End of Life
Few things are harder than deciding it is time to say goodbye to a beloved pet and friend.
To us, it is all about end of life and dignity. We are here to help you every step of the way – we truly share your loss.
Deciding for end of life
A Guide for Euthanasia Decision-Making
Making the decision for your companion can be one of the most difficult and painful decisions you you make.We have developed this guide to help you with this difficult decision.
When the time for your pet’s euthanasia is near, it is helpful to do as much planning and preparing ahead of time as possible. The purpose of this list is to make you aware of the many choices you have about your pet’s death. Please discuss your pets quality of life and dignity with the vet.
When preparing for your pet’s euthanasia, it is helpful to:
- Ask your veterinarian to describe the methods and details of the euthanasia procedure.
- Decide whether or not to be present during your pet’s euthanasia.
- Decide who else (if anyone) you would like to have present during the euthanasia. If you wish to be alone during the procedure, you may still want to ask a friend or family member to accompany you to the appointment so you will have support before and afterward.
- Plan the logistical details of your pet’s euthanasia.
- When should it take place?
- Where should it take place?
- Should you wish to have your pet cremated, would you like the ashes to be returned to you?
- How will you care for your pet’s body?
- What will you transport/bury your pet’s body in if you take them home with you?
- Consider a post-mortem examination. Post-mortems can potentially answer the questions you may have regarding your pet’s illness or injury.
- Think about how you want to say goodbye and/or memorialise your pet
What happens to my pet after euthanasia?
You have the choices of either taking your pet home to bury, arranging a cremation with a pet crematorium yourself, or you can leave your pet with us to make all the cremation arrangements on your behalf – most owners decide the latter. If you decide on cremation, your pet’s body will be placed into cold storage until the crematorium collect’s them. You can either choose a communal cremation (where you don’t get any of your pet’s ashes back) or an individual cremation, where your pet’s ashes will be returned to you, in a choice of urn. For more information about the crematorium, please look here (https://www.pcsonline.org.uk).
We hope that the information on this page will help to reduce the stress of this time, by preparing you and answering many common questions. If you are struggling with grief at the loss of a pet, there are several organisations which can help with grief counselling such as the Blue Cross Pet Bereavement Support.
