Saying Goodbye
Having to think about losing a beloved pet is both difficult and emotional, but sadly not all animals pass away peacefully in their sleep and we sometimes must make the difficult decision to euthanase and end suffering. This page is designed to help you understand the process and how we can help along the way.
How do I know when the time has come?
Every pet is different, and nobody knows your pet better than you and your family. It is important to monitor and record changes in the pet’s appetite, mobility and behaviour, in order to measure their quality of life. We will hep you monitor these changes and will discuss with you all the options in terms of treatment or management of your pet’s condition.
Sometimes the decision must be made more rapidly in cases of trauma or acute crisis, but we will guide you in these instances depending on the treatment options or prognosis.
How do I prepare?
We are always on hand over the phone or at the practice to discuss your pet’s case with you, please just ask. If you have made the decision to go ahead with euthanasia (‘putting to sleep’) then you can make an appointment to come in to the practice – we often try to accommodate you at a time of day when the waiting room is not too busy. Home visits can usually be arranged if bringing the pet to us is not an option- but please be aware there is an extra cost for this.
What Happens?
We always ask you to sign a consent form prior to proceeding. Part of this will include a decision about what you would like to do with your pet’s body after putting them to sleep. These options include home burial, standard cremation or individual cremation (where you receive the ashes back).
Often clients prefer to stay with their pet whilst the procedure takes place, in order to comfort or reassure them. We also understand if you would prefer not to be in the room and this can be arranged. The process involves an injection of an anaesthetic overdose, often into a vein on the pet’s leg, but sometimes in older or collapsed patients we may need to administer it into the body. We may also first give a sedative to nervous or uncomfortable pets.
In most cases the process is very calm and peaceful. Sometimes pets will gasp or tremor after the injection is given, and it is common for them to empty their bladder and bowels. This may be upsetting but it is not a sign of life, it is an unavoidable reflex action that usually happens after the heart has stopped.
How do I cope with the loss?
Everybody deals with the loss of a pet differently, and we always try to provide as much support as possible to make the process as smooth as we can. Its often helpful to talk about the loss with family and friends too. The following also offer support for pet bereavement:
Blue Cross offer a confidential pet bereavement support service via email or phone from 8:30am-8:30pm every day: https://www.bluecross.org.uk/pet-bereavement-and-pet-loss
Cats Protection Paws to Listen is a cat grief support service open 9am-5pm Monday to Friday: https://www.cats.org.uk/what-we-do/grief/advice