Frequently Asked Questions

As a mobile vet practice focused exclusively on geriatric and end-of-life care for pets in Toronto and the GTA, we provide a range of services including virtual quality of life assessments and hospice consultations, in-home euthanasia, as well as aftercare through our sister company, Faithful Pet Memorial.

Quality of Life Assessments

If you are having feelings of guilt about euthanizing your pet or you are not sure if this is the right time to do so, a non-medical quality of life assessment via telemedicine with one of our specially trained registered veterinary technicians (RVTs) may help make this heart-wrenching decision easier. We will discuss several ways to determine your pet’s quality of life, as well as the manner in which you may want your pet to pass, along with your desires for marking or memorializing your pet exactly the way you want.

Palliative & Hospice Care Consultations

If you are looking for guidance about caring for your geriatric pet and/or how best to navigate a terminal diagnosis, we can provide a 1 hour palliative & hospice care consultation via telemedicine with one of our veterinarians from Monday to Friday during regular business hours. The appointment will begin with a review of your pet’s medical history followed by a discussion of your pet’s current condition or illness. Time will be spent discussing your pet’s activities of daily living including nutritional and hydration needs, pain management, assessment of quality of life and much, much more. You will then receive a personalized care plan, as well as prescriptions for any recommended medications.

In-home Euthanasia

Our in-home euthanasia service includes a 1 hour house call, sedation, euthanasia and a complimentary paw print impression and fur clipping (if you wish). If requested, our veterinarian will take your pet’s body with her after the euthanasia appointment and we will arrange aftercare services on your behalf through our sister organization, Faithful Pet Memorial. If you have opted for private aquamation (i.e. your pet’s cremated remains (ashes) returned to you in a standard urn of your choice), the urn can be picked up, by appointment, from our MMVHS Hospice Centre at 181 Weston Road in Toronto, ON or we can ship it to you via expedited Canada Post for an additional fee. For communal aquamation, no ashes will be returned to you. 

Note, we can accommodate evening (6pm or later) and weekend appointments, as well as those beyond the city of Toronto, for an additional fee. In order to provide you with an accurate cost estimate, we will need to know the approximate weight of your pet, your aftercare preference, your postal code and the preferred day/time for the appointment. 

Booking An Appointment

We have multiple veterinarians in our practice who are available by appointment, 7 days a week. We also have a dedicated support team of compassionate hospice care coordinators available to answer your calls and respond to emails Monday to Friday from 8am to 6pm, Saturday from 8:30am to 5:30pm, and Sunday/holidays from 8:30am to 1:30pm. You can also complete an online appointment request. We recommend contacting us to schedule your appointment 1-2 days in advance, if possible, but we do offer same-day appointments and we will do our absolute best to accommodate you and your pet on short notice. 

If your pet requires emergency care, please contact your local veterinary emergency clinic as we are unfortunately unable to provide 24 hour service. 

We hope this has provided you with most of the information you need at this time, but please call us at 416-817-3572 if you would like further information or if we can help in any way. We also encourage you to review the other FAQs on this page.

We understand booking an in home euthanasia appointment may be difficult to do in advance, but the more notice we receive, the more likely we will be able to accommodate you for the day and time you prefer. We have multiple veterinarians in our practice and we usually have availability 7 days/week. However, we are not an emergency service so we do recommend booking your appointment at least a day in advance in order to guarantee that one of our vets will be available to help you. If your pet’s health has suddenly deteriorated and you need to book an appointment immediately, we will do our best to help. Please contact us at (416) 817-3572 to talk with one of our hospice team members.

We understand that this is a very difficult decision and that sometimes this can happen. We ask that you give us as much notice as possible so that we can offer our services to another family in need of our help. If we receive less than 6 hours notice, the cancellation fee is $50 + tax. If we receive less than 1 hours notice, the cancellation fee is $120 + tax. We appreciate your understanding.

We are not an emergency service and do not have 24 hour availability. We know your calls are important and we are diligent about returning calls and emails in order to help you get the care you need.

While we do come to your home, we are not an emergency service.  You can contact us at (416) 817-3572 to see if we have any available appointments but you may have to go to your closest veterinary emergency clinic. You can find a list of emergency clinics here.

Our hospice consultation appointments and quality of life assessments are being done via telemedicine only. Our veterinarians and RVTs have access to a range of technology platforms to facilitate these video calls, including Zoom and FaceTime, and can effectively observe your pet in his or her own environment as well as help you navigate through this confusing and emotional time. Additional information can be found here.

