End of life & palliative care
Staying at home, right to the end
Palliative support and home euthanasia across Sussex, Kent and Surrey — quiet, unhurried, and in the place your pet feels safest. If today is the day, please ring us rather than email.
Deciding when is the hardest thing an owner ever has to do. You do not have to work it out alone, and you do not have to know what you want before you call.
Some families ring us months ahead, wanting help to keep a much-loved dog comfortable through a last summer. Others ring on a Tuesday morning because things have changed overnight. Both are the right time to get in touch.
We will talk honestly about what your pet is experiencing, what can still be done, and what we would want for an animal of our own. Nothing is rushed and nothing is decided for you.
Palliative care: the weeks and months before
Good palliative care can give an animal weeks of genuine comfort. We look at pain relief, appetite, nausea, breathing, sleep and mobility, and set up a plan you can manage at home.
- Quality of life assessments, repeated as often as you need
- Pain relief reviewed properly rather than left on repeat
- Nursing advice: bedding, footing, feeding, hygiene, lifting
- A clear list of the signs that would mean it is time
- A number to ring when you are not sure
Home euthanasia: what happens
We explain every step before we begin, and we do not start until you say you are ready.
- You choose the place — their bed, the sofa, a rug by the fire, the garden. We work around your pet rather than moving them.
- A sedative is given first, so your pet drifts into a deep, comfortable sleep with you stroking them. This part is unhurried.
- Once they are fully asleep, the final injection is given gently. It is quick, and it is painless.
- Afterwards you have as long as you want. Children and other pets in the house are welcome to be present or to come in afterwards — many families find it helps.
- We talk through cremation, ashes and home burial calmly, and can take care of the arrangements for you. Nothing has to be settled on the day.
Questions people often want to ask
How do I know it is time?
Most owners already sense it and want someone to help them see clearly. We look at the things that made your pet themselves — eating, greeting you, sleeping comfortably, getting outside — and how many good days there are against difficult ones. A visit to talk, with no decision made, is always an option.
Can you come today?
Often, yes. We keep space for urgent end of life visits and will always tell you honestly what we can do. Ring rather than email — Mon–Fri 9:00–20:00 and weekends 10:00–18:00. Outside those hours, Vets Now in Tunbridge Wells or Eastbourne can help immediately.
Should the children be there?
That is your call, and there is no wrong answer. Many families find that being at home makes it easier to include children, because it looks like their pet going to sleep somewhere familiar. We are happy to explain things simply to them beforehand.
What about our other pets?
They can be in the room or nearby. Allowing other animals in the house to spend a little time afterwards often settles them, and it is something a surgery visit cannot offer.
Talk to Rachael or Joe
Whether you want to plan ahead or something has changed today, a phone call costs nothing and often brings a good deal of relief.