What is euthanasia?
Euthanasia is defined as “the act or practice of killing or permitting the death of hopelessly sick, injured, or disabled individuals in a relatively painless way for reasons of mercy.”
There are many reasons that a pet owner may need at-home euthanasia for their dog. Once the decision has been made, it is important to ensure your pet is as comfortable as possible at his or her final moments. In this blog post, we will discuss 3 tips for at-home dog euthanasia in Arizona and how you can make your pet’s death as peaceful as possible.
The first tip is to ensure your dog is at home when he or she dies. This ensures that you do not have to worry about transporting the body and can spend more time with your pet in his or her final moments.
You will need a few items at home before administering the euthanasia, such as a syringe filled with pentobarbital sodium (veterinarian prescribed), gloves for protection against the needle stick, cotton balls soaked in hydrogen peroxide to cleanse any blood around their mouth/nose area, plastic bags for sanitary reasons and an old blanket to wrap up their remains after death has occurred.
You should also discuss at-home euthanasia options with your veterinarian prior to arriving at this point so that they are aware of what you have done at home and so that they can provide you with any information or support if needed.
Soak a cotton ball in hydrogen peroxide to cleanse your pet’s mouth/nose area. Gently hold the mouth open while doing this, being careful not to let them swallow any of it as it can be poisonous when ingested orally. If there is blood around their nose or mouth from an illness, use a wet washcloth instead for sanitary reasons.
After death has occurred wrap up your pet’s remains in an old blanket and dispose of them accordingly (most likely down the garbage disposal). Discuss at-home dog euthanasia with the vet so that they can explain to you what you need to do during this process.
You should want your pet at home in their final moments of life, and these are just a few ways for it to be done respectfully at home without harming yourself or others around you.
In conclusion, at-home dog euthanasia is a safe and effective way of giving your pet the goodbye they deserve at their most comfortable place.
For more information on at home dog euthanasia Arizona contact your vet.