Maybe your pet has been given a terminal diagnosis by a veterinarian. Perhaps your vet has recommended euthanasia. Maybe you’re seeing steady decline in your pet’s quality of life over time. We completely understand how difficult this choice can be. Every pet owner thinks this at some time. When you see your beloved pet having more bad days than good days, you need to make a plan for humane euthanasia. We recommend using a Quality of Life Scale to assess your pet over time.

The short answer – No

We typically operate on a turnaround of a few days from you first contacting us, to our appointment, to two weeks to return ashes (if elected for private cremation). While we have had some repeat clients over the course of time, we don’t keep client files in the same way a vet office does.

When you know you’re ready to make the appointment, you call us. Please make sure that the people who make decisions for the pet are in agreement when you book the appointment. Spaces are limited and we would like to avoid cancellations. If certain family members are unable to be present, we recommend visitation or a FaceTime call ahead of time to say goodbye.

Our phone lines are open during the day between 9AM to 5PM and monitored on evenings and weekends. One of our caring staff will talk with you about what’s been going on with your pet and gather other information from you that completes our client consent form. If someone doesn’t answer immediately, we encourage you to leave a brief message. (315) 427-8773.

We occasionally have same-day appointments available, but typically we schedule for next-day or a few days ahead. In general, we do not have availability on Thursdays and Sundays, but that does occasionally change.

Normally, our appointments are late morning and throughout the afternoon. It is a good idea for you to have the entire day free. You may have to take the day off from work. We can give you a more specific timeframe once we have the route mapped for the day. We have to plan a route that makes sense for travel to help as many pets as possible in the day.

Occasionally, we can accommodate an emergency, but do not wait if we are unable to assist. We are not an emergency service. 

If your pet is having a medical emergency, there are emergency clinics in the Central New York area and your primary veterinarian may also offer emergency hours.

Veterinary Medical Center of CNY
5841 Bridge St, East Syracuse, NY 13057
(315) 446-7933

Urgent Veterinary Care
207 Genesee St, Auburn, NY 13021
(315) 515-3074

Cornell University Companion Animal Hospital
930 Campus Rd, Ithaca, NY 14853
(607) 253-3060 for emergencies press 1

ASPCA 24/7 Poison Control Hotline (888) 426-4435

Pet Poison Helpline (855) 764-7661

Telehealth option: VetTriage.com
Live video sessions available 24/7 in English and Spanish

We don’t have an office. This is a mobile service that comes to your home. We typically serve a radius of 50 miles around Cazenovia. This includes a large swath of Central New York. If you are outside of our range, we may be able to accommodate for a travel fee.

We have our own crematorium, Gentle Goodbye Crematorium, located at 185 Mohawk St, Whitesboro.

Aftercare options include home burial, private cremation, and communal cremation.
For home burial, you are responsible for your pet’s earthly remains. Keep in mind prohibitive weather and ground conditions.
For cremation through us, we take remains with us when we leave your home. In the case of private cremation, ashes from only your pet’s remains are returned to you in a wooden urn, and in communal cremations, ashes are not returned to you – and we will scatter them in our memorial garden.

The day of the appointment, the veterinarian will arrive at your home within an hour of the timeframe that has been scheduled. Since the vet is on the road, we have to give some leeway in the arrival time. We have to plan a route that makes sense for travel to help as many pets as possible in a day. Occasionally, we may need to shift an appointment by an hour or so. Please be kind, some appointments take longer than others for one reason or another. If there are any time changes that need to be made, we would be in communication with you.

Depending on the size of your pet or other appointments that day, the vet may bring another person (as lift assistance). In the case of a large dog, the help is much appreciated if you have 1 or 2 able bodied people who can be present. She will have you sign paperwork that gives your consent for the procedure. She will settle payment in the form of cash, check, credit or debit card.

Then, the vet will take out a dose of sedation and some treats that you can offer your pet. The sedation is administered subcutaneously, so just under the skin. The sedation has a pain reliever and can take 5 to 15 minutes to take effect. If you have other pets, it is best to sequester them away for the time being to allow for relaxation. You can have your pet on a couch, in their bed, a favorite spot on the porch, etc. Say your goodbye to your pet in your way – kisses, petting, lots of love and attention. They will be relaxed, and with less pain. When the pet is ready, the vet administers the solution for euthanasia, typically in a hind leg vein. This is an overdose of anesthesia that slows their heart until it stops beating. Your pet will pass in peace.

If you have elected for cremation, the vet will excuse herself to give you time privately to say goodbye. If you have other bonded animals, we typically recommend you bring them in during this private time so they can sniff the deceased pet. This can give them closure and hopefully cut back on the animal’s desire to search the home for their missing friend. Plan to spend some extra time with your other pets to help with this transition in the coming days. Upon her return, the body will be moved to the vet’s vehicle. For large animals, one way we do this is by using a blanket for lifting and any helpers grab the corners of the blanket. The veterinarian will handle your pet’s body gently and with the utmost care while transporting to our crematorium. We take about 10 days to 2 weeks to return ashes if you paid for a private cremation.

When you have animals who are bonded, they may grieve the loss of the one who died. Many pets will experience a transition as they readjust to the missing pet.

For the duration of the appointment, we encourage keeping other pets away from the pet who is dying as this can help keep everyone calm. Once the procedure has completed and the pet has passed on peacefully, it can be helpful for the animals to be invited to sniff the body. Them being allowed to observe the deceased can help cut down on anxious behavior in the days that follow as they grieve.

Please keep your remaining pets’ routines normal. Spend time with them playing and giving attention if they desire it.

Every animal is different. If you observe concerning behavior (especially, loss of appetite) that does not improve as the days or weeks go by, you should make an appointment with your primary veterinarian.

Your pet passed away naturally and we can help with aftercare cremation. Call or text us. (315) 427-8773. We may be able to arrange pickup of the remains or you may be interested in dropping remains off at our cremation facility in Whitesboro. Either requires a conversation with us ahead of time.

We notify your veterinarian by email (or traditional mail if needed) that your pet has passed on. You do not need to say anything to your veterinarian unless you want to. We understand how difficult that conversation can be. Your veterinarian may offer sympathy as well and it can be helpful for some people to speak through. Do what feels best for you.

We accept Cash, Check, or Credit Card.
Please make checks payable to Gentle Goodbye Animal Hospice.

We can not accept Venmo, Paypal, or other similar digital payments.
We can not accept CareCredit.