What to Do With Your Dog Before Euthanasia: A Calm Guide for South Bay Families

What should you do with your dog before euthanasia?

Before euthanasia, the most useful things you can do for your dog are simple: keep your dog comfortable, spend unhurried time together, offer the small pleasures your dog can still enjoy, and settle the practical choices ahead of time. None of it needs to be grand. A quiet afternoon on a favorite bed counts. Planning early means the day of the visit can be about your dog, not logistics.

Here is what to do with your dog before euthanasia, in the order it tends to help:

1. Ask Dr. DiGenova or your own veterinarian how to keep your dog comfortable, including pain relief and food.
2. Spend time doing what your dog still enjoys, at a pace your dog can manage.
3. Invite the people your dog loves to visit or call, so nobody misses the chance to say goodbye.
4. Take photos or a short video, and think about a paw print or nose print.
5. Choose aftercare and keepsakes before the day, so there is nothing to decide in the moment.
6. Pick the spot at home where your dog is most at ease.

For the bigger picture, including how to know when it's time, read our complete guide to in-home pet euthanasia in the South Bay.

If your dog is in crisis, go to an emergency hospital first

If your pet is struggling to breathe, having a seizure that won't stop, bleeding heavily, or in pain you can't bring under control, go to the nearest 24-hour emergency veterinary hospital now rather than waiting for a home visit. Edencrest Veterinary Care provides in-home end-of-life care, not emergency treatment, and even a same-day home visit can't match an emergency hospital's speed.

When your dog is declining but settled, same-day appointments are often possible. Call or text (209) 561-5180 if you don't see availability online.

Dr. DiGenova visits homes in Torrance, Redondo Beach, Manhattan Beach, Palos Verdes, Long Beach, Santa Monica and nearby communities inside the mapped service area. Online booking confirms your address and shows any travel fee before you pay, and you can see every area we serve, city by city.

If you aren't sure it's time yet, you don't have to decide alone. A quality-of-life consult with Dr. DiGenova, by virtual call or in your home, is priced starting from $275. Many families leave the consult with a pain-management or comfort plan, not an appointment.

How can you make your dog's last days good ones?

Good last days for a dog are built from what that dog can still do. The 2016 AAHA/IAAHPC End-of-Life Care Guidelines recommend involving a pet in family activities as far as the illness allows, along with regular contact, comfortable bedding and a peaceful space.¹ For a dog who can still walk, that might be a slow visit to a favorite place. For a dog who can't, it might be sun through a window and someone close by.

A last special meal is a common wish, and a reasonable one to ask about. Some foods do real harm: the ASPCA's Animal Poison Control Center warns that chocolate can cause vomiting, diarrhea, tremors and seizures in pets, and that fatty foods can cause vomiting, diarrhea and sometimes pancreatitis.² Because your dog is ill, ask Dr. DiGenova or your own veterinarian which treats are safe.

If your dog has lost interest in food, you haven't failed your dog. The AAHA/IAAHPC guidelines note that eating and drinking less is a normal part of the end of life.¹

Which decisions should you make before the day of euthanasia?

The decisions worth making before an in-home euthanasia visit are aftercare, keepsakes, who will be there, and where in your home it happens. Deciding these calmly, days or hours ahead, leaves the visit itself free for your dog. The 2016 AAHA/IAAHPC guidelines also advise arranging transport and aftercare in advance.¹ With Edencrest, payment is taken in full at booking, so there is nothing to settle during the visit.

• Aftercare. Aquamation is a gentle, water-based alternative to flame cremation. Individual aquamation, starting from $410, returns the ashes in a wooden urn. Group (communal) aquamation, starting from $160, scatters the ashes respectfully, and they are not returned. That choice can't be changed once the process has begun. You can also arrange aftercare yourself.
• Keepsakes. A clay paw print is $70, and an ink paw print or ink nose print is $40 each. Prints depend on the condition of the paw or nose; in rare cases one can't be taken, and that item is then refunded.
• Who will be there. Children and other family members are welcome, and who is present is your family's choice.
• Other pets. Other animals stay in a separate room during the procedure. Afterward, letting them see and sniff their companion helps some pets understand, though it can make others more anxious.
• Where. The AAHA/IAAHPC guidelines describe gathering wherever your pet and family are most comfortable, such as a bedroom, the living room floor, or a suitable spot outdoors.¹
• A recent bite or scratch. If your dog has bitten or scratched anyone in the previous 15 days, tell Edencrest before the visit, because the law may require observation or testing.

You can compare aquamation options and prices before you book.

What should you do with your dog on the day of euthanasia?

On the day of an in-home euthanasia visit, keep things quiet and familiar for your dog. Follow your dog's usual routine where you can, give the people who love your dog their time, and set up the spot you chose. Ask Dr. DiGenova ahead of time about food and any regular medications on the day, because the right answer depends on your dog's illness.

1. Keep the morning calm. Skip visitors your dog doesn't know, and silence phones and the doorbell if you can.
2. Make the spot comfortable. Lay down your dog's own bed or a soft blanket, with a washable towel underneath. Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine notes that after a pet has passed, the muscles relax completely and the bladder and bowels often release, which is normal and expected.³
3. Say what you want to say. Some people talk, read aloud or play music; others sit in silence. All of it is fine.
4. Take the photos you want, including the paws, the ears, the details you'll miss.
5. Let other pets say hello, then settle them in another room before the visit begins.
6. When Dr. DiGenova arrives, she explains each step at whatever level of detail you're comfortable with. You can ask her to stop and talk at any point before the final medication is given.

Our step-by-step guide to what happens during in-home euthanasia walks through the visit itself, including what you might see.

What if your dog passes away before the euthanasia appointment?

If your dog passes away at home before an Edencrest appointment, the visit is refunded in full, with no fee and no deadline, and aftercare can usually still go ahead if you want it. A dog passing away before the visit doesn't mean anyone waited too long. Call or text Edencrest at (209) 561-5180 to talk through what comes next.

If your dog has a better stretch than expected, rescheduling is free, with no limit. Cancelling for any other reason at least four hours ahead is refunded less a $100 cancellation fee. The details are in the refund and cancellation policy.

Do you have to be in the room with your dog?

You don't have to be in the room for your dog's euthanasia. Staying or stepping out is a personal choice, and both choices come from love. The 2016 AAHA/IAAHPC End-of-Life Care Guidelines say a family's preference should be respected, and no one should be made to feel guilty for choosing not to be present or not to hold their pet.¹

Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine also calls the decision to stay a very personal one, and notes that people who step out may wish to see their pet's body afterward.³

Some people stay for the sedative, while their dog drifts into a deep sleep in their arms, and step out before the final medication. Some stay throughout. Some say goodbye earlier in the day. Dr. DiGenova can talk it through with you beforehand.

How do you cope with grief before your dog's euthanasia?

Grief often starts before a dog passes away, in the days of waiting and planning, and it is a normal response to losing a companion. The 2016 AAHA/IAAHPC End-of-Life Care Guidelines note that grief after a pet's passing is often as intense as grief after losing a family member or friend.¹ Doubt and second-guessing are common too, and they don't mean you chose wrongly.

Talking helps. The Cornell University Pet Loss Support Hotline, staffed by veterinary students trained by grief counselors, is at 607-218-7457. Its hours vary by season, so call for current times.⁴

If grief ever feels like more than you can carry, or you have thoughts of harming yourself, you can call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.⁵

Frequently asked questions