Our Services
Pet euthanasia and cremation in Dubai
There is no good day to say goodbye.
Whether you call it euthanasia or putting them to sleep, this is what happens at Paws & Co, step by step, so that on the day, all of your attention can be on them.
Home / Our Services / Pet euthanasia and cremation
- Where
- Every clinic, starting with Motor City and Hessa Street
- The room
- Yours, with no rush
- At home
- Offered once we open
The Farewell Suite: Where you say goodbye
Every Paws & Co clinic has a Farewell Suite: a private room, away from the rest of the clinic, kept for saying goodbye. Where the building allows, it has its own way out at the back. When it is over, you leave quietly. You do not walk back through reception past someone arriving with a new puppy.
It is a living room, not a treatment room: a comfortable sofa, and lights you dim yourself. The walls are soundproofed, so the only thing you hear is each other. It stays quiet unless you ask. We can put on soft woodland sounds, or you can play your own music from your phone.
The room has its own scent, linden blossom and chamomile, and we use it nowhere else. When you come back one day with your next pet, the rest of the clinic should not bring this day back.
The first two suites open in Motor City and Hessa Street, Dubai, in January 2027.
Quality of life: Knowing when it is time
There is rarely one obvious day. Most pets reach a point where an illness can be managed but no longer cured, and comfort gets harder to give. Your vet will tell you honestly what they see, so you are not deciding alone.
Once we know an illness will not get better, we start talking with you regularly about their quality of life. You know them better than anyone. Tell us how they are at home: whether they are still eating, and whether they still get up to greet you. That tells us more than anything we can measure in a consultation. The sooner we start talking, the more time you have to think.
If your faith or beliefs mean euthanasia is not for you, tell us early. We will keep them comfortable with pain relief and nursing care, and see them more often, while you stay true to what you believe.
Putting a pet to sleep: What happens, step by step
A vet and a nurse are with your pet at every step.
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The conversation
Before anything happens, your vet explains each step and answers your questions. We also talk you through what it costs, including each cremation option, so you know the full amount before you decide. Your vet goes through the consent form with you before you sign it. You pay then, and nothing is left to settle afterwards.
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Before you begin
To begin, a thin tube called a catheter goes into a vein in one of your pet's legs. It means no more needles after this one. This usually happens in a treatment room and takes a few minutes, then your pet comes straight back to you.
Then you have time together in the room. Hold them, talk to them. There is no rush.
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When you are ready
There are three steps.
- One. An anaesthetic drug is given through the catheter. Your pet drifts into a deep, calm sleep. They are still alive at this point, and very relaxed.
- Two. Your vet clears the catheter with a little saline water flush, and watches their breathing and heartbeat slow.
- Three. The final anaesthetic. A stronger dose that switches off their awareness first, and then stops the heart. It usually takes only seconds.
Your pet feels nothing beyond the first step. What they experience is falling asleep.
You can stay for all of it, or say goodbye while they are still awake and wait outside. Some people need to be there to the end. Others would rather remember them awake, looking back. Both come from love, and both are right. If you step out, we stay with them. They are never alone.
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What you may notice
After your pet has passed, their eyes usually stay open. Their bladder or bowels may empty as the muscles relax. Now and then a muscle twitches, or there is one sudden breath. These are the body's reflexes. They are not in pain nor still alive. At this point, they are gone. We tell you now so that it does not frighten you on the day.
Their favourite things: One more treat
If they are still eating, and it feels right for you, we can give them something they love. For dogs, that includes chocolate. If their favourite meal is one you cook, bring that instead.
Yes, chocolate. Every other day of their life, we tell you to keep it away from them. This is the one exception.
Bring their blanket or their bed if you like. If another pet at home is calm and close to them, they can come too. Animals often grieve, and being there, even for a moment afterwards, can help them understand.
Afterwards: Pet cremation in Dubai
Dubai Municipality does not allow pets to be buried in the UAE, so we arrange pet cremation for you, with a specialist third-party crematorium. If you wish, your pet can be cremated with a favourite blanket or toy.
