When you call, I will listen to your concerns and discuss options relating to your pet’s failing health. If euthanasia seems like the most humane decision, I will go over what you can expect during a visit from me. We will discuss the costs and options for your pet’s remains.
Before I arrive, please feel free to make a comfortable and quiet place for your pet’s final resting place, whether it is on the floor, outside on the grass, on the couch, or on your lap. Perhaps play some soft music, burn a candle, make a nest – prepare for a sad but special time to share with your companion. Please turn off the television – it is very distracting.
When I arrive, we should deal with the paperwork and payment before the sedation and euthanasia which allows for a quiet and peaceful time dedicated to your pet. A form must be signed that states that your pet has not bitten anyone within ten (10) days, and that you are the person responsible for making decisions for the pet. You will also need to decide on the method of handling your pet’s remains. These options are burial (at home or at a pet cemetery) or cremation, which I handle – either communal or individual cremation.
When everyone is ready to proceed, I will give an injection under the skin that acts as both a pain medicine and sedative. (I change the protocol slightly in toy dogs and cats but essentially they also are sedated first before the IV is given.) This injection is given with a tiny needle and only infrequently causes minor discomfort – offering some special “people” food (like bacon or other meat that they rarely get) during the injection is a great distraction in dogs. The sedative will cause the pet to become heavily sedated and unaware, usually within five to fifteen minutes, allowing me to inject a potent barbiturate anesthetic called pentobarbital directly into a vein that I have shaved over. (I always place a pee-pad under the pet once they are sedated in case of bowel or bladder leakage.) The pentobarbital is painless, fast acting and very humane. Occasionally a pet may stretch or increase its breathing rate or take a deep breath immediately during or after the intravenous injection, but this is a response of the brainstem to the drug, not a sign of awareness or pain. I will check for heart activity and brain response before I pronounce death. After death, pets may release their bowels or bladder, some have tiny muscle tremors (post-mortem muscle fasciculations) and, surprisingly for most people, their eyes will not stay closed.
You may have time to spend with your beloved pet if you like. Afterwards, I will clip some fur for you to keep and make a clay paw print. Unless home burial is desired, when everyone is ready, I will remove the body to my vehicle, wrapped in a towel or blanket in a basket or on a stretcher. In the case of a larger pet, my husband Philip often travels with me to assist in transportation. Occasionally, if he is unavailable or if the pet weighs more than 70#’s, I may need some assistance from an owner or perhaps a friend or neighbor. Your pet will be taken for cremation to Abbey Glen Pet Crematorium in Quakertown. In the case of an individual cremation, the ashes and paw print will be returned to your home, usually within 14-25 days, either by me or occasionally my husband. If you are interested a burial in a pet cemetery, please contact Jim Yezek at Keystone Pet Cemetery in Mertztown at 610-587-9348.
Before we make the appointment for a visit, I will need your pet’s name, spelled as you would like it to appear on the nameplate and paw print, approximate weight, breed, age and sex of pet, description of color/coat, complete address, and phone number of the responsible owner, and information about your regular veterinarian (if you have one) so that I can inform them of the death of your pet. If at all possible, it would be best if you could email me the above information under CONTACT or text it to me.
MEMORIAL PRODUCTS:
If you elect to have your pet’s ashes returned to you, they are packaged in a wooden box with a nameplate from the Abbey Glen. For additional options, Abbey Glen now offers a variety of memorial products. Also if you prefer a different urn other the standard wooden one provided, search their site at https://www.abbeyglen.com for a variety of urns or other memorial products or call them at 215-538-9238.
Amazon also sells jewelry that can hold ashes and I will transfer the ashes to the jewelry for you at no extra charge. .
