7 Questions to Ask Your Best Euthanasia Veterinarian

After having conducted over 1,000 in-home pet euthanasias over the last 25 years, I have become an expert in at home euthanasia.

I have remained committed to constantly handcrafting a better and better at home euthanasia process. After all, the best people in any field remain humble rather than egoistically assuming they are superior to others. I believe my humility is one key reason why I am blessed with having a 5.0 rating on Google reviews. Because I have continually listened to my colleagues and my clients, I have come to realize there are 7 key questions you should ask any in-home euthanasia vet you are considering using.

Remember, after you have made the decision to euthanize your pet, you want to find a veterinarian who is not only technically competent, but also has a personality that will mix well with you and your family members. It is just as important that you find a veterinarian who will make your pet feel as comfortable and loved as possible in their final moments.

After all, if you are choosing to have your pet euthanized at home versus bringing them to the clinic, then you want your pet to feel as if all the people around them are kind and loving. Your at-home euthanasia veterinarian needs to have a calm disposition because animals easily pick up on people who are unfriendly or insensitive.

7 questions to find your best in-home euthanasia veterinarian

1) Are you an independent, locally owned veterinary practice, or part of a nationwide franchise?

Over my 25 years of veterinary practice, I have watched the in home euthanasia service sector change dramatically. Nationwide franchises have become increasingly common. When you use a veterinarian who works for a franchised corporation, you are paying a company which funnels money to a corporation headquarters that is most often located somewhere far away from the community you live in.

In contrast, when you use an independent, locally owned veterinarian, your money is going directly into your local economy. Also, the locally owned independent veterinarian can customize to exactly what you are looking for because they control every aspect of their business. Meanwhile, franchises often have standard practices that are used, and customization can be limited. In the veterinary world, there is no scientific proof that using a franchised corporation offers a higher quality of care. But these corporations do often charge more than what a locally owned in home euthanasia practice charges. Choose carefully, and do your research!

2) How much experience do you have with euthanizing the type of pets that I have?

Different types of pets require different types of approaches to the medical protocol to ensure the euthanasia is done in the most humane and comforting way. Make sure to get clear on how much experience that veterinarian has with successfully and smoothly euthanizing the type of animal that you have. Just because a veterinarian has a lot of experience with euthanizing dogs does not mean they can competently euthanize a pig.

3) Walk me through the process you will use once you arrive at our home

You want to listen carefully to their answer and get a feel for whether they’re more likely to rush the process. You want to find an at-home euthanasia veterinarian who will match the pace you are looking for. I have found that some at-home euthanasia veterinarians tend to rush the process and that does not feel good for the pet owner.

You need to find a veterinarian who will treat this process as a sacred and sensitive duty. Too many times in healthcare people feel like the process is being rushed. I myself have experienced that when I go to see my physicians. Look for a veterinarian who tells you that when they first arrive at your home they will sit down and answer all of your questions. You need a veterinarian who will be sensitive and supportive to your needs.

4) What do you do in order to make sure the experience is customized to our family and pet?

At this most difficult time, you and your pet deserve to be in the most comfortable environment possible. In order to make you and your pet the most comfortable, you need to choose an at-home euthanasia veterinarian who is passionate about tailoring the environment to exactly what you are looking for.

It will be important for you to ask the veterinarian to what degree you can include any music, candles, special blankets, etc. A seasoned and competent at-home euthanasia veterinarian knows that every single pet owner has specific items they consider to be sacred symbols of the relationship between them and their pet. If the housecall veterinarian does not seem to be completely accepting and supportive of your desire to include certain items in the process, move on.

5) If I’m not sure if I want to euthanize my pet, how much will you charge me for a quality of life assessment?

Sometimes when I go to a pet owner’s house they decide time is not right for them to humanely euthanize their pet. There are a variety of reasons for this. But whatever the reason, the at-home euthanasia veterinarian needs to be flexible, understanding and empathic.

My style with clients is to walk them through a quality of life assessment checklist if they are unsure if they should euthanize their pet. That checklist helps them methodically think through this complex decision. Please click here to view my veterinary quality of life checklist.

Because I have practiced for nearly 3 decades as not only an at-home euthanasia veterinarian, but previously as a general practice veterinarian, I have a massive amount of experience in assessing pet quality of life. You need to know that the veterinarian you choose will be as comfortable not doing vs going ahead and doing the euthanasia. Not every veterinarian will exude a spirit of collaboration, and you need to assess this carefully.

6) What kind of aftercare services do you offer?

Given the now common prevalence of at-home euthanasia, the amount of options you have for what you receive back after the euthanasia has grown immensely.

It is important that you ask the veterinarian for a list of all of the options you have. You want to make sure that after your pet has passed on you are able to honor the memory of your pet in the way that you most desire. Click here to go to the various options I offer for the return of ashes if you want to have your pet cremated.

7) How would you distinguish yourself from all of the other at-home euthanasia veterinarians in your area?

This is an all-important question to ask the veterinarian in order to figure out whether they are the best fit for you. It is no longer good enough for an at-home euthanasia veterinarian to say “I have the best customer service”. Ask them why they think that. That is a very generic answer that does not really tell you anything. You are looking for a veterinarian who can give you a list of reasons why they are distinctive from their colleagues.

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"Dear Dr. Miller, Robbie and I want to thank you for all you kind and gentle care of Chessie, even though you didn’t know her. We feel like you were a special angel sent to make this time a little easier. I wish we had known you longer. Thank you again and God Bless you."

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