FAQ

Your total at-home pet euthanasia cost includes two core fees: the in-home euthanasia service fee and any travel fee for your location. 

Optional add-ons (cremation and memorial keepsakes) are priced separately. You’ll see the full breakdown before you confirm your home visit.

The two core fees are always included:

• Euthanasia service fee — the in-home visit and the procedure itself (sedation, euthanasia, and time to say goodbye)
• Travel fee — no travel fee is applied to visits within a 10 mile radius; outside of the 10 mile radius a fee is applied based on mileage

Optional, priced separately:

• Cremation — private/individual (ashes returned) or communal (not returned)
• Memorial keepsakes — paw prints, fur clippings, urns
• Urgent or after-hours appointments may carry a surcharge

Since pricing varies by location, your exact total is shown on the booking page before you confirm — there’s no obligation to proceed.

There’s rarely a single moment that tells you when it’s time to say goodbye. Most families recognize it when their dog or cat’s comfort fades across several areas at once (most often pain, breathing, eating, mobility, and engagement with you), and the bad days start to outnumber the good. Reflecting on these changes over time, then talking with your vet, brings the clearest answer.

You may hear this described as knowing when to “put your dog or cat down” or “put them to sleep” — both mean the same painful, loving decision.

Signs of declining comfort to watch over time:

• Pain or discomfort that medication no longer eases
• Labored or difficult breathing
• Eating or drinking noticeably less
• Trouble standing, walking, or climbing stairs — or, for cats, jumping to favorite spots
• Accidents or trouble staying clean, including litter-box changes
• Confusion, restlessness, or anxiety that won’t settle
• Hiding or withdrawing from the family
• More bad days than good ones

What matters most is the pattern across several of these areas over time — not any single sign. A few signs that need a vet right away include gasping or open-mouth breathing (especially in cats), blue or pale gums, or repeated seizures.

Aftercare options fall into three paths: 

• Cremation
  • Individual – pet’s ashes are returned to you 
  • Communal – pet’s ashes are not returned to you; they are spread in the ocean
• Aquamation – also called alkaline hydrolysis or water cremation—is an eco-friendly alternative to traditional fire cremation that uses warm water, an alkali solution, and gentle pressure to accelerate natural decomposition
  • Individual – pet’s remains are returned to you 
  • Communal – pet’s remains are not returned to you 
• Handling remains – this includes coordination of cremation/aquamation or burial options –  we leave your pet with you to arrange aftercare, such as a home burial. Please review your local laws and regulations when choosing a final resting place.

We will coordinate the return of remains, which will be brought to you.

Yes. If you’ve chosen cremation, your vet will respectfully transport your pet from your home to a partner crematorium after the appointment. You don’t need to do anything. Your vet will coordinate the transport, cremation, and return of your pet’s ashes.

What to expect:

• Your vet brings everything needed for a safe and dignified transport
• You decide how much time you want before they leave.
• If you’ve chosen individual cremation, ashes are typically returned within 2-3 weeks.

If you’ve chosen individual aquamation, remains are typically returned in 3-4 weeks

Yes. If you’ve chosen cremation, your vet will respectfully transport your pet from your home to a partner crematorium after the appointment. You don’t need to do anything. Your vet will coordinate the transport, cremation, and return of your pet’s ashes.

What to expect:

• Your vet brings everything needed for a safe and dignified transport
• You decide how much time you want before they leave.
• If you’ve chosen individual cremation, ashes are typically returned within 2-3 weeks.
• If you’ve chosen individual aquamation, remains are typically returned in 3-4 weeks

What if my pet passes before the appointment?

If your pet passes peacefully at home before your scheduled appointment, please know there’s no obligation to proceed and no cancellation fee. You can cancel anytime – please call or text as soon as possible to confirm the cancellation.

If you’d like our help with aftercare

Many families still appreciate having the vet come to their home to provide aftercare. We can take your pet into our care, coordinate cremation with our local partner, and return their ashes to you, so you don’t have to handle those arrangements yourself. Just let our team know, and your appointment becomes an aftercare visit instead.

