Your choices for Euthanasia

At it’s best helping an animal die peacefully and with dignity is the epitome of what the veterinary profession is all about; compassion, love and humanity. At the other scale, when euthanasia is performed without due care, we can cause anger, distrust and distress to clients, and impact your views on our profession and what we do, for years. Once you have made a decision about euthanasia we can try to further support you. If this is an ‘advance’ decision, we can support you with written information on the process, or on grieving. We can also provide literature on body issues. We can help you make a decision on whether your pet should have hospital vs home euthanasia, and if the former, whether you want to be present or not.


If you elect not to be present, then your vet’s staff will endeavour to give your pet hugs and love, and will usually try to ‘treat him as if he was my own’. Some owners simply cannot bear to be present for euthanasia, and your vet will not judge you for this. Your vet knows that your grief and love is as strong as anyone else’s, and that the fact that they will cuddle and support your pet, when you simply can’t, may be enormously meaningful to you.

Vets and their staff are aware that financial issues can be a significant factor in a euthanasia decision and that this adds pain and stress to an already emotional decision for you. It is very important that our profession gives you ‘permission’ to take finance into account. We MUST acknowledge that your ability to spend does not reflect your love for your pet.  However we ask you for acceptance that this causes us grief too. Very few vets are in this profession ‘for the money’, and to see their clients have to make financial decisions is hard on them too. They will also be grieving the decision.

If you are to be present for euthanasia, then you may wish to take the following steps:

  • Request an appointment for a quiet time of day. Try to avoid times when you may be kept waiting if the vet is running late with their other appointments. Many hospitals will help to find a time that will minimise the risk of further distress.
  • Explain to your vet if you have seen euthanasia before, and if so what happened. This will help your vet to understand any concerns you may have based on past experiences. Ask the vet to describe carefully and clearly what happens during the procedure. Ask about your grief reactions if you are not sure what to expect. Ask them what you can expect medically, and what their protocols are. Some vets will explain this without you having to ask, but not all feels as comfortable offering this information as others. Make sure you are 100% comfortable with the protocol explained before authorising the euthanasia. Ask about what to expect after death, how your pet might respond, and how long the passage into death will take.
  • Consider what will help make this experience more meaningful for you, your pet and your family? Do you want to be able to hold your pet? Do you want another pet present? Would you like the opportunity to create some feeling of ‘ceremony’ during the procedure? Would you like to be able to take some fur as a memento? Try and empower yourself in the decision-making. 
  • Please ask about body options. There are three main ones; burial, ‘group’ cremation and  ‘private/individual’ cremation. Be aware that you may need to check with your local council re the legality of burying your pet. Anything larger than a small dog can be very difficult both physically and emotionally to bury, and it can be distressing to have to dig a hole after death, and even more so prior to death. Having said this, some pet owners find it a therapeutic and physical outlet for grief. Cremation may be a better option for many people. It is important to understand the difference between group cremation and private cremation, and that you are aware that you do not receive ashes back after group cremation. Private (individual) cremation allows burial of ashes, or scattering, or the keeping of ashes inside the house.
  • Ask whether the clinic has a special room or a garden that euthanasia could be performed in rather than in a consultation room. Likewise, would they be willing to perform the euthanasia it in the car rather than your pet coming into the hospital. Some clinics will help you with this. If this is not possible, you might like to bring comfortable bedding in with your pet, so that they will have familiar things around them.
  • Ask whether an IV catheter will be placed. If possible, request that this be done. This may cost you a little more, but will mean that you pet does not have to be restrained by veterinary staff during the euthanasia procedure, but instead would have a catheter placed first, and then be returned to you . You would then be able to hold your pet while the drugs are administered through the catheter. Not al pets are suitable for this process.
  • Ask whether home euthanasia is offered as a service. If so, request information on how this will be performed.
  • We suggest that you request to pay in advance. Most clients find this more comfortable that having to do so immediately after the pet has died, or than receiving a bill in the mail.  Many clinics are unable to offer invoicing; so pre-payment may be the best option. You may be able to do tis over the telephone when you make the appointment.
  • Ask if your children may be present. If a child is going to be present at euthanasia, it is best to have a pre-euthanasia discussion if at all possible, to explain what will be happening. A good way to explain euthanasia to a child is along the following lines “because everyone loves Fluffy so much, we don’t want her to suffer. Although we will miss her we are going to help her to die, because she is in pain now, and we cannot fix her’, or similar words in that vein, appropriate to the circumstance. Vets and nurses play a large role in explaining the medical aspects of death to children: we can explain gently how euthanasia is done, why it is a kindness, how the pet will look afterwards and so forth. We can also help children understand why a pet did not survive an illness or accident, and we can act as counsellors at a time when you are preoccupied with their own grief. How parent and vet staff deal with children’s grief in the hospital can have a long-term effect on their ability to deal with death and loss.
  • Many parents wonder if a child should be allowed to be with the pet during death, and see the body after the pet is dead. It is important to consider the wishes of the children with this issue. If the child does not feel the need to be present during the euthanasia, then an alternative is to invite them  back into the room after the euthanasia procedure to say goodbye. Seeing that the pet is actually dead often helps give children a sense of closure.