Cost of Euthanasia

I investigated and found that we were charging a bit less than many of our neighboring clinics. These new clients were coming to us after calling around to find the lowest fee. I didn’t want to continue to do more than my “share” of these sad procedures. So I adjusted our fees to be more in line with the costs of neighboring clinics.

I am sure that you can appreciate that the process of parting with a pet is painful and emotionally draining for everyone involved. When the time comes for us to assist a family with this difficult decision, we want to make it as pain-free and even meaningful as we can. We never want to make a family feel like they are being rushed.

There are many components that go into the final cost for this service. We set an IV catheter for each pet. We use a combination of drugs if the doctor deems it appropriate. The drugs used are federally controlled substances that require special handling, logging and inventory control. We don’t charge for an office call, even if there are a number of family members and the room is occupied for a long time (as is frequently the case). There are some instances where an office call is charged if the pet was initially seen for a medical problem and as a result of the medical workup and diagnosis, the option of euthanasia is chosen. First time clients are usually charged an Examination fee as the doctor will need to determine the appropriateness and approve the decision to perform the euthanasia.

I have tried to simplify the pricing as much as possible. I didn’t want to have people coming in for this service with an estimated cost in mind and then be told that there was an additional fee for an IV catheter, a fee for sedation, an office call, etc. I feel that this would diminish our professionalism and create unkind feelings with our clients. I know that I would not want to feel that I was being “up-sold” at such a sensitive time.

The only “extras” we offer are for this service are: – Individualized cremation with the remains returned. The cost of an urn will vary depending on what you select. – We now offer a very nice memorial “paw print” if you desire.

I want the fees to be simple and easy to explain. I hope that this gives you some insights into how we arrive at the fee for euthanasia.

Ron Tenney, DVM

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