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Euthanasia

Letting a beloved pet be put to sleep is one of the hardest decisions we as animal owners have to make.

Ideally, we would like our animal to pass away peacefully of old age in its sleep. Unfortunately, this is not what normally happens for most animals, whether they live in a home or in the wild.

When an animal is in incurable pain or suffering for other reasons, the responsibility for making the heavy, final decision rests with the owner.

Finding it hard to judge whether it is time to say goodbye to your friend? Then I recommend reading and filling in the Swedish Veterinary Association’s quality of life assessment (in Swedish), “Skattning av livskvalitet”.

What I can do is fulfil the wish that your animal may fall asleep calmly and peacefully at home, in its own bed or in your arms.

I can perform euthanasia at home throughout Stockholm County.

Preparatory documents

When euthanising an animal with additional life insurance, the insurance company sometimes requires a life certificate before compensation related to illness can be paid out.

Check with your insurance company what applies in your case before the visit, so that the necessary documents can be prepared. In some cases, a summary of medical records from previous vets needs to be requested.

For ordinary insurance claims in connection with euthanasia, the receipt for the visit is sufficient.

A euthanasia visit involves a few simple formalities.

Before a home euthanasia visit, the owner prints the document “Request for euthanasia” or “Power of attorney and request for euthanasia” (what does that mean?), fills it in and hands it over at the visit.

If you are unable to print, I always bring the “Request for euthanasia” document with me.

Identity is checked by reading the tattoo (if legible, or present in cats) or the microchip.

Payment is made at the visit against a receipt, either:

  • in cash
  • via Swish 123 701 97 55 (requires an active BankID and a checked payment limit, as banks have different limits)
  • to PG (Plusgiro) 1565910-5

Dogs that have been euthanised must be deregistered via the Swedish Board of Agriculture’s dog register which requires an e-ID.

If your dog is also registered in the voluntary register SKK’s DjurID – please notify them as well.

Cats that have been euthanised must be deregistered via the Swedish Board of Agriculture’s cat register which requires an e-ID.

If your cat is also registered in the voluntary registers  SKK’s DjurID and/or SVERAK’s ID register – please notify them as well.

A cat can be registered in all three registers, but only registration with the Swedish Board of Agriculture is required by law.

How does a home euthanasia work?

You choose a place where your animal will fall asleep and how you want the surroundings to be. Many like to light candles, have music in the background or have other wishes for the setting.

It is worth knowing that the surface should be durable and washable, as some leakage (urine/faeces) may occur. This risk is reduced if the animal has had a chance to relieve itself beforehand.

Consider whether your animal should be wrapped in something or have a small keepsake/toy with it.

Anything sent along must be combustible. Please avoid plastic, rubber and fleece, as they pollute the air and soil during cremation.

It is no problem if children or animals are present. The only condition is that they are not overly protective of their friend.

I adapt to how you would like things regarding private ceremonies or other wishes.

A visit takes about 1–1.5 hours, although the time depends somewhat on distance and route.

The exact procedure can differ between dogs and cats. You can read more about this under “Euthanasia – cats” and “Euthanasia – dogs”.

I take the body with me for refrigerated storage (just as a mortuary does for people) ahead of the chosen cremation. It is then collected by the crematorium on Mondays (excluding public holidays).

Three aftercare options:

1) Communal cremation – your animal is cremated together with other animals. Stockholms Djurkremering inters the ashes at the pet cemetery on Djurgården within 3 weeks.

2) Individual cremation – your animal is cremated individually by Stockholms Djurkremering and the ashes are returned to you in a simple, elegant wooden urn (included).

If you would rather have another urn offered by the crematorium, it can be chosen as an option.

Each animal cremated individually is given a specific code number that follows it from the home and back again.

The code number is written on the urn. You can be completely sure that you receive your own animal’s ashes.

The urn comes back to me after 2–3 weeks. At an agreed time, it is collected from my home at Frejgatan 12 in Vasastan, Stockholm.

Special circumstances such as holidays or illness may delay when the urn can be collected.

As an extra service, I can deliver the urn to your home or send it by courier for collection at a chosen parcel pick-up point.

3) Own aftercare – the owner takes care of the animal for burial or transport to the nearest crematorium:

You can also hand the animal in for cremation at any veterinary clinic you arrange this with yourself.

Dogs heavier than 30 kg can only be taken for cremation at visits booked on Mondays at 09:00 (excluding public holidays). When larger animals are euthanised at other times, the owner arranges the aftercare.

Virtual memorial garden

All clients are welcome to add a photo of their four-legged darling to Guldveterinären’s virtual memorial garden.

Please send the following details in our email conversation:

  • photo
  • the animal’s name
  • years of life
  • the owners’ first names

Pet cemetery

Some choose to keep the urn with the ashes as a keepsake at home or in the garden.

If you would like to bury or scatter the ashes but have no suitable place, there are pet cemeteries for this purpose.

In the City of Stockholm, ashes and urns may only be buried in pet cemeteries (other municipalities may have different rules):

Memorial stone for the grave

If you would like a memorial stone with text and possibly a picture, it can be ordered from Djurskylt.se
If you would like to change to a different kind of urn at home, there is a lovely small selection at Urnbutiken.se

Guldveterinären avlivning