Peaceful Farewell
In-Home Euthanasia
The home setting provides a loving, stress free environment allowing families to give their cherished pet a peaceful farewell. We are fortunate to have the choice of euthanasia available for our beloved family member. It is an option, that when elected appropriately, offers a compassionate quality of death and a pain free peaceful passing preventing further suffering for pets and their families.
Saying Good Bye
Choosing to say goodbye is a challenging decision filled with mixed emotions. “How do I know when it is the right time?” A question we are asked often. The truth is, unless a pet is obviously suffering (which is what we are aiming to avoid), there is not one clear cut moment.
There is a subjective timeframe where saying goodbye is appropriate at any point in this period. The actual time that is chosen is dependent on the family. This is because we all have different values and differences in availability of time, finances, physical ability and emotional ability for the final stage in our pet’s life.
For some pet parents, the preference is not allowing the risk of their fur baby to go through any suffering. Some need time to come to terms with their pet’s condition and for others holding on and taking all measures possible to improve quality of life and extend their pet’s time is paramount.
Many pet parents feel guilt, confusion and often regret around the decision. Some wonder if they are choosing to say goodbye too soon, while others wish they hadn’t prolonged their pet’s suffering. More often than not owners have conveyed regret for waiting so long.
Considering our experience and client experience we believe it is important to understand the risk of waiting until the last possible moment. In these situations pets and their families are more likely to find themselves in a stressful emergency situation.
Owners who witness the suffering of their fur baby in these circumstances generally regret their choice. If a peaceful farewell in a loving environment is what you want for your companion then you may need to say goodbye sooner than you would prefer.
For those that are seeking to enhance / prolong quality of life or are unsure of their pet’s current quality of life status it may be helpful to have a quality of life assessment consult first.
There may be options available that can improve your companion’s life or we may find that all other avenues have been exhausted or unsuitable.
For those that are struggling with the timing of their final farewell, remember that ideally the decision should be based on preventing suffering from occurring at all.
Here are some things you may notice about your pet that may indicate the “right time” and aid decision making:
- Having more bad days then good
- No longer enjoying their favourite thing(s)
- Change in demeanour eg irritable / aggression / snappy at times, seems depressed / detached, appears confused or less interested in play
- Tail down more. Less wagging for dogs or tail not in upright “S” bend as much for cats
- Less time spent with family and other pets eg may isolate themselves or no longer come say hello when you get home
- Interest in food and water has declined
- Vomiting, nausea or diarrhea
- Unable to toilet properly eg staggers, sways or has accidents in the home
- Difficulty getting up or moving
- Behaviour in their yard/space has changed eg reduction in patrolling / territory protection
- No longer grooming (more so for cats)
What To Expect
- We will discuss the process and any concerns or questions you have
- Sedation is provided as part of the service to facilitate a peaceful passing. This will help relieve discomfort and allow your pet to feel calm, relaxed and comfortable. The sedative is injected under the skin similar to how vaccinations are given. Onset of effects takes around 5-30 mins (individual variation)
- You will be able to stay with and comfort your pet at all times
- A compassionate peaceful farewell will be given as the final care and kindness for your pet
- Transportation for aftercare or crematorium pick up organised if elected. (See aftercare options below)
- Prices are based on day and time of the week as well as size of the pet and can be seen on our booking page. Prices are for euthanasia only. Please see below for aftercare options
- Please note additional charges may apply for aggressive/difficult pets. In these cases, for the safety of staff, clients and in the interest of reducing stress and maintaining comfort of the patient. An alternative plan requiring more time, extra medication / rescheduling may be necessary. If you are concerned that your pet may fall into this category, please feel free to contact us and discuss your concerns and our alternative approaches.
Pre-Euthanasia Planning
There are many options available for end of life care. Knowing your options can help relieve some of the stress you may have during this time. Choosing appropriate options will ensure you honor the life of your pet. It will also ensure that they are given the care and treatment during end of life that was as important to you for them throughout their life. As a home euthanasia vet we can offer guidance or suggestions on the process and coordinate aftercare services for you.
- Would you like palliative end of life care to keep your pet comfortable at their last stage of life? If so, you may like to have a quality of life assessment. This way if you are wanting a little more time to say goodbye you can help reduce pain, stress and anxiety during this time.
- Do you have a bucket list for your pet that you would like to do for them if time and their condition permits?
- Would you like to have family/friends there?
- If you have children, would you like them to be there? We generally recommend allowing children to be present for part or the full farewell service – if they want to.
- If you have other pets, would you like them to be there? We generally recommend having close pets be part of the farewell. For calm pets you may like them present for the whole service. For boisterous pets you may prefer to bring them out for part of the farewell or once the service has been completed.
- Would you like the service to take place inside, outside, on their bed, on your bed, or at their favourite place to go such as the park?
- Consider placing absorbent bedding/pads under them to account for soiling, particularly if you would like them on the bed or couch.
- Would you like them to have their blanket/toy?
- If your pet is still eating consider giving them chocolate, ice cream or anything else they would love to eat at the service.
- Consider setting up music, candles, or flowers for the farewell.
- Consider setting up a picture slide on your television/computer. Many people like to display photos of their family, pets, or background scenery.
- What would you like for your fur baby’s aftercare? Individual cremation with ashes returned and cremation with no ashes returned are the most common choices. We can arrange this for you. For individual cremation you also have the choice of letting us know the cremation company you would prefer, and we can co-ordinate with them on your behalf or you can arrange this yourself. Other options include burial at a cemetery or home (Note: Burial generally requires a 6ft deep plot), or pet preservation (taxidermy).
- Would you like a casket? There are soft caskets available that are suitable for cremation and burial that are more affordable than the traditional wooden caskets and are biodegradable. We use a reusable version as transport for our clients. If you would like to have a look here is a link with 10% off. Please note we noticed that currently the prices do not include GST until check out. https://sweetgoodbyeforpets.com/discount/MCMV10
- Would you like any memorial items? Such as a lock of fur, paw print or photo. We offer some complimentary keepsakes. For those choosing private cremation the crematorium companies have several memorial items to choose from.
Final Arrangements
We can organise a provider for you or you can organise this service yourself if you would prefer. Private aftercare fees are paid directly to the provider.
We usually arrange for the crematorium/funeral home to collect your pet soon after our appointment. However, we understand that some owners prefer to spend some time after our service with their pet. In this case we can organise collection for a later time.
We organise this service. We use a private company for our aftercare which provides group cremation. For this option your pet is cremated alongside other cherished pets and ashes are scattered on your behalf on a large property. We may transfer or organise the crematorium to transfer your pet. In this case, the crematorium is paid directly. We will discuss the plan with you prior to our appointment.
This is for owners who have elected to organise cremation, cemetery burial, home burial or pet preservation through taxidermy themselves. For home burial check with your local council to see if your land meets council regulations, ensure there are no pipes or underground structures and that the plot is not near a waterway. The burial plot should be 6 feet (182cm) deep.
You can call us on 3108 5551 or use our online booking system to make an appointment. We have tried to keep the online booking process as simple as we can to reduce the stress involved. Initial pricing listed is for euthanasia only and accounts for small pets.
If you would like a more accurate estimate of pricing for our service, please choose the size of your pet and whether you would like aftercare through us or arranged by us.
These options are located on the upper left of the calendar. The decision to say goodbye is a very difficult one. Please contact us if you have any concerns, questions or would like to discuss options.
