A peaceful goodbye at home

A peaceful goodbye, at home.

When the time comes, your pet doesn't have to spend it in a clinic. In-home euthanasia lets you say goodbye somewhere safe, quiet, and full of love.

What to expect

A calm, unhurried path through one of the hardest days.

  1. Reach out, no pressure

    Call or message a mobile vet near you. Most will answer your questions without a commitment to book.

  2. Choose your time and place

    On the bed. In the garden. Wherever your pet feels safest. The vet comes to you.

  3. A quiet, gentle goodbye

    A sedative first, so your pet relaxes deeply. Then a final, painless injection while you hold them.

  4. Aftercare, when you're ready

    The vet can coordinate cremation directly, or give you time to make those decisions later.

The First Month

Practical help for the days after your pet dies.

Questions to ask a crematory. Words for telling children. Pages for decisions about ashes and belongings.

26 one-page cards, printable checklists, and fillable worksheets. Choose the situation you need help with and start there.

Inside the PDF. Tap a page to read it.

The crematory call

Full preview of The crematory call. Questions and space for answers. Select Read text for the accessible text version.

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Card 1 of 26, free

The first night

The rule: nothing has to be decided tonight, except one thing.

Read tonight's card

If they are still at home with you

The one thing to decide tonight is where they rest until morning. That is all.

  • Lay them on a towel or a blanket in the coolest room you have: a laundry room, a garage, a tiled floor. Not the car.
  • If you can, settle them on their side with the legs gently tucked, the way they slept. Do this soon rather than later. Within a few hours the body stiffens, and it becomes harder to move them with care.
  • A little fluid can release. One towel underneath and one folded over is enough. This is normal, and it is not a sign that anything was done wrong.
  • In a cool room they can stay overnight and through tomorrow. If it is warm where you are, wrap them in the blanket and then a large bag, and use the coolest space you have.
  • Collar on or collar off. Either is fine. Many people take it off tonight and are glad later that they did.

If they died at the vet's

Then the where is already handled, and there is nothing you have to do tonight. The clinic will keep them safely until you have chosen what happens next. You can call in the morning. Card 4 covers what you can still ask the clinic for: time with them, a paw print, the collar back.

What you do not have to do tonight

  • Choose a crematory. Tomorrow is fine. Almost every crematory collects within a day, and the person who answers the phone has heard every version of this call. Card 3 has the eight questions to ask.
  • Decide private or communal. Card 2, when you are ready.
  • Tell everyone. Tell the people in the house. Everyone else can wait until tomorrow, or next week.
  • Move anything. The bowl, the bed, the leash by the door: leave them exactly where they are. Card 7 is for when you want it, and there is no deadline.

What to say in the house tonight

To a child: "[Name] died today. Her body stopped working and the vet could not fix it. It was not anyone's fault. We are going to be sad for a while, and that is okay." Then stop talking and let them ask. Card 6 has more, by age.

To each other: nothing clever. "I am so sad" is a complete sentence.

One small thing, if you want one

Sit with them for a few minutes. Tell them one thing you will miss. Turn off the light.

That is a goodbye, and it counts. A fuller one can come later, and card 16 will help. Tonight, this is enough.

If tonight feels like more than you can carry, card 25 has people who answer the phone at this hour.

Find a mobile vet near you

Compassionate in-home end-of-life care, in your area.

Our directory lists 230 providers offering at-home euthanasia across the U.S. Search by city or zip and confirm who serves your area.

Before booking, compare the visit fee, transport, and aftercare separately. Our at-home euthanasia cost guide explains what to include in your quote.

Questions families ask us

Honest answers to the questions you may not want to ask out loud.

There's rarely a clean answer. Most veterinarians use a quality-of-life framework that looks at appetite, mobility, pain, breathing, and the small joys your pet still seems to feel. If you'd like, you can call a mobile vet just to talk through where your pet is, and many offer this consultation for free or at a small fee.
The visit is designed around their comfort. The sedative comes first and works gently: within a few minutes most pets are deeply relaxed, often asleep. The final injection comes only after they're fully unaware. There's no struggle, no fear.
That's entirely your choice. Many families choose to include older children, since being present can sometimes be more peaceful for them than imagining what happened. Talk to the vet beforehand; they can guide you on what to expect and how to prepare your kids.
Most mobile vets recommend that other pets in the home be present during or shortly after, so they understand and aren't left to search. Watching their companion go quietly often helps them grieve too.
Typically $250–$500 for the home visit and procedure, depending on your area and time of day. Cremation, if you choose it, is usually billed separately and added to a single invoice.
The vet will respectfully transport your pet to the cremation provider you've chosen. If you haven't chosen one yet, they can recommend a partner or give you a few days to decide.

You're not alone

Support, support lines, and reading.