& Palliative Care

We understand that this decision is not straightforward and rearrangements may need to occur. We try to be as flexible as possible while maintaining availability of veterinarians for pets in need. A deposit of $245 is required to confirm a euthanasia appointment. Pre-payment is required to confirm a Quality of Life Consultation. Please understand that cancellations or rearrangements >72 hours out incur no fee. If within this time, the $245 will be non-refundable (even if a booking is rescheduled, rearrangement unable to be accommodated, or cancelled after rearrangement eg. due to the passing of a pet while postponing euthanasia service). In the event that a pet passes away on their own accord before the initial booking, a full refund will be issued, unless not immediately informed and the vet has attended unnecessarily. If this occurs and you wish to proceed with cremation aftercare option, only the aftercare fee and travel fee (if applicable) applies. Should the vet attend and you decide not to proceed with euthanasia, then the deposit is used to cover the home visit fee. If you wish for a quality of life consult to occur instead, a travel fee (if applicable) will also apply.

Dogs and cats.

Some local veterinary services do offer home euthanasia services but may be more limited with availability due to the nature of busy clinical practice. Please contact your local veterinary service. If you require assistance finding another vet in your area please contact us.

Same day appointments may be available but 24+ hours notice is usually recommended.

Some pet insurance policies cover home visit consultations, euthanasia and cremation costs as part of their end- of life care coverage, while others do not. Please check your PDS carefully to see details of your cover. You will be provided with an itemised receipt of services provided, which you give to your provider with your claim.

Home visit consultations vary depending on medication and time required for each pet. Estimates can be provided on enquiry. In-home euthanasia fee $495 Cremation aftercare options from $135 + A travel fee may apply for suburbs outside Margaret River & surrounds (see service map)

Margaret River, Augusta, Dunsborough, Busselton region. See the service map to find your suburbs.

Currently operating 7 days a week with general business hours between 8am - 6pm on weekdays and 10am-4pm on weekends. Due to Dr. Francesca being the sole veterinarian providing this service, availability may occasionally be limited. Your request will be responded to within 48 hours.

Accepted payment methods are credit card, direct debit, direct transfer, eftpos or cash. Please note, a deposit is required prior to the appointment for booking confirmation. You may like to pre-pay the appointment so that your pets day can be all about them. Quality of Life consultations require pre-payment to be confirmed. For individual cremation where your pets ashes are being returned, Rainbow Bay will handle payments. You will receive a call within 24 hours after the completed service to go over your aftercare requests including urn or vessel and memorial selections.

As many or as few as you prefer. Children- This is a personal decision for your family to make but you are encouraged to include children in the decision making process to see what part they may or may not want to be present for. Use your judgement as to your child's age, personality, and development stage to frame these discussions. Through experience, we typically find that children (>~5-8yo) who have some prior understanding and acceptance of the decision really value with being with us for at least some of the appointment. During the appointment, we discuss the process and answer any questions anyone may have. There is no rush during the appointment if your children need time for you to explain anything further. Please contact us if you would like to discuss these arrangements. Other Pets- may be present or see the body once they pass. Please make this decision knowing that each animal can react differently, especially when their owners are quite emotional. Some behaviours towards the deceased may seem disrespectful, but can be considered normal (ignoring, sniffing, walking over, barking at or urinating on the body).

Pets are more relaxed at home but if you know that your pet is nervous around strangers or veterinarians, please let us know at your booking request. With lots of treats, a calm demeanour, and your help getting them to focus on you, we can usually administered the sedative injection with ease. Some dogs may require a muzzle (we can supply you with a muzzle) for a short while during the sedative injection and your help may be required to safely restrain your pet for this quick time. Once that injection is given, the muzzle can be removed and your pet should settle quickly, so we can continue to make their passing process peaceful and surrounded by love.

Our euthanasia process is designed to be pain-free and peaceful. As the euthanasia solution is injected, your pet will loose consciousness and this means that do not feel anything. Most times, the animal passes away so smoothly that you may think they are just at rest. The veterinarian will confirm with you when death has occurred.

Our aim is to make saying goodbye smooth, gentle and peaceful. Sedation allows your pet to transition from being conscious to passing in a gradual, pain and stress free manner. The euthanasia agent is fast acting and without sedation, the process is more abrupt and confronting.

The euthanasia agent causes rapid loss of consciousness and deep anaesthesia. It goes through the intravenous catheter through the bloodstream to the brain, which tells the heart and lungs to cease.

