Yes. Winchelsea Veterinary Services works collaboratively with our veterinary colleagues to help transition pets from hospital-based to at-home care, and with established clients when their animals are in need of palliative care services.

We provide at-home consultation, diagnostic blood work, radiology and ultrasound imaging to help guide the management of end-stage illness, pain and aging.

The goal of palliative care is to support the patient and their owners from the time that euthanasia is first brought up as a treatment option, to the actual euthanasia appointment. Having a veterinarian assess your pet in advance gives WVS time to learn about the family’s philosophy on death and dying, to understand changes in your pet’s health over time, and to establish trust between the client and veterinary team.

WVS understands that it is not always possible to do pre-assessment consultations, and in many cases the first time we see an animal also coincides with the euthanasia appointment.

Please use our online forms (Book an Appointment) or call the clinic at 250-667-5534. A team member will talk to you about our availability and capacity, and provide alternatives to our services if it is appropriate to do so.

Every euthanasia appointment starts with an exam and consultation. For referrals, it can be helpful to have medical records from your regular veterinarian. This time is used to establish trust, understand the family’s needs, assess the pet’s health condition, and ensure that this is the right decision at this time.

WVS does have a consent form that you will be asked to sign, as this gives written permission for the attending veterinarian to proceed with sedation and euthanasia. Payment for service is usually collected at this time as well.

A sedation is given as an intramuscular injection. It usually takes 10 minutes for animals to become relaxed and sleepy.

Once your pet is relaxed, the final medication is given as an intravenous injection. Your pet will enter a very deep state of unconsciousness before passing away. This step tends to be very quick, and is painless.

Where cremation services are requested, families will be given some time to say their final goodbye’s before WVS staff takes the pet away.

Some animals might feel a slight pinching sensation when the intra-muscular sedation or intravenous euthanasia medications are given. Cats and small dogs, and animals that are needle shy, might be more reactive to these needles and may require firm restraint or a pre-sedation with oral medications. Please be sure to mention this to your veterinarian when the appointment is booked.

The goal of sedation for any animal is for them to be relaxed and sleepy. Reactions to any medication can vary from one animal to another, and responses cannot always be predicted with certainty.

Euthanasia means “good death”. The medications your veterinarian uses works to bring an animal into an unconscious state from which they do not wake up. The medications act quickly.

In some cases, additional medication may be required to ensure a peaceful passing. This can occur due to individual medical factors, and the veterinarian will manage this carefully throughout the appointment.

I have found that most animal’s eyes remain open after they pass away. You may see the pupils dilate (become very wide) and unresponsive.

Your veterinarian may gently check for reflexes as part of confirming death.

Every animal and situation is different. While most pets pass peacefully and quickly, for some animals pet owners might see physical changes that they find unexpected. For example,

• There may be a brief change in breathing pattern before breathing stops;
• Eyes tend to stay open, and pupils will become dilated and unresponsive;
• Small muscle movements or tremors can occur after an animal has passed away;
• There may be a release of urine and feces after death.

In animals with advanced heart or lung disease, a small amount of fluid may be seen at the mouth or nose. In larger animals such as horses, residual diaphragm movement may occur and can resemble deep breathing, even though the animal has already passed.

Your veterinarian will remain with you and your pet throughout this process.

This is a common question. The experience of WVS has been that it is beneficial for other household pets to be present, and this is one of the benefits of at-home euthanasia. Some of the most memorable and beautiful euthanasia’s have occurred while the other cats and dogs quietly milled about. However, this isn’t always the case! Overly energetic and rambunctious animals may need to be moved into a separate space for the sedation and euthanasia procedures, and then let them into the room afterwards.

Horses and farm animals, especially those that were closely bonded, do seem to benefit from having an opportunity to ‘say goodbye’.

Responses of surviving animals can range from indifference, to mild interest, to sniffing or pawing at the deceased animal.

Everyone’s philosophy on death and dying is different. Opinions and acceptance of pet euthanasia is often informed by religious and spiritual beliefs, past experiences good and bad, strength of attachment to the pet, and the reasons behind a euthanasia appointment (e.g. euthanasia for convenience or behavioural problems tend to be more difficult to accept than when an animal is in visible distress or pain).

Such decisions should be made through consultation and consensus. There are quality of life assessments online that you can refer to to help decide if your pet is ready; your veterinarian will also guide you through such an assessment to help you process this decision.

When it is clear that the family is not entirely in agreement, and it seems reasonable to expect that your pet still has more time yet, consultations with your veterinarian will shift to palliative care management.

However, on occasion euthanasia decisions need to be made in the best interest of your pet (e.g. if he or she is in severe distress), even if you or someone you love is not quite ready.

There are grief counsellors who can help process the loss of a beloved pet.

Younger children, or children who may not yet feel ready to process death, may benefit from saying goodbye before the euthanasia appointment begins, and then being cared for in a different room or location while the appointment is completed. Others may wish to be present throughout. This is a deeply personal decision, and parents are best placed to decide what feels right for their children.

Many families find it helpful to give children an opportunity to remember and grieve their pet in a way that feels meaningful to them. You could encourage them to write a letter/poem to their pet, make a paw print, collect fur for use in jewellery, say a prayer to or tell their favourite stories of their pet, make a photo collage/album, or create a video memorial. There are so many ways to remember our beloved pets!

You may find it beneficial to watch this stop-motion video with your children.

Yes. Winchelsea Veterinary Services works closely with Honor Your Pets Aftercare Service for respectful and timely cremation. For more information about Honor Your Pets Aftercare Service, or to see their memorial products and services, please visit their website (https://www.honoryourpet.ca/)

Group cremation is selected when clients do not want or need cremains returned to them.

Private cremation is selected when clients wish to have cremains returned. Cremains can come back in a scatter box (typically at no additional fees above that of cremation) or an urn. Barring holidays and weekends, it typically takes up to 1 week for cremains to be available for pick-up from your veterinarian.

Honor Your Pets Aftercare offers paw prints, nose prints and jewellery options. Private viewings can also be arranged with advance notice.

Please check the bylaws of your municipality.

The medications given to your pet at a euthanasia appointment can be toxic to scavengers for up to 6 months. It is important to bury animals deep enough (e.g. up to 6 feet) that scavengers cannot dig them back up. If you need some time to prepare a grave site, please wrap your pet in a cotton blanket or place them into a wood/cardboard box and leave them in a cool and protected location. Horses and larger animals may need to be covered with weighted tarps overnight (e.g. in the event of an evening emergency euthanasia).

The decomposition of deceased animals may foul drinking water with infectious bacteria, malodor and bad taste. Any burial should be done 60 meters from surface and ground water, and 150 meters from wells and potable water.

If you wish to use a shroud or coffin, please use natural products that easily decompose (cotton, wood, cardboard). Avoid materials made of plastic and plastic by-products.

In some instances, you may need to arrange for burial off-property. Mid-Island Towing (https://www.midislandtowing.com/) will help livestock and horse owners move large animals from rural properties to the Nanaimo Regional Landfill, where a deep burial in a lime-lined grave in a location designated for animals can take place.

Some animals can be transported to the Animal Health Laboratory in Abbotsford for necropsy and disease investigation services.

Clients that wish to pursue composting and taxidermy services are encouraged to notify your veterinarian, as these options may impact the choice of medications administered at a euthanasia appointment.

Cremation services are generally OK for animals weighing up to 200 lbs (90 kg). There is no cremation service currently available on Vancouver Island for animals (i.e. livestock) that are larger than this.

Honor Your Pets Aftercare Services has good information on grief and loss support. You can link to their website here: https://www.honoryourpet.ca/grief-and-loss-support/