Free and Low-Cost Pet Euthanasia: Where to Find Help

We're so sorry you're facing this. Free or low-cost pet euthanasia usually starts with a phone call to your local animal shelter, humane society, or city animal services. Many charge under $100, and two we found charge nothing for people who live in their county or city. Ask what it costs, whether you need an appointment, and what happens afterward.

If your pet needs help tonight, call the nearest emergency vet, tell them what you can spend, and ask what they can do. PetMD notes that euthanasia usually costs a bit more at an emergency clinic. If an appointment in the next few days works, call shelters and community clinics, and ask how soon each has an opening, since some are booked out.

Our directory can help you find an end-of-life vet near you, and our pet end-of-life planning guides cover what comes before and after. This guide also covers funds, payment plans, aftercare, and free pet loss support.

Key Takeaways

• Some shelters, humane societies, and city animal services offer euthanasia free or at a low cost. Wake County, North Carolina, lists euthanasia as free for county residents; BARCS in Baltimore offers free euthanasia with communal cremation to city residents for pets nearing the end of their lives; and Chicago's city shelter charges residents $10.
• On the 18 price lists we checked, most charge $40 to $115 for a cat or a dog up to 50 pounds, and with any required fee, a typical price for a cat is about $75. If a goodbye is already behind you, these are published shelter prices, not what happened with yours.
• Each place sets its own rules, such as requiring an appointment, proof you live in the area, proof your pet is yours, or a note from a vet. Some include communal cremation in the price, where they don't return the ashes, and some charge extra.
• The two funds we found that help pay for euthanasia are local, one in Maryland and one in Utah, and each is for families who can't afford the cost. A local shelter or animal services office may know of others near you.
• Our directory lists end-of-life vets, in-home euthanasia providers, and cremation providers by state. Cornell's Pet Loss Support Hotline (607-218-7457) takes calls at set hours that change with the season.

Where to Find Free or Low-Cost Pet Euthanasia

Free and low-cost pet euthanasia mostly comes from shelters, humane societies, city or county animal services, and nonprofit community vet clinics. Two on our list are free for residents, and most of the rest charge under $100 for a cat. A vet school clinic is worth a call too.

Start With Your Local Shelter or Humane Society

Many shelters and humane societies offer euthanasia to the public by appointment. Search for your county or city name with "humane society" or "SPCA," or call the shelter you'd call about a lost pet. If one doesn't offer it, ask who nearby does.

Some shelters and nonprofit clinics keep a list of local end-of-life options, often with prices. Seattle Veterinary Outreach and the Humane Society of Charlotte both post one, and yours may have one too.

At some shelters, including Oregon Humane's Salem campus, a licensed technician performs the euthanasia. Before the appointment, you can ask who will be with your pet, if you'd like to know.

Call City or County Animal Services

City and county animal services sometimes offer euthanasia to residents, free or for a fee. In Modesto, California, Stanislaus Animal Services Agency charges $40 for residents in its service area for pets with a medical condition, with a vet's approval; Killeen Animal Services in Texas charges $50, plus a cremation fee by weight, and requires a state-issued photo ID. To find a service near you, check your city or county animal services page or call your local government's non-emergency number.

Try a Nonprofit Clinic or a Vet School Clinic

Some shelters and animal welfare groups run nonprofit community vet clinics that offer end-of-life care. The Cleveland APL's Community Pet Clinic in Ohio lists $60 for a cat and $100 for a dog.

In Chicago, The Anti-Cruelty Society books end-of-life appointments online. A $25 reservation fee is required to reserve your appointment, and the fee counts toward the appointment. You can ask for the full total when you book. Families can stay with their pet there, and if plans change, including if a pet dies before the appointment, Anti-Cruelty asks you to contact it about a refund or transfer.

Some veterinary school clinics include euthanasia. Palliative care and euthanasia are on the services list for the University of Illinois's primary care clinic, which serves dogs and cats in the Champaign-Urbana area. Call for the price.

Ask a Vet What They Can Do

Any vet can tell you their price and whether they offer a payment plan, and policies vary by practice. You can also ask whether they know of a local fund or a nearby low-cost clinic.

If you're still arranging things and it helps to have words ready, here's one way to start the call:

• "I'm looking for low-cost euthanasia for my [type of pet]. Do you offer it, and what does it cost?"
• "I can spend about $[amount]. Is there anything you can do at that price?"
• "I can't pay anything right now. Is there anyone who can help, or somewhere you'd send me?"
• "Is a sedative given first? Can I be with them?"

For families caring for a senior or seriously ill pet whose goodbye is still ahead, we offer free guides on end-of-life planning.

How Much Does Euthanasia Cost at a Shelter or Humane Society?

On the 18 shelter and city price lists we checked, most charge $40 to $115 for a cat or a dog up to 50 pounds, and two are free for local residents. Including any required fee or tax, a typical price is about $75 for a cat and $80 to $90 for most dogs under 100 pounds.

Bigger dogs can cost more, and prices change, so the number a shelter gives you when you call is the one that counts.

