Long-term medical care can be a burden that you and your family may be unable to bear emotionally or financially, and this should be discussed openly and honestly. Encourage family members to express their thoughts and feelings. Even if you have reached a decision, it is important that family members, especially children, have their feelings considered. Children have special relationships with their pets. Excluding or protecting children from this decision-making process, because they are thought to be too young to understand, may only complicate their grieving.
Children respect straightforward, truthful, and simple answers.
If they are prepared adequately, children usually are able to accept a pet's death. Euthanasia is almost always accomplished by injection of a death-inducing drug. Your veterinarian may administer a tranquilizer first to relax your pet. Following the death-inducing injection, your pet will immediately go into a quiet and irreversible deep unconsciousness. Death will come quickly and painlessly.