Updated 2026-10-12
If you are considering pet euthanasia, a conversation with the veterinarian who knows your pet can address the medical questions this page cannot. Use the worksheet to remember what you want to ask, not to calculate a decision.
Prepare questions for your veterinarian
Record your observations and questions to bring to a veterinary appointment. This form makes no clinical decision.
Your entries stay in this browser tab. Download a copy before leaving; this worksheet does not send messages or place orders.
Separate observations from interpretations
Write what you saw and when: a change in eating, movement, sleep or interaction, in your own words. Keep the veterinarian’s existing instructions in a separate field. If care is urgent, contact the veterinary service directly rather than waiting to complete a note.
Ask what the available care options mean
Ask about the condition, uncertainty, comfort care, likely needs and whom to contact when circumstances change. The AVMA’s owner resource emphasizes discussing the pet’s situation and options with a veterinarian. It is general information, not an assessment of your animal.
Make room for practical questions
Ask where a discussion or appointment can happen, who can attend, what the veterinarian will explain beforehand, and which choices can be made later. Record questions about aftercare without assuming one arrangement is included.
Take an editable note to the conversation
Download only what you want to carry or share. The fields stay in your browser tab until you download them; this tool does not contact a clinic or transmit your observations. After the conversation, keep the veterinarian’s actual guidance separately from your original questions. Aftercare questions can be prepared independently.
Write observations in the words you would use at the appointment
When preparing questions about pet euthanasia or end-of-life care, record what you observed and when without converting the note into a diagnosis. You might note a change in a routine and a question you want the veterinarian to address. Keep existing veterinary instructions separate from your own observations so the source is clear. If the pet needs urgent attention, contact an appropriate veterinary service directly; completing this worksheet is not a prerequisite for seeking care.
Ask about uncertainty and the available options
Use the conversation to ask what the veterinarian knows about the condition, what remains uncertain, what care options mean and whom to contact if circumstances change. The linked AVMA resource provides general owner information, while your veterinarian can discuss the individual pet. This page does not apply a quality-of-life threshold or recommend a decision. A question can remain a question in the note; you do not need to select an outcome in order to prepare for the appointment.
Keep practical arrangements in a separate section
You may want to ask where a discussion or appointment can happen, who can attend, what will be explained beforehand and which decisions can be considered later. If aftercare information is relevant, the cremation service question sheet and local burial questions provide separate records. Keeping logistics distinct from medical questions makes it easier to see which answers should come from the veterinarian and which belong to another responsible provider.
Bring back the veterinarian’s actual guidance
After the conversation, save the advice and instructions you received separately from the original questions. Record who gave the guidance and when, so a later reader does not mistake a draft concern for a medical recommendation. The downloadable note is a preparation tool; it does not contact a clinic or schedule an appointment. If you also want personal support, the pet loss support resources are a separate route. A creative memorial workflow should not influence an individual veterinary decision.
Questions before you continue
Will the worksheet tell me when it is time?
No. It produces no quality-of-life score, threshold or recommendation to proceed.
Can I record a question without deciding anything?
Yes. Leave decisions blank and bring questions to the veterinarian.
Can I book a service through this page?
No. Contact your own veterinary practice or an appropriate local veterinary service.