Pet Euthanasia
For Dogs, Cats, Rabbits · End-of-life care
Putting your pet to sleep is the hardest decision you will make for them, and the kindest thing we can offer when their quality of life has gone. We will give you the time, the honesty and the quiet you need, and we will talk it through with you before anything happens.
About Euthanasia in pets
Please do not feel you have to be certain before you ring us. Many people come in simply to ask whether it is time, and go home again. That conversation is worth having early, when it is not an emergency.
How do you know when it is time?
There is rarely a single moment. It usually helps to think about the ordinary things rather than the medical ones:
- Are they still eating and drinking with any interest?
- Can they get up, get outside, get comfortable?
- Are they still doing the things that made them them – the greeting at the door, the spot in the sun, the wag?
- Are the bad days now outnumbering the good ones?
- Is pain or distress being managed, or are we only just keeping ahead of it?
A vet can help you look at this honestly. We will tell you what we think, including if we think there is still good time left.
What happens
We will book a quiet appointment, usually at a less busy time, and you can wait somewhere private rather than in the waiting room. You are welcome to stay, and most people do – but if you cannot, that is not a failure, and we will be with them.
A small catheter is usually placed in a front leg first. The injection is an overdose of anaesthetic: your pet becomes deeply unconscious within seconds and the heart stops shortly after. It is painless. We often give a sedative beforehand so they are relaxed and sleepy before anything else happens – ask for this if you would like it.
Afterwards their eyes may stay open, they may take a last breath or twitch, and the bladder may empty. These are reflexes, not distress. We will explain as we go and you can take as long as you need with them.
Things to think about beforehand
- Whether you would like it done at home instead. Ring us to ask – it is not always possible but it is often worth asking.
- Who will come with you, and who will drive.
- What you would like to happen afterwards: taking them home to bury, communal cremation, or individual cremation with their ashes returned.
- Whether you would like a paw print or a lock of fur.
- Other pets in the house often settle better if they are allowed to see the body.
Deciding these things in advance means you do not have to make them while you are upset.
What it costs
The fee is published on our price list, by species and by weight for dogs. Cremation is charged separately and those prices are published too. We know this is a difficult thing to be thinking about alongside everything else, which is exactly why we publish it – so there are no surprises on the day. If cost is a worry, please tell us and we will talk about it.