Caring for your pets at the end of their life has been the main focus of our practice since 2012 so we have a great deal of experience in this area. Your pet may experience some minor discomfort, similar to a vaccine injection, while receiving the sedative. As the sedative begins to work, your pet will become sleepy and then become completely sedated.

Yes, the first step of the euthanasia process involves the administration of a strong combination of sedatives and pain relievers.

Our in-home euthanasia appointment is typically one hour in duration. This may be longer than an in-clinic appointment, as we don't want you to feel rushed. In addition, it allows time for you to update the veterinarian on your pet's health and for them to be there as a resource for you regarding the loss of your pet. You will sign a consent form that allows the vet to go ahead with the euthanasia and outlines your plan for aftercare.

The first step in the euthanasia process is to sedate your pet. This is done by an injection administered in their rear muscle area. As this sedative takes effect, your pet will become drowsy and then fully sedated. This relaxation into deep sleep allows your pet (and you) to feel calm and stress free.

Once the vet knows that your pet is fully sedated, they will administer the euthanasia drug. After your beloved pet has passed, the vet will then offer to make you a clay paw print, and do a fur clipping, at no additional fee, if you would like them. These are lovely memorial items for families to have as keepsakes. Being able to pass in the comfort and privacy of your home, surrounded by the people (and pets) they love and that love them, is an invaluable gift for your pet and for you.

If we are assisting with aftercare, the veterinarian will place your pet in a cozy blanket into a basket or on a stretcher, and carry him/her to their car (with your help if using the stretcher). They will then ensure that your pet is transported with respect and dignity to Faithful Pet Memorial, our sister company, which offers aquamation, also known as water-based cremation. Faithful Pet Memorial offers a variety of services including viewing and visitation, as well as private and communal aquamation, an eco-friendly alternative to flame cremation. In addition, they offer a beautiful range of handcrafted keepsakes and custom urns. Choosing Faithful Pet Memorial means that your beloved pet will never leave the care of our trusted and compassionate team. However, we can arrange flame cremation through a 3rd party provider, if you wish.

It’s been our experience that other pets in the house need the opportunity to say goodbye. As long as the other pet is not disruptive to the process, there is no problem with them being there. In some cases, a family will bring them in after their pet has passed, to say goodbye.

Learn more here: https://mmvhs.ca/blog/should-other-pets-be-present-during-the-euthanasia/

You as parents know best, but if we are asked for our opinion, we recommend that they be present. Due to the nature of our practice, all of our vets have a lot of experience in helping children understand the process, depending on their age and level of comprehension. We feel the actual process of euthanasia is often more peaceful than what is imagined in a child’s mind. Seeing their pet calm, not in pain, and having a peaceful passing may be less stressful and upsetting than imagining what will happen.

Read our full blog article on this topic here: https://mmvhs.ca/blog/should-kids-be-present-for-the-euthanasia-of-their-beloved-pets/

 There are many reasons why people choose in-home euthanasia. They include:

i.  not wanting their pet’s final moments to be in a clinical setting

ii.  difficulty moving their large, mobility impaired pet

iii.  more intimate at home

iv.  avoiding the stress of the clinic

We want your pet to be as comfortable as possible so please continue all pain medication right up to the appointment.

We know that families want to make their pets’ final day as good as it can be, so regular meals and treats are fine as well.

Yes, we are pleased to provide water-based cremation services, also known as aquamation, through our sister organization Faithful Pet Memorial. Aquamation is a gentle, eco-friendly process that uses water instead of fire for pet cremation. Water, temperature, and salts are used to reduce the body to bone, just as flame-based cremation would. Choosing aftercare through Faithful Pet Memorial means that your beloved pet will never leave the care of our trusted and compassionate team.

This is understandably one of the most common concerns amongst pet owners, and we take it very seriously at Faithful Pet Memorial. From the moment your beloved pet enters our care, they are assigned a unique identification number that will stay with them throughout the aftercare journey. If private aquamation is requested, your pet will be placed in an individual basket within the vessel along with the unique stainless steel token that identifies your pet in our industry-specific tracking software. This token remains with your pet throughout the aquamation process and will be returned to you, along with the cremated remains (or “ashes”) in an urn at the end of the process.

In-home euthanasia costs slightly more than going to your regular clinic because we are coming to you. Our fees depend on the size of your pet as well as the type of aftercare that you are choosing. There may be an additional charge if you are outside of our regular service area or need an evening or weekend appointment. Please email us at info@mmvhs.ca or call our office at (416) 817-3572 and we can give you a quote.