The loss of a companion animal is a profound and challenging experience. Even after sharing a long life together, the inevitable moment of saying goodbye to our aging companions necessitates thoughtful preparation to approach it with serenity and dignity.
The Veterinarian’s Role in End-of-Life Care
For pet owners, veterinarians serve as essential guides during the end-of-life phase of an animal. Through their clinical expertise and experience, veterinary professionals often recognize the signs indicating that the end is near, sometimes even before the owners themselves.
Accepting this reality can be complex for those who share their daily lives with the animal. A lack of medical knowledge or deep emotional attachment can lead to a natural form of denial.
This is where the veterinarian’s support becomes invaluable. Their role is to translate clinical observations into accessible and comprehensible information for pet owners, doing so with pedagogy and compassion.
“I was fortunate to be attentively supported by my veterinarian, who is also a friend. During the last year of my dog’s life, we had almost one consultation per month. This regular follow-up helped me gradually realize that my companion was approaching the end.”
“When the clinical signs worsened, my veterinarian honestly explained that we were dealing with an aggressive tumor that had appeared in my dog’s mouth.”
“I appreciated that she took the time to explain what was going to happen. It allowed me to understand, prepare myself, and accept that when the time came, it would not be possible to let him go without assistance.”
“She told me very clearly:”
‘With this type of mass, he won’t pass away peacefully in his bed. We’ll have to help him.’
“I understood that we would have to make the decision for euthanasia at some point.”
“The estimated life expectancy was 4 to 6 weeks. In the end, after three weeks, as his condition deteriorated, we made the decision to let him go.”
Beyond the support provided to pet owners, veterinarians themselves are also confronted with complex decisions and emotions when facing the end of an animal’s life.
To better understand this aspect, Dr. Valérie Foucon-Ledogard shares her perspective on end-of-life support and the act of euthanasia, a responsibility that carries deep meaning for all veterinary professionals.
Euthanasia: a positive or feared act for veterinarians? by Dr. Valérie Foucon-Ledogard
“Personally, I consider euthanasia a positive act — as long as it is never performed for convenience. When an animal is spending its final days in pain, in major discomfort, or no longer has a real 'dog’s life', this act allows for dignified relief. It is under these circumstances that I manage to see euthanasia as help, and not as a brutal ending.”
“At the same time, it is also a dreaded act. As veterinarians, we were trained to heal and cure. Euthanasia is still, despite everything, experienced as a failure in the face of illness or old age.”
“Euthanasia also confronts us with death, which is never insignificant, even for healthcare professionals used to handling difficult situations. And paradoxically, the more years go by, the more emotionally heavy this act can become.”
“This is why it is essential to always keep in mind the meaning behind this act: to relieve an animal in great suffering. It is this certainty that allows us, as veterinarians, to continue facing these situations over time.”
“Another often overlooked point: our profession is one of the few authorized to take life. This requires great psychological resilience, especially in a career chosen out of love for animals and caregiving.”
In some countries, special attention is given to the psychological support of veterinarians, but this is not the case everywhere. In France, for example, self-employed veterinarians do not have systematic medical follow-up, unlike employed veterinarians who benefit from medical check-ups as part of their employment contracts.
Preparing for the euthanasia of your animal
Each owner experiences this moment according to their own sensitivity, influenced by their bond with the animal, their personal story, and their way of coping with separation.
Some will choose not to be present during the procedure, while others may find it difficult to leave the consultation room where their companion passed away.
Preparing mentally in advance often helps approach this moment with greater serenity and to better support one’s animal until the very end.
1. Know the stages of euthanasia
When an owner comes in for a euthanasia consultation for the first time, many questions and concerns naturally arise:
“Will I be able to stay with my dog until the end? Will it hurt? Could he whimper or bark? Is the injection given directly into the heart? Will there be convulsions at the moment of death?”
These questions, while familiar to professionals, reflect the very legitimate concerns of those who have never faced the end of an animal’s life. In these moments, emotions often amplify the imagination, making the unknown feel even more frightening.
2. Anticipate rather than react
When possible, anticipating euthanasia rather than acting in an emergency brings genuine peace — for the animal, the owner, and even the veterinary team.
It is often difficult to know what the “right moment” is to say goodbye to a companion. Each owner is then faced with painful questions:
“Can I give them one more day?
Is it really for them, or is it for me?
Am I delaying this moment at the risk of making them suffer?
And if I make this decision too soon, am I taking away precious time from them?”
This dilemma rarely brings relief, as it often leads to a double sense of guilt: for having chosen to let them go… or for having prolonged their life despite the pain.
When the animal’s condition allows it, taking the time to plan this final appointment offers many benefits. It allows the owner to be supported by their regular veterinarian, in a familiar setting, rather than facing an emergency situation — sometimes at night or over the weekend — in an unfamiliar clinic.
During a scheduled consultation, the veterinary team can offer a dedicated time slot, allowing the owner to give their animal a final goodbye in calm and privacy — a moment that is rarely possible in an emergency situation.
“In my case, I brought my dog in for a final consultation because I could see he wasn’t feeling quite right, that his days seemed heavier than usual. So I asked to schedule this last appointment.
