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Pet End of Life Care

When working with you and your loved one, we recognize that there are health problems that cannot be cured. These conditions may prompt you to look at their final care and quality of life. We want to consider all aspects of your pet’s comfort. The following pyramid is an example of things that we consider:

At Dells Veterinary Services, our role is to answer questions you might have about your pet’s condition and how it will advance. We’re here to help you plan for their care including taking care of their physical, social, emotional, and end-of-life needs. We do this by respecting what you are seeing at home with your pet (we have a chart that families find useful to help track their pet’s condition). We also want to work with you to develop a plan so we reach the ultimate goal where your pet is free from pain and anxiety, no matter what path you choose.

We encourage everyone to ask questions along the way, and we realize that this often takes multiple visits and conversations to see how care is going at home.

t is natural that you will have questions about how euthanization is performed, especially if you haven’t done it before. We strive to make this process as peaceful for you and your pet as possible. From the moment you call in with your decision, we accommodate same-day services in a private room away from the bustle of the rest of the clinic. We cover your questions about aftercare and any finances in the private room. The medical team works to provide the right amount of sedation for your pet through an injection in the neck. This allows you to be there with your pet, snuggled in blankets through the whole procedure. The euthanization itself is performed through an injection in the vein. Between the calm, private atmosphere, the light sedation, and the comfort of the family, our goal is to help them pass away peacefully and with dignity.

Afterward, we want you to have time to grieve with your pet and share memories. We also respect wishes as to the pet’s final resting place after death. In all of our services, we include a lasting clay paw print, and “angel bags” for home burial if the client wants these. In addition to these services, we work with Forever Friends out of Tea, SD to provide cremation or burial services if the family wants this option. Forever Friends will come to our clinic and pick up your pet so you don’t have to worry about transportation. Visit their website here to see all of the beautiful options available.