FAQs / Resources

Water cremation, also known as aquamation or alkaline hydrolysis, is an environmentally-friendly alternative to traditional pet cremation. In pet water cremation, the pet's remains are placed in a special machine that uses water and alkaline chemicals to break down the body's organic materials, leaving behind only the bones. The process is similar to natural decomposition. The resulting liquid is sterile and can be safely disposed of, while the bones are processed into a fine powder that can be returned to the pet owner. To learn more about water cremation see our page.

While we can often accommodate same day appointments,  allowing a 24 hour notice is ideal to ensure that we can have a doctor visit at a time that will work best for you and your family.

While we are not an emergency practice, if your pet has an urgent need for euthanasia we will do our best to accommodate an appointment if our schedule allows.  If your pet is having trouble breathing or is in a great deal of pain, it may be best for you to take them to an emergency clinic where they can be seen right away.

Click on the following link for a list of emergency clinics: Resources

Often times it can be incredibly difficult to know when it might be the right time to say goodbye. Our team may offer online tools as guidance, or we may set up an in-home appointment with one of our doctors to help guide you in making the kindest choice in the end-of-life care for your pet.

Our “office hours” where we have a care coordinator available to answer phones and emails, are 8:00am–6:00pm seven days a week. We do see appointments outside of these times though, so please call our office to discuss our availability. We also have a doctor on call to answer emergency questions until 8:30pm seven days a week, as well as on holidays.

Appointment times vary based on your needs and the type of appointment scheduled. A Hospice/Palliative care visit or initial acupuncture treatment is often 60-75 minutes. Follow-up acupuncture appointments are usually shorter.

A euthanasia appointment is typically less than an hour.  It is important to note that a family may take as much time as they need during every stage of the euthanasia appointment – we will never rush you during this important time.

While we have a doctor on call until 8:30pm every evening, we do not have services available 24 hours a day. If you find your pet in need of emergent care outside of our regular hours, please contact your closest emergency animal clinic.

Click on the following link for a list of emergency clinics: Resources

Please call our office and let us know as soon as possible. If you would like us to arrange for aftercare, the doctor can keep the scheduled appointment and take your pet into their care to make arrangements for cremation.

We typically do not place a traditional intravenous (IV) catheter for our euthanasia appointments, however, in some circumstances, a butterfly catheter may be used by the doctor. If an IV catheter was placed by your pet’s regular veterinarian prior to our visit, our doctor may use this for the euthanasia injection.

Yes, it is important to us that an owner knows they have the flexibility to cancel an appointment if their situation changes.  We greatly appreciate a phone call or email to our office as soon as you know that you won’t be needing us so that we may open up that appointment to help another family.  There will be a $100 fee incurred for cancellations within two hours of our scheduled arrival time and a $400 fee incurred if the doctor arrives at your home and our services are declined.

While this topic is of interest for some pet owners, veterinarians are legally unable to offer advice on the use of marijuana or hemp-based products at this time.

No, we do not require an appointment prior to a euthanasia appointment. Some families prefer to meet the doctor prior to the euthanasia appointment and if this is the case, we can certainly set up a consultation. In the rare instance where we need more medical information prior to scheduling a euthanasia appointment, we may request a home visit or ask to review records from the primary care veterinarian (only with owner approval).

Without a valid veterinarian/pet/client relationship, our doctors are unable to offer any advice on over-the-counter or prescription medications for your pet.

Compassion 4 Paws serves Seattle, WA and the surrounding areas.  Our service area extends North to some parts of Marysville and South to Tukwila.  We also service the Eastside including Redmond, Woodinville, and Bellevue.

If you are unsure that you reside within our service area, please give us a call. Additional travel fees may apply.

Our goal is to ensure that you, your family and your pet are as comfortable as possible during the entire visit. Feel free to feed your pet as you normally would (if they are up to eating) and continue to give any medications as directed.  Please do not worry about making any special accommodations for us – the doctor will come prepared with everything that they need for the visit.

In a situation where we are helping a family say good-bye to their dog, we will ask if a family member (or members in the case of a larger dog) will be able to assist the doctor in carrying their pet to her car if we will be making arrangements for aftercare. If an owner is unable to help the doctor, please let us know so we may make alternate arrangements (additional fees may apply).

The initial hospice visit fee includes the exam, consultation and development of a treatment plan, as well as support and guidance via email and phone after the visit.  A follow-up in-home hospice visit would incur a separate fee, as would an in-home euthanasia visit if needed.  Please speak with a Care Coordinator to receive more information on our fees.

Compassion 4 Paws’ practice exclusively offers in-home end-of-life care for your pets. We focus on acupuncture, laser therapy, hospice/palliative care and euthanasia.  We do not provide routine or diagnostic exams and treatments.

While there may be cause to euthanize a pet because of a behavioral reason (ex., aggression), we feel that these unfortunate situations are best handled by the pet’s primary care veterinarian who has an established relationship with the pet and family based on the behavior.

For any diagnostics that our hospice care providers recommend, we will refer your pet to their regular veterinary clinic for this testing. If you do not have a regular veterinarian, we can recommend one for you.

Absolutely! For our hospice and palliative care programs it is best if we are able to care for your pet as a “team”.  It is helpful for our doctor to review your pet’s medical records prior to the appointment.  In situations where this is not possible, our doctor may just need extra time to ensure she has all of the relevant history. Following our appointment, we are happy to reach out to your regular veterinarian to provide an update if this is requested.

Yes! A wonderful thing about animals is that there is no “placebo effect” so when we see improvement, it is from the actual effects of the acupuncture and laser therapy. Our acupuncture certified veterinarians are happy to discuss these therapies, along with realistic expectations and goals for your pet.

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Compassion 4 Paws is a mobile only practice, so we do not have a brick and mortar office that clients and pets may visit.  However, we are based out of the Edmonds/North Seattle area.