Where Pet Euthanasia Is Free or Close to It

The Wake County Animal Center in Raleigh, North Carolina, lists euthanasia as a free service for people who live in the county. You request an appointment by filling out an information form on its site.

BARCS in Baltimore doesn't charge city residents for euthanasia with communal cremation for pets nearing the end of their lives. Communal means pets are cremated together, and the ashes don't come back; at BARCS, they're spread in an apple orchard outside the city. If cremation is still being arranged and you'd like the ashes back, BARCS offers a separate service, for an added fee, that returns them in a wooden box. It asks for vet records if you have them.

Chicago Animal Care and Control charges City of Chicago residents $10, and you can come in any day between 3 and 7 p.m., though on busy days it can stop seeing people before 7. Its cremation is communal.

The Humane Society of the Treasure Coast in Palm City, Florida, charges $25 for pets up to 30 pounds and lists no residency requirement.

What Shelters and Humane Societies Charge

Many charge a flat fee regardless of your pet's weight:

• The Connecticut Humane Society charges $40 for euthanasia only, and with that price you take your pet home afterward.
• NOCO Humane in northern Colorado charges $60 for a cat and $80 for a dog.
• San Diego Humane Society charges $80, by appointment, and cremation is priced separately by weight, from $25 to $80.
• The Kansas Humane Society in Wichita charges $100, by appointment.
• Humane Society Silicon Valley in Milpitas, California, charges $150 for a cat or dog, $60 for a rabbit, and $15 for other small animals.

Others go by weight. At Oregon Humane in Portland and Salem, euthanasia is $73 for a cat. For a dog, it's $89 up to 20 pounds, $120 from 21 to 40, $145 from 41 to 120, and $265 at 121 pounds or more. The Humane Society of West Michigan charges $80 for a cat or a dog under 25 pounds and $105 for a dog of 26 to 70 pounds.

These lists mostly cover dogs, cats, and small animals. For a bird, reptile, horse, or any other animal, ask a vet who sees that species or your county animal services what's available nearby.

Does a Shelter Euthanasia Price Include Cremation?

Sometimes. At the Suncoast Humane Society in Englewood, Florida, euthanasia is $115 on its own, $165 with communal cremation, and $315 with private cremation, an urn, and a paw print. The Louisiana SPCA in New Orleans builds a $60 communal cremation fee into its euthanasia prices, and private cremation can be arranged through its partner, Heaven's Pets, starting at $200.

Several include communal cremation at no added cost. The Anti-Cruelty Society in Chicago offers it free of charge after euthanasia there. At the Humane Society of West Michigan, memorial cremation is included in the euthanasia fee, with several pets cremated together and the ashes laid to rest on its partner crematory's grounds rather than returned.

When communal cremation is a separate fee, it runs $25 to about $107 for a cat or small dog. At San Diego Humane Society, it starts at $25. Dane County Humane Society charges $100 plus tax, and Oregon Humane charges $107.12 for any pet.

Some shelters charge more by weight, up to $350 at Humane Society Silicon Valley for a dog of 200 pounds or more. If cremation is still being arranged and you'd like the ashes back, you can ask about private cremation.

What Do Shelters Ask For Before Low-Cost Pet Euthanasia?

The conditions that come up most:

• An appointment. Most require one, and some are booked out. The Humane Society of West Michigan mentions a 7- to 10-business-day wait, so you can ask whether a shelter has any same-day openings.
• Where you live. Chicago, Baltimore, and Wake County list the service for their own residents, and Stanislaus Animal Services Agency lists a $203 fee for people outside its area.
• Proof your pet is yours. NOCO Humane asks for proof such as a microchip, vet records, or a county license, and the Humane Society of West Michigan checks a pet's microchip registration before going ahead. If you don't have records, NOCO invites questions in advance about what it accepts.
• ID and an address. Chicago asks for a government-issued photo ID with a Chicago address. If you don't have an ID, a fixed address, or records, you can ask a shelter what else it accepts.
• A review first. Some review each request, ask for records or a vet note, or require a vet to see your pet first.
• Behavior appointments. Some charge more: Dane County Humane Society adds a fee for pets who can't be handled safely, and the Humane Society of West Michigan adds $50 for behavioral euthanasia appointments. Our guide to behavioral euthanasia covers that decision on its own.

Can You Stay With Your Pet During a Shelter Euthanasia?

It depends on the shelter. BARCS, Chicago Animal Care and Control, and San Diego Humane Society are among those that don't have family in the room.

If you'd like to be there and are still choosing where to go, these let family stay:

• Humane Society Silicon Valley in Milpitas, California
• Dane County Humane Society in Madison, Wisconsin, which may not allow it in every case, so you can ask when you call
• The Anti-Cruelty Society in Chicago
• The Connecticut Humane Society, at its Newington and Wilton public veterinary clinics
• Oregon Humane, at its Community Veterinary Hospital in Portland

Some people are with their pet for every step, and some say goodbye beforehand, sometimes because that's how a shelter works. If the goodbye is still ahead, you can ask if there's time for a few quiet minutes together, and bring something soft or familiar.

