It does cost more, sometimes a lot more to use an emergency service.  I'm not going to insult your intelligence explaining why that would be true.  Anybody could easily figure out why it costs more to staff and operate an emergency facility than a facility that's open 8 to 6, or the classic working hours.  What I find most incredible is the money people must be making today.  Eighty percent or more of the cases seen at emergency rooms are not emergencies.  They're not even urgencies.  Yet, people take their friends there for minor issues or problems that they've put off and spend two to three times as much money than they would have spent had they just brought their friend to County Line Animal Hospital.

  There is usually no perfect time or moment when all people would choose this option.  There are a multitude of factors which contribute to making this decision.  It is unusual, in my experience, to have an owner want me to destroy an animal for frivolous reason, such as it just isn't convenient anymore.  Nearly always this is a heart wrenching decision.  There are basically two guidelines I can give you.  1.  When the animal no longer enjoys his life.  This is the clearest and easier of the two.  When that poor creature wakes up in the morning and you look into his eyes and you can tell that there was no great joy to be experienced and no reason whatever to wake up this day.  It is time!  The truth is generally, the first day you as that wonderful creature's owner start asking yourself the question, "is it time";  it's time.  2.  When the owner no longer enjoys the pet's life.  Admittedly, this rule is subject to abuse by owners who acquired the pet inadvisedly or who are narcissistic and just find the animal inconvenient.  But, with that said, not all animals make good pets or people sometime simply can't afford to keep them alive.  We see behavioral problems like aggressiveness that can't be safely corrected.  Most behavioral problems are easily corrected when you know how, but we do have our neurotic and psychotic animals who aren't trainable.  Some of these animals are a true threat to the owner's well being.  With advances in modern medicine and surgery, we can keep animals alive much longer than in the past.  Many of these animals suffer senile dementia.  There are no nursing homes for pets and just like aging people, these pets can become constant care patients.  Most people simply don't have the resources to care for such animals.  And sometimes the owner cannot simply afford the money it takes to keep the pet alive.  There are no new cheap drugs.  Veterinarians buy their drugs in small quantites, relatively speaking, so we can't get the volume discounts that may be realized in the human market.  Consequently we, and you the pet owner, enjoy the luxury of paying the highest price possible for a pharmceutical.  Health insurance for pets is poor at best.  A chronically ill pet can be a significant financial drain.  The best guideline for the decision using the second rule, is to simply become introspective and judge your own feelings.  If you've come to the point that you deeply resent the pet and perhaps are saying to yourself, "I'm never owning another pet". you waited too long to make the decision.

   It is important for all pet owners to take deeply into their heart, that it is our duty to prevent suffering of the dumb animals.  Their suffering may take many forms, some of which are not chronic pain.  When their time has come, be a "grown up" and do the right thing.