There are three choices.
| Cremation | What happens | Their ashes |
|---|---|---|
| Communal | Your pet is cremated together with other pets. | Not returned |
| Individual | Your pet is cremated in their own separate, marked compartment. | Home to you in up to two weeks |
| Private | Your pet is cremated on their own, with the option to say goodbye again at the crematorium. This costs more than the other two, and we tell you the price before you decide. | Home to you in up to five working days |
Cremation certificate. If you might one day move country and want to take their ashes with you, ask us for a cremation certificate. You need it to take ashes abroad.
Keepsakes. On the consent form, you can choose a paw impression and a memorial card. The card carries a favourite photo you share with us, with their date of birth and the date they passed. There is no charge for either. They are part of the service.
Grief: Looking after yourself
Grief for a pet does not arrive in a neat order. Most people go back over the last months and ask whether they could have done more. Almost everyone asks this. It is a sign of how much you cared. Some feel relief when a long illness is over, and then guilt for feeling it. All of it is normal.
It can be physical too: broken sleep, or thinking you hear them at the door. Talk about them with the people who knew them. We would rather you called us than sat with it alone. If you would like to talk to someone outside your own circle, tell us, and we will connect you with people who can help.
Children. Tell them the truth, in words they understand. This may be the first death they have known. Let them tell you how they feel, and talk about the good days. A letter to their pet, or a book of photographs, can help.
A new pet. When to bring home another animal is up to you. Some families are ready in weeks, some in years.
Pets who grieve: The pets still at home
Other pets in the home often feel the loss. A dog or cat may search the house for them, or cling to you. Others change nothing at all.
If a cat stops eating, call us. In cats it can turn serious quickly. Call us about a dog that stops eating too. Illness can look a lot like grief, so if something changes, tell us.
To help them settle:
- Keep their routine as steady as you can.
- Leave their companion's bed and blanket for a while. A scent that fades slowly gives them time.
- Let a cat come to you, rather than giving more attention than they are used to.
- Keep dogs moving. Exercise eases stress for them, and for you.
- Ask us about calming pheromone diffusers and collars.
- Be patient if they are anxious. A calm word helps more than a firm one.
- Give an outdoor cat an indoor litter tray, as cats from next door may move into their patch.
- If you are thinking about a kitten or puppy, give the pets at home a little time first. A lively newcomer is rarely a comfort to an animal still missing an old friend.
End-of-life questions: Common questions
Does it hurt?
Only a little skin prick. They feel the catheter going in, like any other needle. After the first step, they are fully unconscious before the final one.
Can I stay with my pet the whole time?
Yes. Apart from placing the catheter, which usually happens in a treatment room, you can be with them to the end. If you would rather say goodbye while they are still awake, and wait outside, that is right too. Either way, a vet and a nurse stay with them.
How do I know when it is time?
Tell us how they are at home: whether they still eat, and still get up to greet you. We keep them comfortable while you think. You do not have to decide on the day you first ask.
How long does it take?
Placing the catheter takes a few minutes. After that, the time is yours and theirs, for as long as you need. The final step itself usually takes only seconds.
Can it happen at home?
Yes. We will offer euthanasia at home once we open, and we will share the details then.
How much does it cost, including cremation?
You know the full price, cremation included, before you decide, and nothing is left to settle afterwards.
Can someone else bring my pet?
Yes, an authorised person can bring them, with written authorisation from you. Whoever signs the consent form needs to be 18 or over, and either the pet's owner or someone the owner has authorised to act on their behalf.
What is the consent form?
It is the one form you sign with us once you have decided. It gives us your permission to go ahead, and it writes down exactly what you want to happen afterwards: the cremation you have chosen, whether their ashes come home to you, and any keepsakes. On a day when it is hard to think, nothing is left to memory. Your vet goes through it with you before you sign.
Can I bury my pet?
No. Dubai Municipality does not allow pets to be buried in the UAE, so we arrange cremation for you, and you choose which kind.