End Of Life Care - Arcata Animal Hospital

When It's Time To Say Goodbye

Compassionate and dignified end of life care.

Compassionate End-of-Life Care for Pets

At Arcata Animal Hospital, we know how hard it can be to say good-bye to a pet, we understand they are beloved members of our family. With age and illness comes a time when we begin to think about letting go. In many cases, it is very difficult to determine when it is the right time to say goodbye.

We want to help you through the toughest time you’ll ever experience as a pet owner. We’ve dedicated ourselves to providing high-quality care to pets throughout every phase of their lives, including this final one. The information in these pages along with consultation with our veterinarians can help you navigate your way through this final phase of their journey

How Do I Know When it is Time?

This can be a very difficult question to answer. It is very important to realize that there is no right or wrong answer. In the absence of obvious extreme pain or suffering, there is not a specific, concrete time that can be identified as the right time. That is OK. If we can remove the pressure of feeling like we have to have a concrete answer, it will make it easier to look at the entire picture of our pets’ quality of life in a more objective way.

We can help you with a variety of tools and resources to navigate your way through this decision. There are subjective exercises you can do to help with this decision and there are objective Quality of Life questionnaires you can use to help with this decision.

Tools & Resources

In addition to the subjective exercises and questionnaires we are providing here, we also have a list of online resources you can explore to help you through the decision making process as well as to provide emotional support before, during and after this process.

Quality of Life Scales

The following are more objective quality of life questionnaires and scales that can be filled out and evaluated. It is often helpful to repeat the process of going through the questionnaires periodically as things progress. If possible, we recommend family members fill them out separately, then discuss their results together. You can also fill them out at home and then bring them with you to discuss with us at a Quality of Life Assessment appointment.

Subjective Exercises to Evaluate Quality of Life

These are highly personal exercises that may not be suitable for everyone.

Exercise 1
Sometimes we need to consider a difficult decision like euthanasia in another way, by listening to our inner voice. This is typically a time of intense emotions, we may feel guilty for letting go too soon or we may feel guilty for feeling like we are holding on too long and prolonging suffering. Both are very normal feelings to have. It is important to let go of this judgment, forgive yourself and give yourself some space to be in the moment. We can accept our humanity and realize there is no right or wrong decision at this point. We can be humble, honest, recognize our motivation is based on the deep love we feel for our pet, then look deep in our heart for the answer.

So, setting aside any feelings of guilt for the moment, suspend any judgmental thoughts. Close your eyes and focus on your breathing, let go of any tension in your head, shoulders, arms, legs and finally your feet. Once you are deep in a calm place, imagine you have followed through with the decision to euthanize. Pause and observe what you are feeling. What did your body and heart tell you?

Exercise 2
If you can, find a quiet place to sit with your pet. Touching your pet, close your eyes and think back to how your pet was 6 months or a year prior to this time, when they were feeling well. Imagine them doing the things that brought them enjoyment. Think about how they were interacting with you – what did you do together? How did that feel? What is the best memory you have of your time together? Once you are in this happy place, hold on to those thoughts and feelings for a few minutes. Then, after a few minutes, open your eyes and look at your pet, feel their body under your hands. What does your heart tell you at this point? Sometimes at this point, we can also look into their eyes and ask them for an answer.

Palliative Care Tips for Maximizing Comfort When It's Not Time to Let Go

Meet with one of our veterinarians to make sure we are addressing comfort measures and pain in all possible ways. There are a variety of medications and combinations of medications along with other palliative non-medication options (acupuncture, laser therapy) that can be used to address pain and discomfort.
Help ‘Em Up Harness
Ramps instead of stairs.
Fans are often helpful to alleviate anxiety in dogs or calm breathing.
Cooling Mats
Heating Mats
Massage Therapy – We can provide guidance here.
For diarrhea, we can prescribe a variety of supplements and medications to manage diarrhea.
For constipation, try adding canned pumpkin to their diet, 1tsp per meal for a small dog or cat, 1 tablespoon per meal for a medium sized dog, 2-3 tablespoons per meal for large or giant breed dogs.
Wrap long toenails with cloth tape to help reduce slippage on floors.
Yoga mat rolls can be purchased on Amazon and strategically placed around the house to prevent slipping on wood or laminate floors.
Heated bed – cats LOVE this
Try feeding on paper plates – sometimes pets are more willing to eat on paper plates vs from bowls.
Keep food, water, litter pans within easy reach.
Ham flavored baby food and Haagen Daaz vanilla ice cream (slightly melted) may tempt some cats to eat.
Raise food and water bowls for dogs with neck, shoulder or back pain.

Future Planning For Your Pets

2nd Chance 4 Pets

Pet Loss and Bereavement Links

Argus Institute Counseling and Support Services
Association for Pet Loss and Bereavement
The Pet Loss Center
Pet Loss
Pet Loss Help
Lap of Love
UC Davis Pet Loss Resources
House Rabbit Society – Pet Rabbit Loss Support Group (FREE)

Twice a month; days and times vary
Krystal Koop, MSW, ACSW
Register online at center.houserabbit.org/services/classes

1-800-273-TALK

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, like life is too much, and/or have thoughts of harming yourself, please call this hotline

Allow yourself tears of grief because it is over, then a smile of joy because it happened.

What to Expect When it is Time to Let Go

Our team of animal care professionals is here to guide you through the process of pet euthanasia with sympathy and understanding. It’s likely that you’ll have a lot of questions as you prepare for the final phase in your pet’s life. We’ll take the time to listen to you, address your concerns, and walk you through the procedure step-by-step so you know what to expect. Or, if you prefer fewer details, we can honor that request as well.

We’ll do all we can to make the experience as stress-free as possible for your pet, you and your family.

We can provide euthanasia services in the hospital, in our gazebo that is outside of the hospital next to a peaceful waterfall or outside on a grassy area next to the hospital. Home euthanasia may also be an option depending upon the availability of our doctor that performs this service.

After-Care Options

After your pet passes, we can help with the after care of their remains. You can choose communal cremation with other pets or individual cremation. We work closely with Eureka Pet Cremation Services to provide respectful, honorable aftercare.

Many of our clients find comfort in having a physical reminder of their beloved pet. We provide clay imprints of their paws as well as ink paw prints lovingly prepared by our caring team.