Cost to Euthanize a Dog or Cat
For an animal lover, pet euthanasia can be tough to swallow. The procedure is often performed when an animal has been suffering for weeks or months and there are no other options left in its life but death. Costs will usually vary by shelter/vet performing the service as well as geographical location.
How much does pet euthanasia cost?
There are many options to choose from for those considering euthanasia for their pets – the cost can vary depending on what you would like done with the body and will usually be somewhere between $25 and $400. If cremated, a general cremation will be in the $100-$150 range plus an additional fee if you want something memorable such as a custom urn or jewelry added onto it. Alternatively, there are shared and individual cremations. If instead, you want to take the body home with you, you will have to spend anywhere between $25 to $70 to have it euthanased.
You might also like our articles about the cost of pet cremation, pet insurance, or pet sedation.
Euthanasia can be performed at a local shelter or in the veterinarian’s office, costing anywhere from $25 to $150. At-home euthanizing can cost around $225, though prices will vary depending on animal and location. In Minnesota, the Animal Humane Society charges between $10 and $85 dollars depending on the animal that needs to be put down, while Miami offers flat rates of $25 per animal.
Many people are willing to pay a high price for an animal’s euthanasia. However, there is one problem: the cost greatly varies depending on what type of cremation service you want—whether it be in-office or urn with ashes returned back home.
According to GardenWeb Forum members, they have paid anywhere from $50-$200 per procedure for animals’ euthanasias. This would depend on if you need your pet just put down at the vet office or you want their remains sent back to your house. You can also have them buried as well.
PetMD has analyzed cremation options and their prices, which, by their account, can range from $645 to upwards of $800 depending on the type of service you need. Seniortailwaggers says that clinical euthanasia will cost between $75-$350 in most places, while at-home services for animals may start at about $300 but go up depending on what you opt for.
Pet euthanasia details
During the procedure, your pet will be given a tranquilizer to help them relax and make their last moments with you as comfortable as possible. Once they are unconscious from the drug, another one is applied that stops their heart completely so there’s no chance of suffering or pain before death comes. Depending on the services and what you want to happen next, you can either have your pet cremated and ashes returned to you, or have the body buried for you, or brought to you so you can bury it yourself.
The process of tranquilizing your pet can be done at the vet’s office, or in a more comfortable setting. The latter option is best for pets that are too sick to travel without sedation and those who become anxious when going into unfamiliar settings such as the vet clinic. You will also have the alternative of either staying in the room during the process or leaving and returning when everything is said and done.
Any extra costs to consider?
Sometimes, additional fees will show up on your itemized vet bill. This could include IV catheters, needles, and an office examination fee. The amount depends on where you go for a visit so it’s important to talk with that office before going there, to get an idea of what you will have to pay.
Cremation often has a high cost. It’s not uncommon for an individual cremation service, which is where the pet is cremated alone and with their ashes put into something like an urn or vase, to be $300. You can opt for group cremation services that are usually around $100. After the body has been cremated, you will have to get an urn. It will usually cost anywhere from $30 to $180, depending on the customizations you go for and the jewelry you add, if any.
To have an animal buried in a local cemetery, the price can range from $300 to $800 for a plot. Headstones cost extra depending on what type of headstone you want to get. They are usually picked depending on the pet’s size.
It’s not all that common, but some vets can come to your home so you don’t have to go out and carry your pet with you. It costs anywhere from $50-$200 extra for them to do this, depending on how far they’re traveling or where you live.
Important tips to remember
Many vets are hesitant to euthanize healthy animals. If your animal is not sick and has no behavioral problems, they will likely reject your request for an appointment. It may be helpful in this situation to pay ahead of time so that there’s one less thing on our plate when we show up at the office.
Is there any way to spend less?
You can consider taking your animal to a local vet for the procedure because home services are going to cost significantly more since they have to come to you. Consider buying a small memorial stone or having cremation done on-site so you don’t need an expensive cemetery plot afterward.
Animal cremation can be a difficult decision for those who are not financially stable. There is an option of taking the animal to your local Humane Society or county if you cannot afford it and they may have lower rates than other veterinarian offices.
Be sure to ask about low-cost options at any shelters in your city, as some organizations offer them.
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Thanks for the info about euthanasia. My dog is old and sick. Euthanasia might be best for my pet.
I wonder what people’s thoughts are around euthanizing ones support dog, in the event an owner must prepare to pass away. If the two have been bonded 24/7 since rescued and no one else is close to the dog?
There are many other details in this particular situation that definitely justify euthanizing, yet in general, is it ever considered okay for an owner to make their own choice in euthanasia if they are preparing to pass away? Or just for any reason at all? Does an owner have that power over their dogs destiny? (Obviously owners off their own dogs themselves, and can easily get away with that. But I mean if they want to do it humanely the proper way with a veterinarian.)
If they want to take their “other half” with them, and not abandon them and leaving them behind with strangers and an unknown destiny that could possibly go very badly? As it’s hard to resign from being the protector and having no way to know if she’d somehow eventually end up going missing or stolen or neglected or abused etc. It’s hard enough to put them through the heartbreak and shock of abandoning them. So why risk things being any worse than that alone?
I’m just curious what others think about this choice, with or without reasons for the owners choice.