Preparing to Say Goodbye

Where does it take place?

You may wish to consider whether you would prefer euthanasia to take place here, at our practice, or at home. Euthanasia appointments at the practice are within a consult room, and these appointments are allocated a longer time; so please mention to client care what you are booking for to ensure sufficient time is given.

If you would like it to take place at home, this will be at an additional charge. We will try to accommodate your wishes wherever possible, however home visits will be

limited to normal weekday opening hours only. When you are ready, please call our client care team and we will do everything we can to arrange a time and day to suit you and your pet.

What should I expect?

A vet and nurse, or care assistant, will be present; you will be asked to sign a consent form to give permission for the vet to carry out euthanasia. At this time, we may ask you what your wishes are for afterwards.

A sedative may be given to your pet to help them relax; this is something you are able to ask for if you think this will help you and your pet.

We will clip a small area of fur from a leg, and an intravenous cannula will be placed to access to a vein. A high dose anaesthetic injection will then be given via the cannula, and your pet will lose consciousness within a few seconds. Their breathing and heart will then stop, and the vet will confirm this by listening to their chest with a stethoscope.

Sometimes we need to adjust our approach to best accommodate your pet, but your vet will discuss this with you every step of the way. With some smaller species, it isn’t always possible to place an intravenous cannula and therefore the vet may need to give them some anaesthetic gas before the final injection. Your pet’s eyes will probably stay open, and their muscles may twitch resulting in involuntary gasps, these are all normal following euthanasia, and your pet is not aware of this happening.

We may ask you if you would like some time alone with your pet to say goodbye and we will step out of the room to give you privacy.

Should I be there?

This question can only really be answered by you; it is a very personal decision to make and there is no right or wrong answer. There will always be a vet and nurse with your pet during their final moments who will comfort them until the end if you prefer not to be present.

What happens next?

Pets can be buried at home or there are options for cremation;

• Practice arranged communal cremation (with no return of ashes)
• Practice arranged individual cremation (with the return of your pet’s ashes), in a sealed casket, or a scatter casket or tube
• Privately arranged cremation – you may want to arrange cremation and transport your pet yourselves.

You may want to keep a small keepsake of your pet, such as their collar or name tag. Please ask if you would like us to take ink paw prints and small fur clippings, all of which are optional.

Prices

Cat euthanasia with sedation: £137.93
Dog euthanasia with sedation:  £168.52
Rabbit euthanasia: £54.66
Small pet euthanasia: £34.48

The prices above include the price of communal cremation if that is what you would like us to arrange. If you would prefer individual cremation, this carries an additional fee:

Cat: £230.75
Dog up to 10kg: £230.75
Dog 10-20kg: £268.87
Dog 20-40kg: £307.26
Dogs over 40kg: £322.76
Small pets: £97.97