When Epitaph are requested to perform a home euthanasia, we know immediately that there is a very special bond between owner and pet, and we have made it our mission to honour this as much as possible. When we arrive at your property, we ask you to greet us as ‘normally’ as possible, even to the point of putting the kettle on and making a cuppa! The reason for this is because this is what you would do for any visitor arriving at your home, and a departure from normal routines, may alert your pet that something is up. For this reason, its important to not alter your routine too much the day of our visit. We greet your pet, and make as much or as little of a fuss of them as they are normally allowed from visitors, and once your pet has settled, and seems comfortable with our presence in their house, we give one injection into the muscle that contains two drugs. One part of the injection is a potent pain reliever, that will settle any aches and pains your friend may have been experiencing. The second part is an antianxiety medication. This is not given because your pet is inherently anxious, but because you are likely to be, and your pet is very sensitive to your moods. We don’t what them to pick up on your emotions, so we prevent that pharmacologically. After about 20mintues your pet will be sleepy and relaxed, and is likely to have settled themselves in their favourite spot. We use the 20minutes to do the paperwork and payment details, so that you do not have to deal with these things after your pet has died.
During this period we will talk through the euthanasia process, to make sure that everyone present is comfortable with what we wil be doing, and if children are present, we may spend some time with them, making sure that they are comfortable with everything.
Once your pet is sleepy enough, the nurse and the vet will place an IV catheter into a vein, usually in the foreleg but sometimes in a back leg. This is usually placed with minimum distress or fuss, and most patients hardly notice it going in. However some pets (especially those who have had several IV’s in the past) may resist slightly. We take our time, and don’t pressure them at all, and usually things proceed very smoothly, and we secure the catheter with tape. There will be a few small drops of blood from the catheter, but we have a pad underneath to catch these. Once the catheter is secure, we attach an ‘extension’ line which is about 1.5m long, and bandage the catheter securely. While the occasional pet will require a muzzle for this phase (very rare in my experience), the advantage of using a catheter instead of a needle, is that once the catheter is secured, we can remove the muzzle, and the pet can relax again.
Once the catheter is in place, then you have the opportunity to help your pet settle into a favourite position or spot, often the sofa! When your pet is happy, and when you feel ready, using the extension line attached to the catheter, we administer an anaesthetic agent which will cause your pet to fall asleep slowly, then lose consciousness; just as if they were to have a surgery. This is relaxing for your pet, and causes them no distress. At this point, most owners start to release the tears they have been bravely holding in. Their pet is no longer aware of the emotions, and is peacefully sleeping.
At this point, some owners want to leave the room…since their pet is no longer aware of their presence, and children may often leave the room at this point. However, most people remain with their pet while the fatal overdose is given through the extension line, causing reversible unconsciousness to deepen into irreversible coma, and death.
Once your pets heart has been determined to have stopped, the vet and nurse leave the room, to give you and your family some privacy. Usually you will be warned that some pets will make a gasp after they have died, and not to be alarmed if this happens. More often than not it does not, but can be distressing if you are unprepared. Likewise we arn people that there may be some emptying of bladder or bowel, and that the pets eyes will likely remain open.
When you call us back in, we remove the catheter, and prepare your pets body for burial or cremation. With an Epitaph home euthanasia you are offered a memorial pawprint of your pet, which will be left with you. In addition a small number of memorial items will be left as a gift. |