It was hard, because that morning he was still running around the garden — he even came back to me at a full sprint. He seemed happy. I wondered if I was making the right decision, I almost felt like I was killing him.
When we arrived at the vet’s, his condition was undeniable. The mass in his mouth had grown, there was blood, necrotic tissue, the weight loss we could no longer stop… Everything the vet had predicted had come true. It helped me when she confirmed that we couldn’t let my friend go on like this, and that the time had come.
Before coming, I had mentally prepared for this consultation, imagining each step so I could face it better. I knew the emotions would be intense, and I wanted to be strong for him, to accompany him with dignity. It was his moment, not mine. I wanted to be by his side, without transmitting my stress or sadness.
The consultation took place in a calm and intimate atmosphere. Once the catheter for the injection was placed, the vet told me it was time to say everything I wanted to say. I simply whispered “I love you” while holding him close, thanking him for everything he had given me.
The first injection took effect instantly: he fell into a deep sleep, his body becoming heavy in my arms. He didn’t have time to fully close his eyes, the sedation was so powerful and fast. He was breathing slowly, as if in a deep coma.
When the second injection was administered, I didn’t notice anything in particular. I stayed by his side, my hand resting on him, until the vet stepped away. It was only then, when she checked his chest, that I realized my friend was no longer breathing, and that his heart had stopped.
He was gone.”
After euthanasia
“The veterinarian then left me alone with my dog, for those final moments of intimacy.”
“I felt at peace for having stayed strong for him, without passing on any anxiety.”
“When the time came to leave him, I was overwhelmed by an unexpected feeling: the difficulty of walking away from his lifeless body, of leaving him there, in that clinic. I wasn’t ready to face that final goodbye, to leave him there, never to see him again.”
“That lack of preparation was the hardest part for me.”
“I kept asking the same question to the veterinarian, like a robot, repeating over and over: ‘He’ll be placed in cold storage, then picked up for cremation?’”
“It was as if my thoughts were in a fog during that heavy moment. I had prepared myself for the euthanasia, but not for what came after. I was flooded with fear — fear of not knowing where he would rest, or where I could go to symbolically grieve if I wanted to.”
“With great gentleness, the veterinarian explained that the cremation service she worked with scattered the ashes from communal cremations in a dedicated area. That I would have a clear place where the ashes of my friend and his fellow companions would be laid to rest.”
“Mentally, it comforted me to understand what was going to happen. I was reassured by the idea that my companion would rest surrounded by other animals and the love of heartbroken owners like myself, all sharing the pain of losing a dear friend.”
A word from the professional
“Another difficult aspect of my role as a veterinarian is seeing owners leave with heavy hearts, bearing the weight of their loss. Once the euthanasia is carried out, they must, if they wish, find their own way of coping with the pain of saying goodbye.
It’s hard to let them go like that, alone with their grief, without being able to support them further through this crucial stage.”
Dr. Valérie Foucon
Animal cemeteries: a place of remembrance and peace
Animal cemeteries are much more than burial grounds; they are places of remembrance and tribute, where the love of owners for their companions lives on.
Some spaces are dedicated to individual urns, while others hold the ashes of animals cremated collectively. You’ll find simple graves as well as miniature mausoleums — each telling a unique story, that of an animal who left a lasting mark on their owner’s life.
Each monument, each inscription, is a testament to the deep affection of owners and the indelible imprint these animals have left in our lives. These beloved animals, now brought together in one place, foster a sense of solidarity among those who share this grief, reminding us that while the loss of a pet is deeply personal, it echoes a sorrow shared by many.
Animal cemeteries, in all their diversity, are in no way lesser than human cemeteries. The heartfelt messages engraved on the animals’ headstones, filled with tenderness and memories, are a moving reminder of the unique and sacred bond between a human being and their four-legged companion.
“To you, whom I will always love”
“Thank you for sharing my life”
“I will never forget you”
“To that cursed day when I lost you”
“For all those years of love, joy, and happiness... Thank you”
Dealing with the loss of a pet
Coping with the loss of a pet is a profound challenge, and to help owners navigate this difficult time, Donna Wills wrote a moving book titled "The Best Goodbye: A True Story of Love and Farewell".
In this book, she shares her personal experience and emotions following the loss of her own pet, while offering valuable tools to support those going through a similar grieving process.
« In writing this book I was able to see how my thoughts, denial and emotions were a rollercoaster, long before I lost my boy.
I Pre Grieved. I am so glad I managed to find the inner strength to sort my head out enough to put plans in place when he needed me to.
It was so hard, but I knew I was giving him the final gift, the gift of the best goodbye. it turns out, that was a gift for both of us. »
Donna Wills
One Comment
Patty Petterson
On Easter Sunday, my most beloved,loyal, and beautiful friend passed away. Luna Belle was a yellow lab, my little girl. She was 12. I ache for the sound of her. She loved my many scents of body lotions. I do genuinely hate the empty glaringly quiet of our home. She made it home. Rest my darling, you are free of your loyalty to me.