Feel assured that all of us at Arena Veterinary Hospital understand the special presence a pet brings into you and your family’s life. It is a very difficult decision to “put to sleep” a beloved family pet. Unfortunately most of us who choose to take on the love and joy of owning a companion animal, will inevitably be faced with their pet growing old and coming to the end of their days, and perhaps needing to choose to “put your pet to sleep”.
At Arena Vets, we aim to help you in making this decision, and making the procedure as comfortable for you and your pet as possible. The process of euthanasia involves giving an injection into the bloodstream. The medication given is similar to an anaesthetic drug and so induces a deep sleep but the dose is much higher than we use in anaesthetics and so follows on to stop the heart. It is not a painful process, insertion of the needle or catheter is the only discomfort and most older patients will be used to regular blood testing.
It is completely normal to feel grief when you lose a pet, and we don’t expect you to hide your emotions or feel abnormal for expressing grief. We understand.
Some people like to take their pet home for burial. It is also an option to have your pet cremated. For further information on cremation, please see “Cremation Service” under the Services section.