Saying goodbye to your beloved pet is a tough decision, but it is also an opportunity to give your family member a dignified end. We will help you when the time comes to make the farewell as peaceful and stress-free as possible for both your pet and yourself.
You decide for yourself how your last moment together will be. Do you want to gather the whole family, light candles or play a song? There is no right or wrong. It is good to walk the dog beforehand so that it does not feel like it needs it. If you have a cat, it is good if it does not eat a large meal in the few hours before as they may feel a little sick from the sedative injection.
We will start by sitting down together for a while to go over any questions, concerns and/or wishes. You will fill out a consent form for your four-legged friend to be put to sleep and complete the payment so that we can then focus on what is to come.
The vet gives an injection of sedative, usually in the nape of the neck, which makes the animal sleep after about ten minutes as if it were about to undergo surgery. They are then completely unaware of their surroundings and do not feel when we then make an incision, which is most commonly made in one of the front legs. Everything is completely painless and we check that the animal is well sedated before we proceed. It is also good to know that not all animals close their eyes when they are sedated or when they have fallen asleep.
We make sure that the access is in place properly with a saline solution and then we give a larger amount of anesthetic into the access, which causes the heart to stop after a minute or so. Older and sick animals can have very constricted vessels when using this sedative injection, and we may need to give the last injection into the heart if it is not possible to get an access into the leg. After falling asleep, so-called “agonal sighs” may occur, which are deep, semi-rapid sighs – these are reflexes in the respiratory center in the brain that “discharge”, so to speak. The veterinarian uses a stethoscope to hear that the heart has stopped. You will now have the opportunity to sit with your friend for a little while afterwards.
When you have said your final goodbye, we will place the body in a coffin, and here you can place the animal's own favorite blanket or toy if you wish. If you wish to have it cremated, we will take care of the aftercare, which means we will take care of the body.
There are both communal cremations where the animal is cremated with other animals and then spread out in a memorial garden and separate cremations where you receive the ashes back in an urn. We will contact you when the urn is available for collection. It usually takes between 2-4 weeks to receive the urn back after the euthanasia. If you wish to keep the body, please check whether permission is required from the municipality where you wish to bury the body.
If you are unsure whether it is time, you are welcome to book a consultation with one of our veterinarians first.
