Euthanasia

Saying goodbye to your beloved pet and family member is one of the most difficult decisions you’ll ever have to make. During this sad time, we’re here to guide you through the process with compassion and care.

Two women laying on a bed kiss the cheeks of their black dog

How do I know it’s time to say goodbye?

It’s a day every pet owner fears, and dreads. And it may be hard to think of this way, but when your pet is suffering, euthanasia is a gift. It’s the kindest thing you can do for your beloved companion after they’ve given you a lifetime of love and loyalty. Your pet’s quality of life should be the most important factor when deciding when is the right time to say goodbye. If your pet can no longer enjoy the things they once loved, experience more pain than pleasure, or have more bad days than good, it may be time to consider providing your pet with a peaceful passing. Alternatively, if your pet is terminally ill, or critically injured, and the cost of treatment is beyond your means, euthanasia may be a valid option.

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to end of life care, so you should discuss these decisions carefully with your veterinarian. It’s important that you feel informed and supported in making the best decision possible for your pet.

What do you mean by “Quality of Life?”

Quality of life is a term used in the veterinary field to indicate a standard of health, comfort, and happiness of a pet. Pets can’t tell us directly how they feel, so it’s up to us to try and understand how their behaviors are reflecting their overall well-being and whether they are happy, in pain, declining, or experiencing any suffering.

When it’s time to have a quality of life conversation, our veterinarians will ask you questions to determine if there is concern for your pet’s quality of life. Aside from natural functions like appetite, bathroom habits, and ability to move around, your veterinarian will also want to get an understanding of your pet’s social functions and mental health—like desire to be with the family, or interact with other pets and toys. Keeping a quality of life journal can help you gauge your pet’s health and well-being in a more objective way.

Pet Euthanasia Questions

You might be wondering…

The idea of a natural death being peaceful while you sleep is often why owners want this for their pet. Unfortunately, the reality of death is much more complicated than that. A pet’s natural passing is not always peaceful and can lead to a lot of unnecessary stress, pain, and suffering for your pet as their body shuts down.

Euthanasia is the only peaceful, humane way for your pet to die. It provides your pet with a controlled, painless, and dignified end to their suffering.

We will first give you and your pet some together in our Garden Room to say goodbye. When you are ready, we’ll give your pet a sedative to help them relax, and then place an IV catheter through which the euthanasia solution will be given. Whenever you’re ready, we will administer the solution. This is a painless procedure, and your pet will pass away within a few minutes.

Afterwards, take as much time as you need with your pet. Once you’re ready, you can exit discreetly out the side door (take the whole box of tissues with you, if you like!) and feel free to spend additional time reflecting on happy memories with your pet in the Memorial Garden. We will handle all the arrangements for your pet’s body, according to your wishes.

No! Your pet will not be in any pain throughout the process.

Once your pet has passed away, you’ll need to consider your preferences for handing their remains. Some owners prefer to take their pet home for burial in a special place in their yard. Others opt for cremation which can be either individual, or communal. An individual cremation will allow you to receive your pet’s ashes back in a beautiful urn to either keep, or scatter in a meaningful location. You will not receive your pet’s ashes back from a communal cremation, but rest assured they will still be handled with dignity and honor the entire way. All of our cremation services are performed locally by Lynaire Kennels.

If you elect to take your pet’s remains with you for burial at-home, it’s critical that you follow local ordinances and best practices. We will provide a special medical grade, waterproof, ecological bag for your pet to be buried in. Many families choose to write messages on the bag to celebrate their pet’s life, and say goodbye. Your pet must be buried a minimum of 3-feet deep and within 24-hours of their death, away from any water sources, flood plains, power lines, or tree roots. Pets cannot be buried less than 300-feet from any flowing stream or public body of water, and any future property owners will need to be informed of any animals buried on your land.

It’s important that your pet be buried in this bag, and according to the requirements outlined, for the protection of wildlife and natural resources. The drug used in the euthanasia solution stays in the pet’s body tissues after death. Scavengers and other wild animals (including Eagles and other endangered species) can easily dig up your pet’s remains and when they ingest them, they suffer a very slow, and excruciatingly painful, death.

If you do not have a burial location that meets this criteria, we recommend cremation. You may then safely scatter or bury your pet’s ashes anywhere on your property. Pets that have died with contagious disease, should only be cremated for safety.

Memorialization is an important part of the grieving process and we encourage owners to find meaningful ways to honor their pet’s life. Some ideas include creating a memorial garden, or keepsake item or piece of jewelry with their name on it. It can also be as simple as donating to an animal welfare organization in their name. The grieving process is unique to each individual, and so is the preference for remembering a pet that shared a life with you.

In multiple pet households it’s common for the other pets to grieve the loss of one of their family members, whether or not they seemed to be close in life. There may be subtle changes for a time, including decreased appetite and an increase in attention-seeking behaviors. They may also become more vocal. Help them adjust by giving them lots of love and extra attention during this time, or by providing distraction such as a new toy.

Celebrating Life

Like most things in life, veterinary medicine isn’t all puppies and kittens and we experience a lot of sad situations on a daily basis. We share in the death of every pet with their human families, having known and cared for them—often throughout their entire lives—and we mourn right alongside you when it’s time to say goodbye.

To help remember and celebrate the life of every pet that comes to us in their time of greatest need, we honor their memory with heart rocks. Each pet’s name that crosses the rainbow bridge with us is added to a rock and hung in our Memorial Garden. This is done as much for us as it is for the pets we seek to memorialize and is at no cost to the families.

Please remember that these rocks come from Mother Nature herself and we have no control over their individual beauty. Some heart rocks are very small, some heart rocks are very big, but all heart rocks are very, very special.

Heart shaped rocks bound in decorative copper wire against a backdrop of cut flowers

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