If you’d prefer to handle things on your own

You can cancel at any time using the link in your booking confirmation (sent to you by email and text). Our usual cancellation fee doesn’t apply when a pet has passed peacefully on their own. We only ask that you let your vet know when you’re able, so they can be there for another family who needs them.

Whatever you choose, please take all the time you need.

You can cancel or reschedule your appointment free of charge up to 4 hours before your scheduled start. For cancellations within those final 4 hours, we ask for a $200 fee to cover the time your vet has set aside for you. If your pet has passed before the appointment, we waive that fee.

To cancel or reschedule:

• Call us at 1-310-245-1046

If you find yourself needing to change plans on short notice, in case your pet’s condition has shifted, a family member can’t make it, or something unexpected has come up, please reach out as soon as you’re able. Even a quick call within the final 4 hours helps us understand and respond. We try to handle late cancellations with care, especially when circumstances are clearly outside your control.

Yes. If you’d like to bury your pet, you can arrange the burial yourself before or after the appointment. Your vet handles the euthanasia and can coordinate cremation if you choose it, but burial is something you take care of personally. Simply select self-handling when you schedule your visit so your vet knows in advance.

Choosing burial when scheduling:
When you book, select “self-handling” as your aftercare option. This lets your vet know in advance that you have made other plans for your pet. You can also change your mind anytime. If you later decide you would like cremation, your vet can coordinate that when they arrive at your home. Rest assured your vet will always re-confirm your wishes at the appointment.

Burial on your own property
Backyard burial is regulated differently in every city and county. Your local government website is often the fastest place to check. Some areas allow it freely, others have setback or depth requirements, and some do not allow it at all.

Many families choose a hybrid
Because burial requires research, transport, and physical effort at an already difficult moment, so many families instead choose cremation and then create a personal ritual. This might mean burying your pet’s ashes in a meaningful spot, planting a tree above them, or scattering them somewhere your pet loved to go. Either path is a meaningful way to honor your pet.

If burial is the right choice for your family, please let your vet know when scheduling or when you connect with your vet. They can share any local insight they have and help you think through the logistics. We are here to help however we can.

Your vet arrives in a way that’s meant to fit calmly into your home with everything needed for the visit. They’ll spend time getting to know your pet in the spot where your pet is most comfortable, and they’ll explain as much or as little about what’s about to happen as feels right to you. Questions are always welcome.

A few small things that can help in advance:

• Choose a spot in your home where your pet feels safe and won’t need to be moved.
• Keep their favorite treats nearby — many pets enjoy a few before the sedative.
• Invite family members and loved ones, human and four-legged, to gather close.

When you’re ready, sedation is given first. Within a few minutes, your pet is in a deep, peaceful sleep, feeling nothing. Once the pet is sedated, an intravenous catheter is placed to allow for the administration of an anesthetic and a final injection follows when you say you’re ready, and the heart stops gently — usually in under a minute.

If at any point you’d like more time, have a question, or have a special request, just say so. Your vet’s goal is to help your pet’s passing be as dignified and peaceful as possible.

At-home pet euthanasia is a service where a licensed veterinarian comes to your home to gently help your pet pass peacefully when it’s the right time. A sedative is usually given first, so your pet drifts into a deep, comfortable sleep, followed by a final injection that allows them to pass peacefully. It is widely offered as a gentler alternative to clinic-based euthanasia.

The general flow of most in-home providers
While the specifics vary between providers, most in-home euthanasia services follow a similar shape:

• You book an appointment online or by phone with our veterinarian and a veterinary nurse
• The vet contacts you before the appointment to confirm details and answer questions
• On the day, the vet and a nurse arrives at your home with what they need for a calm, unhurried visit
• After time with your pet, the vet administers a sedative to help them into a deep sleep.
• The vet helps coordinate aftercare, including cremation if you choose it

The full appointment usually takes around half an hour to an hour, though there is no set time and the pace is yours.

This depends on your pets temperament; there is a chance that sedation, heart safe sedation, may be need to obtain accurate information.

Yes – if it’s best for your pet to reduce stress, you can be present and help hold for the echo

No, it is not painful or invasive, however, your pet needs to lie on their side for image acquisition

We will provide a written cardiologist review including medications, monitoring and next step instructions.

Los Angeles and Orange County