End of Life Pet Care

A difficult decision.

The same way we provide compassionate care for pets in their early days, we’re prepared to support you and provide end of life care for them during their last. As partners in your pet’s health, we’ll make sure you’re informed about all potential treatment options before you make a decision. We understand that making that kind of choice is never easy, but we promise to be there every step of the way.

Pawspice (Hospice) Care

Pawspice refers to the care of a pet when we know the end of life is near. Often palliative care is an important part of a hospice care plan. When there is no option for a cure, the goal of hospice care is to make the pet’s life as comfortable as possible in the context of the upcoming end of the pet’s life.

For hospice care, we’ll work with you to see that your pet’s pain is managed and that he or she is as comfortable as possible until it’s time to say goodbye.

Humane Euthanasia

A time will come when you need to contemplate end of life decisions for your pet. Euthanasia can be the kindest gift you can give to a pet who is suffering from an incurable or painful disease.

Should you decide euthanasia is the right choice for your pet, we’ll prepare you for the process and answer any questions you may have about what’s going to happen. We hope you’ll find some comfort knowing our humane methods will ensure your pet is laid to rest peacefully.

In-home Euthanasia:

We may be able to offer non-emergency in-home euthanasia only to our current patient families depending on our current schedule and workload. If we do not have availabilty, we will offer to schedule the procedure at our hospital or recommend you reach out to veterinarians that offer in-home euthanasia services. We have listed them below.

Haven Veterinary Hospice & Senior Care (Southern Maine): 207-361-7145
Lap of Love (in-home euthanasia): 207-553-3776
Twilight (palliative care and in home euthanasia): 207- 809-9626
Vet at your Door (in-home euthanasia): 207-536-8387

After-hours/ weekend Euthanasia:

Animal Emergency Clinic of Mid-Maine (Lewiston): 207-777-1110
Maine Veterinary Medical Center (Scarborough): 207-882-1290
Pet-Medic Urgent Care (Freeport): 207-805-5398
Pet-Medic Urgent Care (Portland): 207-813-4777
Portland Veterinary Emergency & Specialty Care (Portland): 207-878-3121

Cremation and Aftercare

Our hospital provides cremation services through Final Gift Pet Memorial Center.

Share your warm thoughts and loving memories of your pet on Final Gift’s free online memorial page as another way to reminisce and remember.

If you would like to explore additional aftercare and memorial services, we have listed them below;

Additional Resources:

How Do I Know When it’s Time? These tools present a clearer picture of a pet’s quality of life and offer direction during a difficult time.

We know it won’t be an easy call to make, but please don’t hesitate to reach out to us if we can assist you with end-of-life care for your pet. If you anticipate having a difficult time speaking about this topic on the phone, we invite you to send an email to polandah@yourvetdoc.com.