Vet canceled scheduled euthanasia for their senior dog at home in the last minute — his excuse left owners devastated

Pet euthanasia can take an emotional toll, as families prepare to say goodbye. Many spend a final day making their pet feel loved, but no amount of preparation eases the pain of such a heartbreaking loss. When a pet owner, who goes by u/Reformulated on Reddit, scheduled a home appointment for their dog’s euthanasia, things took an awful turn. The vet decided to cancel on them last minute with a dubious excuse that left the owners frustrated. 

The pet owner explained the series of events that transpired weeks before their dog’s home euthanasia appointment. Noting their dog’s needs, they decided it was best to have a vet perform the procedure at home. “Our dog is uncomfortable in the car, and we wanted a more intimate setting in her last moments,” the post read. A week before the appointment, the vet showed up at their door on the wrong day. It was the exact time and day of the week, but only a week early. He reportedly apologized to the family and left, promising to return the following week. 

The dreaded day arrived, and the family did everything to spoil the pet with love, treats, and cuddles. It was an emotional day as they braced themselves for their dog’s final moments. “Today, expectedly, is a very emotional day. Crying all day. Pictures. A whole production making her last meal,” the pet owner wrote in the post shared this week. As they awaited the vet to arrive for the euthanasia appointment scheduled at 4 p.m., they received a text message from him claiming to be unwell. “Then at 4:02 (appointment was at 4)—he sends a text ‘I’ve come down with the flu, is it okay if we reschedule?’” the pet owner revealed. 

The family tried to understand the vet’s situation, but were not ready to reschedule the appointment as it had been a tough day already. They could not go through all the pain again another day. The pet owners asked him to recommend another vet for the home euthanasia, but his excuses did not stop. “His response was the only other traveling vet he knows is on maternity leave—'give me thirty minutes to see if my stomach stops cramping’?” The pet owners were agitated by now and canceled the appointment with him. They were shocked by his insensitive responses. 

“I can’t believe someone would know how sensitive this time is and cancel…now we’re all rescheduling work, our dog has an upset tummy because we fed her a nice last meal, we have to take her to a vet for this, which we were avoiding, it’s just such an unsavory situation,” the Reddit post shared. Their only silver lining was that they got to spend another night with their pet dog before saying goodbye forever.