Your loved one is in
good hands with us

Home Euthanasia services includes:
  • Gentle sedation to ease any pain or discomfort and ensure your pet is calm and relaxed
  • A caring Veterinarian dedicated to and trained in Best Practice Euthanasia and CAETA certified
  • A dedicated Care Team to make all arrangements and help you navigate this difficult time: from pre-euthanasia planning, your pet’s quality of life and timing for the home visit, to whether kids or other pets should be present and your options for aftercare, cremation and pet loss support
  • Peaceful Euthanasia at Home
  • Ink paw print keepsakes & lock of fur in a beautiful little glass vial

The cost of this service is $495 for cats and dogs

Travel/toll charges may apply for some locations. This excludes the cost for aftercare & cremation, please see below for more information.

Aftercare & Cremation Options

There is no right or wrong option, it is a personal decision and we will help you decide what is right for you, your family and beloved pet:

Private Cremation

  • Gentle transfer for cremation
  • Respectful Individual Cremation
  • Your pet’s ashes hand delivered home in a personalised memorial keepsake of your choice
  • Pet loss support and grief counselling for you and your family
  • From $385

Community Cremation

  • Gentle transfer for cremation
  • Respectful community cremation with other loved pets and no ashes returned
  • The cost of this service is $275

Animal Donation Program

  • Gentle transfer to a Veterinary Teaching Hospital in Sydney or Melbourne
  • Additional charges may apply if the University is not available and our team respectfully transfers your pet into their care.
  • More information about the Animal Donation Program can be found on their website.

Home Burial or Pet Cemetery

  • If you wish to bury your pet at home, please check with your local council to ensure you understand the regulations and legality.
  • There is also the option to have your pet buried at a pet cemetery.

How does it work?

1
Get in Touch

Our dedicated Care Team will provide advice and help you decide on the best next step.

2
In-Home Euthanasia

We will make all the arrangements on your behalf and can help plan all aspects of your appointment – from the timing of your visit, to whether kids should be present, to how to help other pets cope with the loss of their companion.

3
Aftercare & Cremation

We can make all aftercare & cremation arrangements on your behalf, so you can spend quality time with your loved one until the very end.

4
Pet Loss Support & Grief Counselling

If needed, we can also arrange pet loss support counselling for adults and children to ensure your family is fully supported both before and after the passing of your best friend.

Ready to book an Appointment?

Testimonials

Google Rating

5.0

Based on 250+ reviews
Kristl, Sydney

I just wanted to say a massive thank you to you for assisting us with our beautiful boy’s passing yesterday, I honestly don't know how we would ever have got through it without your support and love. You have no idea how much you all made an unbearably painful day bearable, and we will be forever grateful. I couldn't have asked for a more peaceful calm passing for our sweetheart.

Junia, Sydney

We loved the thoughtfulness of all of the little sensitive touches, the candle, the paw print, a little vial of fur, the lovely nest that Wanda was taken away in, all comfy and snuggly. Us all sitting on the floor with Wanda in my lap, talking about our animals and sharing stories. All of these touches made this experience something more of a rite of passage – and none of these things were lost on myself and I am sure my spirited cat knew and could pass in peace.

Tian, Sydney

This was our first euthanasia experience. We’ve always supported pain-free passing, but actually witnessing how peaceful it was for Tom has strengthened our belief that everyone should be offered the opportunity to have a dignified & gentle passing surrounded by their loved ones. We can’t recommend RYPs enough for those that want to give their pets a “good” death.

Amy, Sydney

They made one of the hardest days of my life, as I said goodbye to my best friend, a perfect end to a beautiful life. I am eternally grateful. A million thanks.

How Will I Know When ‘It’s Time?
Should I Choose In-Home Euthanasia For My Pet?
What Happens at the Appointment?

Featured Blogs

Please visit our resources page to find a huge amount of helpful information. You'll find pain scoring tools, quality of life assessments and many senior pet resources.

blog
By Courtney Prue | June 28, 2022

‘Natural Death’ or In-Home Euthanasia For Pets?

By Courtney Prue | July 27, 2022

What Happens at a Euthanasia Appointment?

By Courtney Prue | June 18, 2022

Benefits of In-Home Pet Euthanasia

Euthanasia FAQs

What happens at the appointment?

At your scheduled visit, the veterinarian will listen to your concerns and explain the process in as much, or little, detail as you would like. We will help you to prepare a space where your pet is most comfortable, whether that means in their bed, lying in the sun outside, on their favourite couch, or in your arms.

Once your pet has settled in their favourite place, a gentle sedation will be given which will relax them and reduce any discomfort they may be feeling. Only once you (your family) and your beloved pet are ready will we give a second medication that will allow your pet to pass peacefully within a few minutes.

You may spend as much time with your pet as needed to say your final goodbyes. We can also make ink paw prints, collect locks of fur or personalise the appointment as you wish. If Rest Your Paws is handling the cremation, we will then gently transfer your pet into our care.
If you feel it may be time, or have already made the decision that euthanasia is the kindest option, please call us to discuss the next step

Learn More
Do we use sedation?

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

How long does it take?

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.

How far in advance do I need to make an appointment?

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.

Should my children be present?

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

Should other pets be present?

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.

Learn More
Will the euthanasia procedure hurt?

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.

How does the euthanasia drug work

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.

Is a “natural death” a better option?

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 experience for your pet is to opt for humane euthanasia for your dog or cat. 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.

Learn More
Is an in-home euthanasia the best option for my pet and family?

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.

Do I need to make any arrangements or prepare anything before the appointment?

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.

What are some ways I can honour my pet?

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

Learn More
How else can I cope with the loss of my pet?

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.

Learn More

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