Gentle In-Home Euthanasia

Euthanasia is gentle, simple and peaceful. Once you and your pet are ready, a small injection of a strong sedative is given, often, most pets don’t realize it has been given.

The process can take place anywhere that we all feel most comfortable, whether that be a favorite sun-filled chair, your couch, or outside together.

Over a period of about 5-10 minutes, your pet will become deeply relaxed and feel your love as you sit by his or her side, or cradle him or her in your arms.

Once your pet is ready, we will say goodbye with the final medication.

Please feel free to discuss this process with our Support Staff or your doctor.

You can feed your pet or offer favorite treats, if he or she is eating. You can continue giving your pet’s regular medications, as they will not interfere with the process.

Children should ideally have the opportunity to say goodbye to their companion. In our experience, children over 5 years old are amazingly present and engaged, and will often impress with their understanding and acceptance.

Of course, this decision is ultimately the choice of the parent.

Some parents elect to have children at home but in a different room for the actual passing. This helps ensure they are insulated from the parent’s emotions (which is usually harder for them to deal with than the actual loss of the pet), but still allow them to say their goodbyes after the passing, before the pet leaves the home.

For children younger than 5, they seem to be unsure about what’s going on and are, again, more upset by the parent’s emotions than by the loss of the pet.

Still, we believe open communication about the loss is usually the best policy even for this age.

Our Support Staff can email you with helpful resources for how to best help children cope with the loss of a pet.

We will care for every possible need so that your only focus is being with your pet.

We provide soft blankets, “potty pads,” and arrange to leave keepsakes.

We care for all of your pet’s cremation and transportation arrangements, and provide a basket or stretcher that allows for the gentle movement of pets from their home.

We care for notifying your veterinarian(s) so that you do not need to make that difficult call.

We are dedicated to making these final moments feel as supported as possible.

Our focus is on safety and we understand that new people can be intimidating. In the situation where a pet may be extra nervous, or potentially prone to biting, please inform our Support Staff ahead of time.

We will work with you to develop a specialized approach, helping to ease any anxiety or fear, in turn making these moments as stress-free as possible.

It is our experience that other household pets absolutely need this time to say goodbye, just like any other family member. Most pets seem to understand what is going on, and will sit quietly and attentively, honoring the process much in the same way as you do. If you feel your pet may be disruptive to the process, they can be placed in another room and allowed to say goodbye once their friend has passed. Being able to see and smell their friend is important in the grieving process. Following the loss of their friend, they may act depressed for a day or so after, but generally return to their normal behaviors and routines following this time.

We offer as much time as needed for all members of the family to say their goodbyes.