End of Life Care

Our hearts go out to anyone who is dealing with the difficulties of losing a beloved furry family member. We sympathize with the sensitivity of the subject and make every effort to make the process as easy as possible. 

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The euthanasia process involves a few steps:

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1 - When you arrive at our clinic, we will guide you to a quiet room off of our waiting room. This room has a door that will allow you to leave the clinic without re-entering the waiting room once the process is complete. 

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2 - If an exam is to be performed by a doctor prior to the procedure, a doctor will come in and visit with you about your pet and the reasoning for the decision. Current exams are required by law as a way to ensure that the pet’s best interest is in mind. 

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3 - A technician will come in to begin the process. They will then ask if you have been present for a euthanasia before. If not, we will explain the process to you prior to the actual procedure. 

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4 - At Cadillac Vet, we have decided to make the process go more smoothly by placing an IV catheter. This will stabilize the vein, and allow for easier administration of the medication. We will likely need to shave a very small patch of hair in order to place the IV catheter. Sometimes, we need to temporarily move the patient to an area with better lighting in order to place the IV. Having better lighting gives the best chance at making the IV placement as easy and short as possible. Once the IV catheter is in place, we will ask if you are ready for us to administer the medication. The medication is a very concentrated dose of anesthesia/sedation. Administering it into the vein allows it to move through the body quickly. The medication will cause them to fall asleep first, then they will pass on. Once all signs of life have ceased, we will listen for breath sounds and heartbeat. Once it is determined that they have passed on, we will leave the room and allow you to sit as long as you would like with them. 

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5 - ​Once the process has been explained, we will ask if you have decided what will happen to your pet after the procedure. There are three options: 

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• Aquamation (cremation) - learn more here 

• Home burial 

• Vet clinic disposal 

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We do have the ability to aquamate/cremate on site, if you choose to do so. There are a few different packages when it comes to aquamation/cremation. You can opt for private cremation, semi-private cremation, or communal cremation. Private cremation would mean that your pet would go into the unit alone, which gives some owners peace of mind but is more costly. Semi-private cremation is where several animals are in the unit at one time, however they are separated by barriers and there is no cross-contamination between sections. Communal cremation is an option if you do not want your pet’s ashes back. We will cremate and scatter the ashes for you. If cremation is chosen, we will go over the urn options we have available. If no option is chosen, your pet will be returned to you in a container.

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Many people wait to decide on a final urn until after the initial grieving period is over. 

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We will ask if you would like any paw prints or clay paw prints. 

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6 - We will then confirm whether or not you would like to be in the room with your pet as the medication is administered. Everyone has their own preferences as to what they are comfortable with, and if you prefer to leave the room, we will fully respect that. 

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7 - The last thing we will do before beginning the procedure is take care of any billing, that way once the procedure is done you are free to leave without interacting with anyone else. 

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There are a few warnings that we like to give pet owners prior to the administration of the medication: 

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• The medication is painless, however in our experience we believe it to be possible that it can feel a little tingly, or numb as it travels through the veins. Occasionally a pet will lift their leg that the IV is in and show that they can feel the medication entering the vein. 

• The medication typically takes effect within 1-2 minutes, however on patients with low blood pressure, it can take a few moments longer. Once they have fallen asleep, they are unaware of how long it takes and are not feeling any pain. 

• Some patients express confusion as the medication begins to take effect. It is the same response as patients undergoing routine anesthesia can show and it is called dysphoria. Once in a while a pet will look around, whine, howl, attempt to move, or show other signs of confusion. This does not last long and they are not in pain when this happens. 

• Patients with neurologic symptoms do have a risk of having a seizure as they pass on. This occurs extremely infrequently. It is slightly more common if the medication is given after a normal sedative (which occasionally is necessary for safety reasons if the pet is aggressive). . 

• Pocket animals, such as guinea pigs, rabbits, hamsters, and reptiles will have a different euthanasia process. If you are making this difficult decision for one of these types of small animals, please call us so we can discuss that process with you.