How to prepare your dog for euthanasia: the last day

To prepare your dog for euthanasia, settle the practical decisions a few days ahead, ask your vet whether a calming medicine given at home beforehand would help, and keep the last day quiet, comfortable and built around the things your dog still enjoys. Most dogs can have a favorite meal if the vet agrees. The procedure itself is always carried out by a veterinarian, at the clinic or in your home.

This guide is about the last day and the days leading up to it. For the appointment itself, see what happens during pet euthanasia, step by step. If you are still deciding whether it is time, start with how to know when it is time to say goodbye.

How to prepare for dog euthanasia: the days before

Getting these out of the way early leaves the last day for your dog.

• Where and when. At the clinic or at home with a vet who makes house calls. Ask for a quiet time of day. Home visits usually need to be booked ahead.
• Aftercare. Choose between communal cremation, private cremation and burial before the day. See pet cremation costs and options.
• Medicines. Ask which of your dog's regular medicines to keep giving. Pain medicine normally continues to the end unless the vet says otherwise.
• Sedation and food. Ask the two questions covered below.

Sedating a dog before euthanasia: what to ask

People mean two different things by this, and both are worth raising when you book.

Calming medicine given at home beforehand

Some dogs panic at the clinic, are wary of strangers, or hurt when they are lifted or moved. For these dogs a vet can prescribe medicine to give by mouth before the car trip or the home visit, so that your dog is already drowsy and less afraid when the vet arrives.

Ask several days ahead. The vet has to choose something that suits your dog's age, kidneys, liver, heart and current medicines, and some vets suggest a trial run on an earlier day to see how your dog responds. The drug, the amount and the timing are the vet's to set. If your dog may snap when in pain, say so.

Use only what the vet prescribes for this dog. Do not give human sleeping tablets, sedatives, antihistamines or leftover prescriptions, and do not give more than you were told. These can cause agitation, vomiting or distress instead of calm. Human painkillers such as ibuprofen, naproxen, acetaminophen and aspirin can seriously harm or kill dogs.

Sedation by the vet at the appointment

Many vets give a sedative injection first. Your dog falls into a deep sleep over several minutes while you hold him, and the final injection follows. Not every vet does this as routine, so ask: do you sedate first, and can I stay with my dog while it takes effect?

My vet did not sedate my dog before euthanasia

If this has already happened, it does not mean your dog suffered. Some vets place a catheter in a vein and give the final injection directly, particularly for a dog that is calm or already very weak. The euthanasia solution works in the way an anesthetic does: it causes unconsciousness within seconds, before breathing and the heart stop. Movements or breaths you may have seen afterwards are reflexes, not awareness.

If what you saw is still troubling you, ask the vet to talk you through it. For a future pet, you can ask for sedation first when you book.

Can a dog eat before euthanasia?

Usually yes, but check with the vet when you book. Sedatives can cause nausea, and some vets prefer small portions to a full meal shortly before. Many dogs at this stage have little appetite, so do not be upset if a special meal goes untouched.

• Favorite foods and normally off-limits treats. Plain cooked chicken or beef, a bit of cheese, a plain burger without onion or seasoning, a lick of plain vanilla ice cream (not a sugar-free kind): most dogs tolerate these in small amounts, and they are a reasonable last-day treat if the vet agrees. Rich, fatty food can bring on vomiting or belly pain within hours, so keep portions modest and offer the special thing close to the appointment, not the night before. Ask first for a dog that has pancreatitis, diabetes or a food allergy, or is already nauseous.
• Toxic foods. Do not give chocolate, grapes or raisins, onion, garlic, macadamia nuts, alcohol or anything sweetened with xylitol at home, even on the last day. They can make a dog feel ill before the appointment, and appointments are sometimes delayed or postponed. If your dog does eat one of them, call your vet or an animal poison control line now. Some vets keep chocolate in the room to offer in the final minutes. That is the vet's call to make, at the appointment.
• Dogs with swallowing or breathing problems. If your dog regurgitates, chokes on food or struggles to breathe, ask before feeding. A sedated dog can inhale food.

Things to do with your senior dog before you say goodbye

A last day does not need to be big. An old, sore or tired dog usually wants comfort and company more than an outing. Go at your dog's pace, and if you want one bigger thing, do it the day before and keep the last day calm.

• Time in a favorite spot: sun in the yard, the porch, or the couch that was always off-limits.
• A slow walk where your dog chooses the route and sniffs for as long as he likes. If he cannot walk far, carry him or use a wagon or stroller.
• A short car ride with the window down, if he has always liked the car.
• Brief, calm visits from the people he loves.
• A night sleeping beside you, on the floor if he cannot manage the bed.
• Keepsakes: photos, a paw print in ink or clay, a clipping of fur, his collar.
• Nothing special at all. A normal quiet day with you is a good last day for a dog.

If you find you are planning around what your dog can no longer do, a quality-of-life scale for senior dogs can reassure you about the timing.

Preparing an old dog for euthanasia at home

A home visit lets your dog stay on his own bed, which helps most with large dogs, dogs in pain and dogs that fear the clinic.

• Choose the spot. Somewhere your dog already likes to lie, indoors or in the yard, with room for the vet to kneel beside him.
• Protect the bedding. Put a waterproof pad or towels under his blanket. The bladder and bowels often relax afterwards.
• Other pets. Calm housemates can stay, or be let in to see and sniff afterwards. Put excitable pets in another room until it is over.
• Children. Tell them the truth in simple words and let them choose whether to be there.
• Afterwards. The vet usually takes your dog for cremation. If you plan to bury at home, check your local rules first. Our guide on what to do when a pet dies at home covers handling and burial.

For a clinic appointment, bring his own blanket and ask whether you can wait in the car until a room is free.

Preparing yourself

Decide beforehand whether you will stay in the room. There is no wrong choice, and a middle way is to stay until the sedative has worked. Arrange for someone else to drive if you can, and take the rest of the day off.

Doubt about the timing is close to universal and is not a sign that you got it wrong. There is a guide to coping with the loss of a pet for the days after. If grief brings thoughts of harming yourself, contact a crisis line or emergency services. In the US, call or text 988.

Call the vet today if

A booked date is a plan, not a commitment to wait. Call your vet or an emergency clinic now, whatever the hour, if your dog:

• Is struggling to breathe
• Is crying out, panting hard or trembling with pain that prescribed medicine is not controlling
• Collapses or can no longer get up
• Has a seizure that lasts more than a few minutes, or several in a day
• Has a swollen, tight belly, pale gums or bleeding that will not stop
• Cannot keep down water or his medicines

Most emergency clinics can perform euthanasia at any time of day or night. Never try to end a dog's life yourself, and never give extra medicine or any human medicine to hurry things along. It causes suffering. Euthanasia is only ever performed by a veterinarian.

This article is general educational information about preparing for a dog's euthanasia and is not veterinary advice. Whether your dog should eat beforehand, which medicines to continue and whether a sedative is suitable depend on your dog's condition, so confirm each of them with your veterinarian. Euthanasia must only be carried out by a veterinarian.