What do I do now?

 

The euthanasia decision at your vet may have been unexpected or planned.  The situation may have been that your pet passed on the drive to your vet.  Or after assessing your pet’s condition, your veterinarian may have recommended that euthanasia was the most loving choice you could make.

Once your pet has died, you need to decide if you want:

–  CCPC to come to my vet’s office to receive my pet or

–  To bring my pet to CCPC myself.

If you want to bring your pet to me, I would recommend that you take a container or box that would suit the size of your pet. Line it with a fluffy towel or blanket and once your pet passes, ask the vet’s tech to lay your pet in it as soon after passing as possible. If you have questions about this, do not hesitate to call me for additional information, 412-220-7800.

The time that you spend with the body after your beloved pet passes can be some of the most precious time ever spent with your pet. Families have often mentioned the comfort they felt from touching a paw, ear or some other body part that was never permitted by the pet when it was alive. Often just the ability to look at them, brings a sense of joy and possibility relief when you can view them without the labored breathing, whimpers, seizures or other impairments that made the end of their life difficult. You may also consider taking your deceased pet home so that other family pet’s have the ability to see, smell and investigate the body . Make sure you supervise your other pets if you decide to allow this.

The body will be flexible for a while after the passing, with rigor mortis setting in from 1 to 3 hours after death.  This is the reason placing them in something sturdy that you can carry makes transporting your pet much simpler.   While they do tend to lose fluids from their body, if you place something absorbent like a towel, blanket or pee pad under their entire body, you will capture the fluid and prevent it from leaking onto the fur.

If you are performing the transportation, you would want to generally plan to arrive within 1-8 hours after their passing.

If you choose to have CCPC receive your pet from your veterinarian, please inform the veterinary staff that you have chosen CCPC to receive your pet, and I will arrive within 24 hours of your pet’s death.  I will go to your vet’s office as quickly as possible after you have called me to make cremation arrangements.   Your veterinarian and staff are not responsible for calling me to make arrangements.

Click here to read about the next step in the process…cremation

Or if you are ready to make arrangements, or have any other questions, please call 412-220-7800.