human struggles, and human spirituality.

I say we get rid of all the people who like animals more than humans. That way we will know who really is concerned for each other. This society is backwards.

Priorities are backwards. Their is no sympathy for a homeless person because the media and society has portrayed that all homeless are lazy drug addicts or drunks which is simply not true. This is a real problem.

People have been brainwashed. Their thinking is so messed up. To care more for a dog than a person?

If it was legal Id be shipping cats and dogs by the truck loads to foreign nations to feed the dying people of the world rather than watching them put down and thrown away anyways. India finds the cow sacred and thinks were sick for eating eat. We hold dogs and cats sacred and think Asian countries that eat them are sick.

Well ive eaten dog and cat and its pretty good. Most of you have if your a Chinese food eater. Humans are responsible for inbreeding and over breeding millions of animals.

Yes constant inbreeding. Yeah you sickos creating birth defects for your own selfish desires. AKC registered.

Should be IBD registered. INBRED Any one getting this yet or are you all brainwashed? I love animals.

I own pets and care for them but in no way would I let myself put my pets before my neighbors. And I sure would not be a hypocrite inbreeding and claiming to be modest. I had to put down a dog recently that didn't make it past 8 years old because it was a pure bred.

And Im the cruel one? Im kinda glad to see the ones who love animals more than humans so its easier to avoid the scum that plaques this earth.

Some people think that its a mistake that human beings ever decided to migrate away from the equator...

Explain the evolutionary advantage for human beings to lose a thick coating of body hair.

Just when you thought human beings couldn't get any more despicable...

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.