As standard practice at Rest Your Paws, all of our veterinarians will use a mild medication (sedation) to make sure your beloved pet is as comfortable, calm and relaxed as possible.

Our euthanasia appointments are usually 1 hour, which gives us plenty of time to give the sedative, allow your furry friend to relax, make ink paw prints and personalise the appointment and then give the final medication. The euthanasia drug itself works within just a couple of minutes, and sometimes less in pets that are very ill. We will give you as much time as you need and help you to take mementos such as clippings of fur or paw prints if you choose to. If Rest Your Paws is handling the cremation, we will gently take your pet into our care and arrange transfer to the crematorium.

We would typically like a day’s notice for an appointment to make sure we are available. If it is urgent please get in touch and we will try our best to get to your home on the same day. We are able to support most same day requests (depending on location).

We know how hard it can be to make this decision for your pet, so we try to be very flexible when it comes to booking appointments. We will always do our best to accommodate last-minute decisions, but it is easier if you can give us as much notice as possible. It’s normal to shy away from making a decision, and many caregivers don’t want to ‘set a date’. However, in our experience it helps to plan ahead so that the decision isn’t rushed.

Our Quality of Life consultations can help you to spot the signs that your beloved pet is struggling so that you can make an appointment and prepare the family with as little stress as possible.

This is a very personal decision and every family will have different feelings as to what is right for them. Some parents choose to have their family together in the room for the procedure and others may wait until after the animal has passed before bringing their children in to say goodbye.

Children over the age of 5-6 generally seem to understand the process when explained clearly and honestly and may surprise you with their resiliency and compassion. We find that very young children tend to be more affected by their parent’s emotions rather than the actual euthanasia process itself. Parents know their children better than anyone else, so this decision should be entirely up to the parents alone. If you are really uncertain as to which option is best, we would be happy to discuss this with you. Our Blog on Children & Pet Loss can help with this decision.

The articles found online at the Veterinary Wisdom Resource Centre Kids And Grief help you teach your children how to express grief in emotionally healthy ways

It’s entirely up to you whether you let other pets be present during the euthanasia, or whether you let them say goodbye after your pet has passed. In our experience, most pets benefit from the chance to see their friend has passed peacefully. Remaining pets can grieve for their lost friend, so allowing them to say goodbye can help them understand and come to terms with what has happened. We’ve written a blog about pet grief to answer more questions on this topic.

Euthanasia itself is not painful and doesn’t hurt your pet. The drug that we use for euthanasia is an overdose of an anesthetic medication, so there’s no awareness or pain. The initial sedative is given as a needle under the skin behind the neck. Your pet may have a small reaction to the little poke, especially if they’re needle-shy, but it is no more painful than their annual vaccination. In our experience, dogs and cats don’t usually react and we will always do our best to ensure they’re comfortable the whole time.

The medication that we use for euthanasia is a gentle anaesthetic. We give this medication slowly into a vein, which is then carried around the body by the blood stream. Like all anaesthetics, it stops the brain from sending and receiving signals. Once the brain is no longer conscious – it can’t feel any pain, tell the heart to beat, or remind the lungs to breathe. Within a couple of minutes of the medication, your beloved pet’s breathing will slow down, followed by the heart, which will eventually stop beating. The whole process is very peaceful and ensures that your pet will pass away, in their sleep, without feeling anything at all.

Whilst most caregivers hope their pet will pass peacefully at home, this happens very rarely. In fact, leaving your pet to die naturally often means leaving them feeling ill, stressed, or in pain for a long period before they eventually pass. It’s normal to hope your pet will pass in their sleep at home – it means the burden of making the decision is removed from you. However, the only way to guarantee a stress-free and pain-free for your pet is to opt for humane euthanasia. Whilst it might feel like the hardest decision you’ll ever have to make, it’s important to decide what’s best for your pet – not what’s easiest for you.

For more detail about a ‘natural death’ and why our experienced vets don’t recommend it, please read our blog on the topic.

Choosing in-home euthanasia means your pet will feel relaxed in a familiar environment – able to sleep in their own bed or lay peacefully in the sun. They will be in their ‘happy place’, surrounded by familiar sights and smells, and with their family right until the end. There are no limits on who can attend an at-home euthanasia – the whole family can be present, other pets included, so that you can all say goodbye. Appointments can be personalised and can also be scheduled to suit your situation – the evenings and weekends are often the calmest time, and when most members of the family are able to be present.

You will be able to grieve in the privacy of your own home with family and friends by your pet’s side the entire time.

No, we will make all arrangements on your behalf so you can focus on spending quality time with your beloved pet until the very end.

You may want to consider how you want to spend your pet’s last days, and how you want to remember them. This blog provides some great examples of how other loving pet owners have celebrated the life of their furry companions.

Honouring your pet and celebrating your time together is important. It helps to remember the good times, and keeping mementos or looking through old photos can help you and your family to grieve. Small children in particular may find a memorial celebration helpful when they’re coming to terms with their loss.

There are a huge number of ways in which you can remember your pet. From fur clippings turned into jewellery to paw print artwork, to framing their collar along with a photograph – pet owners all over the world have found excellent ways to celebrate their pet’s life and remember them forever

Losing a pet can be just as difficult as losing any other family member. If you are struggling with losing your beloved companion, we can refer you to a bereavement counsellor experienced in pet loss. In our experience, talking to a licensed therapist can be very helpful when you’re grieving.