A woman was left sobbing as she made the heartbreaking decision to have her beloved Belgian hare put down after his health deteriorated on The Yorkshire Vet Special: Peter's Dream.
Owner Polly brought her elderly rabbit to see vet Julian Norton after he had been suffering with arthritis and had begun struggling to move around.
Vet's concern
Julian, who had treated the hare for some time, admitted he was concerned about the rabbit's condition before Polly arrived.
“I’ve been treating him for a long time but the last time I saw him he was going downhill a little bit and I’m suspicious that today might be the day Polly makes the big decision about his future,” he explained.
Polly revealed that her pet's condition had gradually worsened, particularly when he tried to get up or roll over.
“The last time we came in and got his injections, he had gradually started to get worse,” she said.
Heartbreaking decision
“When he tries to get up or rolls over, he won’t get up quickly, so obviously it’s uncomfortable and we don’t think it’s fair.” As she struggled to hold back her emotions, Polly acknowledged that the time had come to make an agonising decision.
“So we think it’s time. As sad as it is… I’m going to start going in a minute… It’s time. It’s time,” she said.
During the examination, Julian noticed just how much the rabbit's condition had affected him.
“He’s lost a lot of muscle then,” the vet pointed out.
Polly agreed, explaining that the rabbit had lost significant muscle because he was no longer moving around.
“Yes he has lost a lot of muscle but he won’t move, so what can I do?” she said.
Emotional farewell
Julian then gently asked whether Polly felt it was time to say goodbye.
“So is it time to…?” he asked.
“I think so, yes. I would prefer it that way,” Polly replied.
The vet explained that the rabbit would first need to be sedated because he was so twitchy.
“We will need to sedate him because he’s so twitchy then I’ll give him an injection, which takes about ten minutes to kick in. Then I’ll be able to do it without him knowing what’s going on,” Julian explained.
As the heartbreaking moment arrived, Polly broke down while hugging her pet.
“I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry. He just can’t do it anymore,” she said through tears.
While Julian administered the final injection, Polly gently stroked her rabbit's back.
“It’s OK, there you go. I can’t see him suffer,” she said.
The emotional scene also affected Julian, who later reflected on the difficult reality of his job.
“It’s always a difficult part of the job, putting down people's pets and it’s made even more challenging when we know the owner very well,” he admitted.
For Polly, the decision was clearly devastating, but her emotional farewell came from wanting to prevent her much-loved rabbit from suffering any further. You can stream Yorkshire Vet on Channel 5.
