Pet euthanasia: Sunshine Coast vet to offer at-home end-of-life service for pets
Facing the end of a pet’s life is difficult. Find out why this Sunshine Coast vet will start offering at-home euthanasias for our furry friends and vote in our poll.
Sunshine Coast
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After seeing some pet owners left traumatised by the last moments of their animal’s life, a Sunshine Coast vet has decided to offer at-home euthanasias.
Sandra Macheroux will become the latest Sunshine Coast vet to offer the service.
The vet of nearly 30 years decided to start after seeing the trauma some people went through when putting their pets down in clinical settings.
She said with the vet shortage nationwide it was hard in a busy clinic to give people the time they needed at the end of a pet’s life.
“We have to slot euthanasias into a 30-minute consultation,” she said.
“It’s horrible for everyone, and to really slow down and connect with everyone is difficult.”
She said more vets were valuing the at-home service, which had become more popular in the past 15 years, though it was in some ways a “luxury” procedure.
“It’s a genuine, kind procedure,” Dr Macheroux said.
“It’s an end of life service rather than a veterinary procedure.”
The vet said she would set two or three days a week aside for the at-home euthanasias.
“It may or may not create income on that day but I’m available if someone needs me,” Dr Macheroux said.
The vet will start the service in mid-August.
“I’m pretty much set up to start, with all the legalities and gear,” Dr Macheroux said.
The vet said she would travel north to Noosa and south to Kawana Waters but could not service the whole Sunshine Coast.
In August, 2021, a survey by Animal Medicines Australia found that 69 per cent of Australian households owned a pet.
The survey found there were more than 30 million pets in Australia, which was a record level of pet ownership following the Covid-19 pandemic.
Dr Macheroux advised pet owners that if they thought the end of their pet’s life was approaching, it was best to talk to a vet as early as possible about options before the situation became too emotional.
“The earlier decisions can be made the better,” she said.
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