In-Home End-of-Life Care for Dogs and Cats in Victoria
In-home end-of-life care means the last appointment happens where your dog or cat actually lives. No carrier. No car journey. No unfamiliar smells at the end of a long life. For a cat who has hated the clinic for fourteen years, or a big dog whose back legs have stopped cooperating with the stairs, that difference is not a small one. Our veterinarians make house calls in Victoria for this, and some families find it is the only way they want to do it.
House Call Euthanasia in Victoria
The appointment happens wherever your pet is most settled. A favourite spot on the rug, the sunny patch by the window, the sofa they were never technically allowed on. You choose the room and you choose who is there. Some families want everybody present, including children and other pets in the household. Others want it very quiet. Both are entirely normal and our team follows whatever you decide rather than arriving with a fixed way of doing things. The visit is quiet by design. We come in without making a production of it, we keep our voices down, and we work at whatever pace the room needs. If your pet is asleep when we arrive, we will wait.
What to Expect When We Arrive
We will explain everything before starting, then let the room go quiet. Your pet is given a sedative so they slip into a deep, comfortable sleep, usually in your arms or on their own bed, and only once they are fully relaxed is the final injection given. You do not need to hold anything, do anything, or say anything. Afterwards we will give you as much time as you want with your dog or cat before anything else is discussed, and we will not hurry that. You are welcome to have a blanket ready or a favourite spot prepared, but nothing needs tidying on our account.
What Is In-Home End-of-Life Care?
In-home end-of-life care is a veterinary house call in which a pet is helped to die peacefully at home rather than at a clinic. A veterinarian and an assistant come to the house, settle the animal in a familiar place, give a sedative first, and then the final injection, with the family present throughout if they wish.
Choosing Between Home and the Clinic
Neither option is better. A house call suits an animal who finds travel distressing, a very large dog, or a family who wants other pets in the household to be present. Coming into the clinic suits families who want the comfort room, or where the timing has become urgent and a house call cannot be arranged quickly enough. We can talk you through both on the phone. A house call needs to be scheduled around clinic hours and around the day’s caseload, so the more notice you can give us, the more likely we can arrange the time you want. Cost differs between the two as well, since a house call takes a veterinarian and an assistant out of the clinic for a block of time, and reception will explain that plainly when you ring.
All veterinary services
End-of-life care in clinic
Medical services for pets
Contact and clinic hours
Arranging a House Call in Victoria
Call us on (778) 265-4500 and tell reception you are asking about a home visit. They will check availability, ask where you are, and confirm what the visit involves before anything is booked. If we cannot come to you, we will say so honestly on that call rather than leave you waiting on a maybe. It helps if you can say roughly where in the house you would like the visit to happen and whether there is parking nearby, because those small details make the arrival calmer for everyone. Reception will also confirm what the fee covers before anything is booked.
Vic West Pet Hospital
526 Esquimalt Road, Victoria, BC V9A 3L4
(778) 265-4500
Hours: Monday 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Tuesday to Friday 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Saturday 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Sunday: Closed. Statutory holidays: Closed. Daily lunch closure 1:00 PM to 1:30 PM.
Reviewed by the Vic West Pet Hospital veterinary team. Last updated August 2026.
FAQ
Do you come to homes across Victoria?
Please call us on (778) 265-4500 and tell reception where you are. House call availability depends on the day and on how far the visit is, and our team will confirm honestly on that call rather than leave you unsure.
Can my other pets be in the room?
Yes, if that is what you want. Some families find it helps other animals in the household to be present. Others prefer the room quiet. Both are normal and we follow whatever you choose.
How much notice do you need?
As much as you can give us. House calls are scheduled around clinic hours and the day’s caseload, so more notice means a better chance of the time you want. Call and ask, even if you are not ready to book.
If saying goodbye at home is what your family needs, start with a phone call. Ring Vic West Pet Hospital on (778) 265-4500, tell reception you are asking about a home visit in Victoria, and they will talk you through what is possible.