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Facing Farewell: Making the Decision to Euthanize Your Pet
When is it the right time? Does it hurt my pet? How do I measure my pet's quality of life? How do I know if they are in pain? There are finally answers! Facing Farewell is the first book created by a veterinarian that is entirely devoted to helping pet owners make euthanasia decisions for their pets. You will learn how to time end of life decisions based specifically on your pet's medical condition. You will learn the best methods and techniques of compassionate euthanasia so you can be an informed medical advocate for your pet. You will be able to recognize the symptoms of animal pain and understand how to set parameters to define your pet's quality of life. Each chapter concludes with worksheets to apply the information specifically to you and your pet. Facing Farewell is a necessary book for any dog or cat owner wishing to be prepared to make the best decisions possible for their pet when they will need it the most.
- GenresDogs
80 pages, Paperback
First published March 30, 2012
7 people are currently reading
15 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 25, 2014
Facing Farewell*, by Julie Reck, DVM (Dogwise, 2012, 70 pages, $11.95)
Saying ‘Goodbye’ to your pet after a lifetime of memories: How and when. . . .
A Book You Need to Get Before You Need to Get It
Rarely does a dog book come along with the potential to help so many people (and dogs) as Facing Farewell can. The end-of-life decision that we often have to make for our dogs is never easy, sometimes paralyzing - even verging on the traumatic - and always comes too soon but Dr. Julie Reck’s book goes a long way towards putting your mind at ease, helping you make this difficult final decision by explaining the procedure and including worksheets for planning ahead. To call this book exceptional is an understatement.
The Most Difficult Part of Living with a Dog: Saying Goodbye
More than half of all American families have dogs and, since dogs have shorter lifespans than we do, most of us have to face the decision of goodbye but how and when are questions that can tear us apart at the time and lead us to second guess for quite a while afterwards.
A Little Book to Savor. . .
From the memorable cover to the delightful dedication to the “Commitment” pledge to the lovely quotes and meaningful photos to the useful worksheets in the appendix and throughout, Facing Farewell is almost a workbook in itself to help you make advanced decisions you can live with, not easily perhaps but well and with compassion, because you have thought things through beforehand. Your decisions will be made in plenty of time, with knowledge, care, consideration, concern, and kindness for your dog.
. . . in Five Short Chapters – Just the Right Length
Dr. Reck begins her book comparing our concept of life and death, living and dying with that of our dogs’ – they feel pain but have no concept of death. A worksheet in this chapter helps us understand our life cycle and life span in relationship with our dogs and how quickly they age. For example, Sam came to me at age 7, so, being a golden retriever, he was about 63 human years old when he came into my life to live with me.
Chapter two explains the euthanasia procedure and choices, as well as decisions afterwards in layman’s detail. Reck put this chapter up front, believing that knowledge and understanding will help us cope better and make more appropriate decisions later. By focusing on the practical, the client can then work through the emotional more easily and wisely. Although I am one to need the facts and details and can understand the science and medicine, I also see some readers skipping or postponing this chapter and still keeping Facing Farewell on their bookshelf as a constant available resource. Reck writes this chapter and the entire book with warmth, understanding and calming acceptance of her clients.
But, How Will I Know When. . . ?
We want to relieve our animals of as much pain as we can whenever we can. We love them – we feed them, walk them, play with them, and take care of their health to the best of our ability. We want to protect them from pain just as we want the same for our children, but dogs (and cats) cannot tell us where it hurts. As a matter of fact, they have been conditioned over generations to hide their pain.
Pain is the subject of chapter three: how to recognize it in the head area, the body and limbs, and the hind end and tail of both dogs and cats. A body chart of both animals is shown with symptoms for each body part. Also included are assessment sheets to fill out periodically so comparisons can be made: “Is my pet in more pain now than he was two weeks ago?” e.g.
Three Categories of Best Friend
In the fourth chapter, Dr. Reck takes up the cases of young pets with serious medical issues, senior pets with terminal illnesses, and senior pets in general with charts to help you assess your sick and/or senior pet’s quality of life, again with several copies to help you determine the direction of change, if any.
The appendix contains additional worksheets and questionnaires to fill out with your veterinarian’s information, as well as space for memories of your best friend. Dr. Reck also includes questions we may not have thought about.
Top Five
Facing Farewell may just be the best twelve dollars I have ever spent! It’s on my list of Five All-Time Best Dog Books. Put it on your list, too.
*Although Facing Farewell is reviewed here as a dog book, it also pertains to our favorite felines, and contains sections and worksheets on cats.
Also of note (to be reviewed in the future): When Your Dog has Cancer: Making the Right Decisions for You and Your Dog, by Lola Bell (available through the same publisher, Dogwise, at www.dogwise.com)
Saying ‘Goodbye’ to your pet after a lifetime of memories: How and when. . . .