Visualise the perfect place to say goodbye to your pet. You might like to set up an area to make them comfortable or you may like to see where they decide to be on the day. You may consider music, decorations, candles, their favourite toy, or you may choose to have nothing but you and your pet. Please note that pets may release their bladder or bowel after passing so an old blanket may be ideal (we will also provide leak proof padding). Coordinate loved ones to be present if you and they desire. Have age appropriate discussions with children about the appointment. Seek further information here. Your pet can have food, water and medications as normal. If possible, take your pet for a toilet break within a few hours of their appointment. You may want to organise pre-payment so that you do not have to worry about that at the time of the appointment. Consider aftercare options. Shower your pet with love and try stay relaxed as possible for them through the emotion. Pets are well known for picking up their owners emotions.

Appointments may take between 20 minutes and 1 hour. Your appointment will have a gentle pace and is tailored to each family to allow as much time as required to say goodbye.

After greeting you and your pet, those present will be talked through the euthanasia process and answer any questions you may have. A consent form will be signed and payment finalised. When everyone is ready we can start the euthanasia process. The process consists of 2 injections. The first is a sedative injection will be given under the skin to help your pet relax and will take 5 - 15 minutes to provide a heavy sedation. This injection is no more painful than a typical vaccination, but occasionally your pet may briefly react to it. You may choose to still speak or make physical contact with your pet, although they may not visually react they can still hear you. After this, an intravenous cannula will be placed into the vein of a forearm or hindleg. When everyone has said their final goodbye, the second and final injection is administered. The euthanasia agent works almost instantly. Confirmation of passing will be made and you will have some privacy to spend as much time as you need with your pet. When you are ready, your pet's body will be prepared for your aftercare option. Ink paw pints and lock of fur keepsakes will be made on the day (if we are not taking your pets body or if requested) or delivered to you within a week.

You may choose a variety of ways to spend the last days with your companion. Make them a special meal or treat that they might not usually get (be careful not to completely upset their stomachs and still avoiding toxic foods.) You may choose to go on a special outing or to your shared favourite place. You may have friends, family or doggie friends over to say their goodbyes. You may take some special photos with them. Please keep in mind that your pet might not be up to an outing and that's okay. There are plenty of ways to make a home day special because for your pet, there's really nowhere they are more at ease than home.

Rainbow bay is a trusted local family business who guarantees that you only receive your pet’s ashes. They have a strict triple staged identification process to ensure your pet comes home to you.

Your pets ashes will be delivered to you by Rainbow Bay at your provided address within 1 week. Any enquires or changes to individual cremation should be directed to Rainbow Bay.

Ink paw prints and lock of fur keepsakes will provided to you on the day. These are made after the peaceful passing of your pet.

There is a tribe of people who care about your pet. In your own time, don't forget to advise them of your pet's passing. Groomers, vets, the council, family members, friends, neighbours, the people at the dog park. This is also a good way to reach out and connect with those who also loved your pet.

You may like to give belongings to friends or family with pets. You may like to keep 1 or 2 items as a hand-me-downs for your next furry companion (even if you don't know when that may be). You may donate your pet's items (such as good condition bedding, bowls, leads, collars) to an animal charity (eg. SAFE Busselton) or the Lions shed/Vinnies. Please check if organisations are in need and receiving donations. You may donate your goods to a homeless shelter for those with homeless pets. Any item that you do not wish to keep and is not in reusable condition can be put in general rubbish disposal.

You can choose to have your pet's body cremated or not. Cremation can either occur with other pets (general), where no ashes are returned to you or individually where your pets ashes are returned to you in vessel of your choice. You may prefer to have home burial or other arrangements made by you. The veterinarian will assist you with preparing the body for these arrangements before they depart. For home burial option, safety and council guidelines can be provided.

Our pets bring us so much joy and it is completely natural to feel intense emotions in the time leading up to and after the loss of a pet. These intense emotions can resemble mourning the loss of a family member. It is important to allow yourself to grieve and process these feelings in your own time. Please visit the grief resources page for support.

This is anticipatory grief and is a natural response in this situation. It mimics other forms of grief and you may feel shock, denial, anger, bargaining, and/or depression. Please know there are ways to move through this towards acceptance. Please visit the grief resources page for support.

Some ideas to assist you honour your beloved pet: Scatter their ashes at their special place Keep their ashes in a piece of jewellery Put their ink paw print and lock of fur keepsakes in a special place Talk about them! What did they do to make you laugh? What was the naughtiest thing they ever did! Plant a memorial garden Hold a memorial service Celebrate their birthday or date of passing Get a tattoo Keep one of their belongings to be passed on to a furry friend later in life Donate to an animal charity Cherish old photos or videos Give love to your other furry companions Take your next furry companion to places of their remembrance