Time to Say Goodbye

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How do I know it is time?

As pet owners, we endeavour to make sure that our faithful companions stay fit and healthy, enabling them to live to an old age. Unfortunately, our pets do not live as long as us and at some point, we will have to prepare to let them go. Sadly, few of our pets pass peacefully away in their sleep. Therefore, we all wish to do the right thing at the right time, fulfilling our responsibility and commitment in their final days. We hope these words will help you and your family in a time of conflicting emotions.

Nobody knows their pet better than you and your closest family and friends, so let them help and share in making a reasoned judgement on your pet’s quality of life.

Indications that things are not well may include:

  • Loss of appetite
  • A reluctance to play and move around as normal
  • Restlessness or becoming withdrawn from you

When the time is right to put your pet to sleep, you may see evidence of a combination of  the above indicators and your pet may seem distressed, uncomfortable or disorientated within your home.

Is there nothing more I can do?

As your vet, we will discuss all treatment options available for your pet to help relieve their symptoms, but there will come a time when treatment is no longer working, we have discovered the disease is incurable, or you feel your pet is suffering too much. You and your family may wish to talk with your Veterinary Surgeon to help you make this final decision; in this case, we will arrange an appointment for you.

When and where can we say goodbye?

We hope this section will help you and your family understand your pet’s end-of-life journey. This is known as ‘euthanasia’ but often referred to as ‘putting to sleep’. After discussing with your family and your vet, and having decided that the time has come, you can contact your surgery and make an appointment. We will always try to make this appointment at a time that is convenient for you – usually at a quieter time of the day.
 
It is also possible to arrange this appointment to be performed in the comfort of your own home but this would need to be pre-planned. If this is an option you would like, we will do our best to arrange a home visit. In these cases, a vet and a nurse will visit your home. When they have put your pet to sleep, they will either take the body back to the surgery for cremation or leave them with you to bury at home. Additional charges will apply for this service and certain times of day may be restricted but our reception team can help with this.

In some circumstances, depending on the patient the vet may advise coming to the practice rather than performing the euthanasia at home.

Will I be able to stay with my pet?

Being present when your pet is put to sleep can be both emotional and distressing, but the majority of owners feel that they give comfort to their pet during their last moments, and can make their final goodbyes. But this is not comfortable for everyone; we understand if you do not want to stay in the room with your pet but make your goodbyes before or afterwards. We will always make time for you and your family to do this.

What will happen?

Initially, your vet or another member of our team will ask you to sign a consent form to give us permission to put your pet to sleep. You may have already discussed with your vet what you then wish to do with your pet’s body, but we will confirm this on the consent form.
 
Many owners are surprised by how peaceful euthanasia can be. Euthanasia involves injecting an overdose of anaesthetic into the vein of your pet’s front leg. Usually our vets will insert a catheter into the vein prior to the injection, which is done with a nurse in a quiet environment. If your pet is particularly nervous or uncomfortable the vet may sedate them first.  We will assess and adjust the euthanasia process for each patient to make the procedure as peaceful as possible.
 
After the anaesthetic has been injected, your pet will rapidly lose consciousness, stop breathing and their heart will stop beating. Your vet will check that their heart and confirm that they have passed away. On occasion, your pet’s muscles and limbs may tremble and they may gasp a few times, these are reflex actions only – not signs of life – but may be upsetting. If they occur, they are unavoidable. Your pet’s eyes will remain open and it is normal for them to empty their bowel or bladder as the body shuts down.

Afterwards

What happens next?

There are several options available for your pet. Your Veterinary team can discuss these with you and give you an idea of costs involved.

  • Communal Cremation – Leave your pet with us to be cremated with other pets. With this type of cremation, no ashes will be returned to you. For the majority of our clients, this is the most appropriate form of closure.
  • Individual Cremation – A private cremation for your pet at our nominated crematorium company, Pet Cremation Services (CPC). Your pet’s ashes will then be returned to you in either a sealed casket of your choice or a scatter box, for you and your family to scatter their ashes in a location of your choice. Our team will have several options you can choose from.
  • ‘Taking them home’ – You can also take your pet home for burial, but please bear in mind this may not always be practical.

When will I need to decide?

We would encourage you and your family to discuss these options before your pet is put to sleep, and to let us know. We will keep a note of your wishes with pet’s your notes. However, in some cases the euthanasia may have occurred after an accident or emergency and you will need more time to make this decision. It is possible for us to keep your pet for a short time afterwards, to give you and your family time to reflect before deciding.

Coping with the loss

Everyone deals with grief in different ways. When grieving for a much-loved pet, you or other members of your family may experience a range of emotions from shock, denial, disbelief and, very often, guilt. Should you wish to talk to anyone at your Veterinary surgery, we can offer support and advice.

If, after reading these pages, there are still facts you would like to know, we will be more than happy to help. Please contact us at the surgery.

The following organisations can provide further help and support:

My Family Pet - Helping children understand pet loss
My Family Pet - Saying goodbye to your pet​
The Ralph Site
The Blue Cross

The Blue Cross also offer a bereavement support line if you would like to talk to someone. The number is 0800 0966606. The sites above also offer special books that have been written to help your children understand the loss of their pets.