Find an End-of-Life Vet Near You in Our Directory

Our directory lists vets and other providers for end-of-life care, so you can find someone near you and contact them directly. A person reviews every professional listed before the listing goes live. Listings don't show prices, and you can ask each provider what they charge and whether they offer anything for families on a tight budget.

Each listing shows where the provider is based and whether they come to you, see you at their location, or offer virtual visits. You can search by your ZIP code, postal code, or city, or browse by state:

• The end-of-life veterinary clinics page lists clinics for end-of-life care, and many also offer senior care or hospice.
• Vets who come to your home are listed as in-home euthanasia providers. In-home visits usually cost more than a clinic.
• If you haven't decided yet, quality-of-life consultation providers can help you think through your pet's comfort and your options.

Our directory doesn't yet have a filter for low-cost or nonprofit providers, so for the lowest-cost options, start with a shelter or animal services office. Our guides on dog euthanasia costs and cat euthanasia costs cover clinic and at-home prices in more detail.

Help Paying for Pet Euthanasia: Funds, Payment Plans, and Financing

Help paying for euthanasia can come from a local fund run by an animal welfare group, a payment plan at a vet practice, credit for vet bills, a clinic's own program, or pet insurance. The funds we found are local, so the best place to ask is a nearby shelter, humane society, or vet.

Funds That Help Pay for Euthanasia

In Utah, Ruff Haven's Hercules Compassionate Pet Euthanasia Program covers the cost of euthanasia and a paw print for families facing financial hardship. It's for pets with a terminal illness, significant pain, or a poor quality of life, and it asks families to look at financing first. A vet does a brief exam, Ruff Haven has to approve the visit before it happens, and ashes aren't included. Its site has an application to start.

Bears Legacy Pet Foundation, in Maryland, helps pay for euthanasia and private cremation for families with limited income, with proof of income or public assistance. Its site has a short application.

PetMD notes that low-cost clinics sometimes offer grants or other funding that can cover at least part of the cost for families who can't pay it all.

For families still weighing treatment, our guide to options when you can't afford pet treatment covers other ways to get help paying for care.

Payment Plans and Financing for Vet Bills

A payment plan through a vet practice spreads the bill over time, and some practices offer one. Financing for vet bills is credit you repay.

CareCredit is a credit card for health and pet care, and terms, approval, and minimum monthly payments vary. Scratchpay offers payment-plan loans, and repayment may be reported to the credit bureaus once you accept one. Not every vet accepts them, so you can ask.

For families with pet insurance, some policies cover euthanasia for a covered condition. Our guide on whether pet insurance covers euthanasia explains what policies pay and how to file.

Communal Cremation and Home Burial: What They Cost

Communal cremation and home burial usually cost the least. Communal cremation runs $25 to about $107 for a cat or small dog at the shelters we checked that price it separately. The ashes aren't returned. Home burial has no cremation or cemetery fee. Families choose one or the other for many reasons.

Communal Cremation

If your pet has died at home, some shelters will take your pet into their care. For example, the Kansas Humane Society charges $50 for a dog or cat with no appointment needed, and Chicago Animal Care and Control accepts pets from city residents daily from 3 to 7 p.m., and ashes aren't returned.

In a communal cremation, several pets are cremated together, and some shelters include it in the euthanasia price. Our guide to communal vs. private pet cremation explains how each works and what to ask.

If you'd like a provider's help, our directory lists pet aftercare providers by state, and each can tell you whether they offer communal cremation.

In parts of western South Dakota and eastern Wyoming, a nonprofit called Hobo's Healing Heart helps families in financial need with cremation costs. It has its own eligibility rules and doesn't cover euthanasia.

Home Burial

Home burial rules vary by state, county, and city. If a burial is still ahead, our guide to pet burial laws by state covers depth, distance from water, timing, and questions to ask your county.

Without a car, bringing your pet home for burial can be harder, and the shelter or clinic may have a suggestion if you ask. For a burial place away from home, our directory has a pet cemeteries page, and each provider can tell you its prices.

Free Pet Loss Support, Before and After a Goodbye

Pet loss hotlines are one place to turn, before or after a goodbye. Cornell's veterinary college runs a Pet Loss Support Hotline at 607-218-7457, staffed by volunteer veterinary students trained with professional grief counselors. Its hours change with the season, so it suggests calling for current times.

Our guide to free pet loss hotlines lists six options and what to expect when you call.

Many pet loss support groups in our directory meet online or near you, and pet loss grief professionals in our directory offer one-on-one support, in person or online.

Where cost shaped what was possible, our guide to grief when money limited your choices covers that, along with free ways to honor your pet.

What to Ask When You Call About Low-Cost Pet Euthanasia

If the goodbye is still ahead, start each call to a shelter, animal services office, community clinic, or vet by asking for the total, including any cremation fee, and whether you need to live in the area. These questions can help too:

• How soon can you see my pet, and do you keep any same-day times?
• What should I bring (ID, vet records, payment), and what else do you accept if I don't have those?
• If the reason is behavior, is that a service you offer?
• What happens afterward, and can I take my pet home for burial?
• Do you know of a fund or payment plan that could help?

When the calls aren't turning anything up, tell us your situation, and someone on our team will send resources picked for you.

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