A Book You Need to Get Before You Need to Get It
Rarely does a dog book come along with the potential to help so many people (and dogs) as Facing Farewell can. The end-of-life decision that we often have to make for our dogs is never easy, sometimes paralyzing - even verging on the traumatic - and always comes too soon but Dr. Julie Reck’s book goes a long way towards putting your mind at ease, helping you make this difficult final decision by explaining the procedure and including worksheets for planning ahead. To call this book exceptional is an understatement.
The Most Difficult Part of Living with a Dog: Saying Goodbye
More than half of all American families have dogs and, since dogs have shorter lifespans than we do, most of us have to face the decision of goodbye but how and when are questions that can tear us apart at the time and lead us to second guess for quite a while afterwards.
A Little Book to Savor. . .
From the memorable cover to the delightful dedication to the “Commitment” pledge to the lovely quotes and meaningful photos to the useful worksheets in the appendix and throughout, Facing Farewell is almost a workbook in itself to help you make advanced decisions you can live with, not easily perhaps but well and with compassion, because you have thought things through beforehand. Your decisions will be made in plenty of time, with knowledge, care, consideration, concern, and kindness for your dog.
. . . in Five Short Chapters – Just the Right Length
Dr. Reck begins her book comparing our concept of life and death, living and dying with that of our dogs’ – they feel pain but have no concept of death. A worksheet in this chapter helps us understand our life cycle and life span in relationship with our dogs and how quickly they age. For example, Sam came to me at age 7, so, being a golden retriever, he was about 63 human years old when he came into my life to live with me.
Chapter two explains the euthanasia procedure and choices, as well as decisions afterwards in layman’s detail. Reck put this chapter up front, believing that knowledge and understanding will help us cope better and make more appropriate decisions later. By focusing on the practical, the client can then work through the emotional more easily and wisely. Although I am one to need the facts and details and can understand the science and medicine, I also see some readers skipping or postponing this chapter and still keeping Facing Farewell on their bookshelf as a constant available resource. Reck writes this chapter and the entire book with warmth, understanding and calming acceptance of her clients.
But, How Will I Know When. . . ?
We want to relieve our animals of as much pain as we can whenever we can. We love them – we feed them, walk them, play with them, and take care of their health to the best of our ability. We want to protect them from pain just as we want the same for our children, but dogs (and cats) cannot tell us where it hurts. As a matter of fact, they have been conditioned over generations to hide their pain.
Pain is the subject of chapter three: how to recognize it in the head area, the body and limbs, and the hind end and tail of both dogs and cats. A body chart of both animals is shown with symptoms for each body part. Also included are assessment sheets to fill out periodically so comparisons can be made: “Is my pet in more pain now than he was two weeks ago?” e.g.
Three Categories of Best Friend
In the fourth chapter, Dr. Reck takes up the cases of young pets with serious medical issues, senior pets with terminal illnesses, and senior pets in general with charts to help you assess your sick and/or senior pet’s quality of life, again with several copies to help you determine the direction of change, if any.
The appendix contains additional worksheets and questionnaires to fill out with your veterinarian’s information, as well as space for memories of your best friend. Dr. Reck also includes questions we may not have thought about.
Top Five
Facing Farewell may just be the best twelve dollars I have ever spent! It’s on my list of Five All-Time Best Dog Books. Put it on your list, too.
*Although Facing Farewell is reviewed here as a dog book, it also pertains to our favorite felines, and contains sections and worksheets on cats.
Also of note (to be reviewed in the future): When Your Dog has Cancer: Making the Right Decisions for You and Your Dog, by Lola Bell (available through the same publisher, Dogwise, at www.dogwise.com)
August 23, 2025
I found this a concise practical and compassionate book when navigating end of life care for my senior cat. The charts and worksheets were helpful in making tangible the intangible and taking action on things: measuring quality of life, identifying symptoms of pain, and evaluating options for end of life care.
I found especially helpful the chapter on the euthanasia procedure itself. Walking through step by step helped demystify the process, leaving me with feelings of understanding and peace, and helping me feel confident in advocating for my cat's comfort.
100% would recommend this book for anyone facing end of life decision making for a pet, especially if you haven't navigated this experience as an adult before.
I found especially helpful the chapter on the euthanasia procedure itself. Walking through step by step helped demystify the process, leaving me with feelings of understanding and peace, and helping me feel confident in advocating for my cat's comfort.
100% would recommend this book for anyone facing end of life decision making for a pet, especially if you haven't navigated this experience as an adult before.
August 9, 2019
A good book to read at this time when I am facing a hard decision. Did not help me make a decision but I will reread it when I have made the decision and feel it will help me more then. Well written and a necessary self-help book for the library of someone who owns and loves an older animal with problems.
November 17, 2019
Very helpful
This book was a great source of help when facing a very hard decision.
Would definitely recommend this book to others
This book was a great source of help when facing a very hard decision.
Would definitely recommend this book to others
March 31, 2016
Very helpful book on this tough subject. It was very comforting to me the last time I had to make this decision.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews