This document sets out some important information that I am required by law to provide to you. Please feel free to contact me for any further clarification or explanation of the policies in this document.
Introduction
1. My Gentle Home Farewell (“we”, “us”, “our") trading under Total Vitality Limited is a home visit euthanasia service for pet dogs, cats and rabbits owned by clients (“you”) who are already registered with a veterinary surgery. Total Vitality Limited is a company registered in England and Wales under company registration number 7910440 with registered office at 11 Akeman Row, Aston Clinton Road, Weston Turville, HP22 5GN.
2. We are a veterinary practice “limited service provider”. This document details our Terms and Conditions of Service and should be read and understood before requesting an appointment.
Contract for Services
3. By making an appointment with us, you agree to be bound by these Terms and Conditions of Service and you declare that you are the legal owner of the pet for which the appointment has been booked and that you have authority to request the euthanasia of the pet.
Our Service
4. We are a “limited service provider” which means we are limited to offering only one service which is the euthanasia of pet dogs, cats and rabbits in the comfort of your own home. We will attend your appointment with the purpose of euthanasing your pet and are not obliged to offer any other service or advice at any time.
5. Our service is carried out by an experienced veterinary surgeon registered with the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons. We strive to provide a gold standard of service and care in line with CAETA guidelines (The Companion Animal Euthanasia Training Academy). Our service includes a home visit, calming sedation for your pet, and a final gentle unrushed euthanasia tailored to your needs.
6. The pet requested for euthanasia falls under our care from the time we arrive at your home for the appointment until the time your pet is peacefully deceased. Any veterinary care needed before or after our service must be sought from your usual registered veterinary surgery or their out of hours provider.
7. Please be aware that we do not provide 24 hour emergency care. We also do not provide aftercare for the deceased pet’s body, however we can help guide you through the options (see After Care).
8. Our service is not suitable for aggressive/dangerous animals (see Health and Safety Policy for more information).
9. Once your pet has been euthanased, unless you ask us not to, we will inform your usual registered veterinary surgery on your behalf of the passing of your pet so they may update their records accordingly.
Your Usual Veterinary Surgery and Responsibility of Care
10. Veterinary premises in the UK have a professional responsibility to provide 24 hour emergency care for pets registered with them. Since we are a “limited service provider” and cannot provide 24 hour emergency care, we can only offer our service to clients whose pets are already registered with a veterinary surgery that can provide 24 hour emergency care.
11. Your usual registered veterinary surgery is therefore responsible for providing your pet with 24 hour emergency care. Out of hours emergency care may be outsourced to a dedicated out of hours service provider (details of this arrangement should be found in the Terms and Conditions of your usual registered veterinary surgery).
12. By requesting an appointment with us you are confirming that your pet is already registered with a veterinary surgery. You may wish to seek advice from your usual registered veterinary surgery prior to requesting an appointment with us. You acknowledge that your pet is under the care of your usual registered veterinary surgery and their out of hours service up until we attend your appointment booked with us.
13. With your consent we may contact your usual registered veterinary surgery to discuss any concerns we may have regarding the suitability of our service for your pet’s end of life care.
Health and Safety Policy
14. We take the health and safety of our staff, you and your pets very seriously. Some animals may behave unpredictably when they sense difficult emotions in the people around them. In order to protect our health and safety, all animals encountered by our staff when entering your home and for the duration of the home visit must be under control at all times. This may mean that some animals will need to be safety shut away in other rooms or that dogs are held securely on a lead and collar by competent handlers. Consider having someone who does not wish to be present for the euthanasia to take other dogs out for a walk during the home visit.
15. Our vet will require someone to be present who knows the pet well and is confident to help calmly restrain it for a subcutaneous injection (this is an injection administered under the skin, a similar sensation to the pet as having a booster vaccination injection). Any dogs requiring muzzling for the safe administration of a subcutaneous injection will have to have their own muzzle that can be applied safely by someone who knows the animal well. The muzzle can be removed after the sedative injection has been administered.
16. Our service is not suitable for aggressive/dangerous animals that cannot be muzzled or safely restrained for an injection under the skin. It is far safer and less stressful for these animals to be treated in the controlled environment of their usual registered veterinary surgery where more staff is available and where there is specialised equipment and drugs for safe restraint.
17. We ask that the home environment is free from cigarette smoke and/or other chemicals that are detrimental to the health and wellbeing of our staff.
18. We are committed to treating you with care and respect and we ask that you do the same in return. We have a zero-tolerance approach for dealing with people who are under the influence of drugs (including alcohol), or for any rude, abusive, threatening, violent, aggressive or discriminatory behaviour.
19. Our vet will do whatever they can to safely, gently and calmly carry out the euthanasia of your pet in the comfort of your home, however if they feel that their health and safety is threatened in any way, they have the right to abort the procedure and leave immediately. The care of your pet will immediately fall back under your usual registered veterinary surgery and you will not be eligible for a refund.
After Care
20. We can help guide you through arranging dignified aftercare for your deceased pet’s precious body, but the responsibility falls upon you to make the arrangements. The main options are home burial or cremation.
21. The government has guidelines for responsible burial of pets and the main points are: burial can only be done on private land that you own, and graves should be deep enough to allow at least one metre of soil to cover the body below the ground (so the grave should be dug one metre plus the thickness of the pet’s body deep). Care needs to be taken to not contaminate any water sources.
22. If you wish to have your pet cremated arrangements can be made prior to your appointment directly with a pet crematorium for same day or next day collection of the body from your home (including weekends). You can also transport the body yourself to your usual registered veterinary surgery or their out of hours provider and they will arrange for its body to be collected by a pet crematorium.
Business Hours and Area Coverage
23. Our service is provided on an appointment basis only. A substantial amount of time is allocated to each appointment to allow for travel time, possible delays and to provide an unrushed experience. Our service is usually available every day of the week and appointments are booked on a first come first served basis. Available appointments can be viewed on our Website on the bookings page.
24. We are only contactable for queries relating specifically to your appointment with us or for helping you decide when it’s time to say that final farewell. For any other concerns including emergencies you must contact your usual registered veterinary surgery or their out of hours service provider.
25. Our service area coverage includes Berkshire and surrounds (ie: SE Oxfordshire, SW Buckinghamshire, West London, NW Surrey and NE Hampshire), as long as it falls within one hour’s drive under typical traffic conditions, and 30 miles, from Junction 12 of the M4 Motorway.
26. We may at our discretion make appointments available outside of our usual business hours and/or coverage area for special requests.
Appointment Bookings Policy
27. An appointment can be requested at least a day in advance through our Website on the bookings page. For any same day appointment requests please ring our phone number and we will try to accommodate you if at all possible. We need to capture details about you and your pet in order to offer you an appointment (see Privacy Policy).
28. If the appointment is available we will send you a secure payment link by text or email (our payments merchant is “Zettle by PayPal”). Once payment has been received you will be emailed a receipt and your appointment is confirmed. Our vet will call you to discuss any specific requirements or concerns. If you have requested an appointment through the Website and the appointment has become unavailable (e.g., an appointment has been booked during a phone call and the Website has not updated to show it as unavailable) we will contact you to offer you alternative appointments if possible.
29. While we want to make our service as accessible as possible, please note that we are not always contactable (e.g., staff may be on holiday or busy with home visits) and we reserve the right to decline appointment requests at our sole discretion. Examples of such circumstances include, but are not limited to: new clients whose pets are not already registered with a veterinary surgery, emergencies in animals requiring prompt hospitalisation or euthanasia, calls to properties with no suitable parking or access or which fall outside of our coverage area, and where we have safety concerns.
Fees and Payment Policy
30. We charge a flat fee of £460 for our service, for a pet dog (of any size), cat or rabbit. We believe all pets have equal value and are all deserving of the same quality of care, no matter the species, breed or size. Please note our fee does not include aftercare options for the body (see After Care).
31. Payment is made using a secure payment link, which is sent to you via text or email from our payment merchant “Zettle by PayPal”. All major cards are accepted as well as mobile wallets, such as GooglePay, ApplePay and SamsungPay.
32. Your appointment is confirmed once payment has been received. Our payment merchant will send you an automated receipt via email.
Cancellations, Unexpected Events, Moving Appointments and Refunds Policy
33. You may cancel your appointment without giving any reason. Cancellations must be requested by phone or text so we can receive them timeously. If you make a cancellation request within 2 hours of your appointment a cancellation fee of £200 will be payable. Once we have received the cancellation fee (which will be requested via secure payment link), we will then issue a refund for the original appointment fee. We have to process cancellation fees in this manner because our payment merchant does not currently allow partial refunds via secure payment link.
34. You may request to move your appointment to another day by checking for available appointments on our Website or by phone. Moving your appointment is subject to the same notice period conditions and fees that apply for appointment cancellations.
35. Exceptions may be made at our discretion in cases of emergency or extenuating circumstances.
36. On occasion we may not be able to attend your appointment as planned due to events or circumstances beyond our control, including but not limited to: accident or illness, vehicle break down, severe traffic delays, travel restrictions, severe weather conditions and Force Majeure events. In these cases, we shall not be in breach of this agreement or be held liable for any delay or failure in the performance of our obligations. Neither party shall be penalised and you will be fully refunded or offered an alternative appointment if possible.
37. If we arrive for your appointment and deem at our sole discretion that the environment is too unsafe to carry out our service because you are in breach of our health and safety policy, our contract will be immediately terminated and you will not be eligible for a refund.
38. Refunds are made via the same original payment option for security reasons. Please bear in mind that some banks may take several business days to process refunds.
Insurance Claims Policy
39. If you have pet insurance your policy may cover some or all of the cost of our service. You will need to find out if you can claim by contacting your pet insurance company. Please note we do not offer direct claims for our service. If you decide to make a claim, once you have filled in your part of the claim form you can hand it to our vet during the home visit appointment or send it to us by scanning and emailing it to icare@mygentlehomefarewell.co.uk and we will fill in our part and send it off to your insurance company at no extra charge. We endeavour to complete insurance forms within 10 working days of receiving them. However, if staff are on leave this can sometimes be longer. The outcome of the claim is beyond our control and is only between you and your insurance company.
Damage, Injury, Illness and Losses
40. Please follow instructions given by the vet in order to help reduce the risk of damage, injury, illness or losses during the visit. We have the right to abort the procedure immediately if our vet deems at their sole discretion that the risk of damage, illness, injury or losses is too high (see Health and Safety Policy).
41. Regarding soiling: we will not be held liable for any damage, injury, illness or losses resulting from the leakage of urine, faeces or other bodily fluids that can commonly occur in the period that immediately follows the death of an animal. This is particularly relevant for clients who wish to hold their pets on their laps or in their arms during the final euthanasia procedure. In these cases the risk can be greatly reduced by providing a waterproof barrier for the animal to fall asleep on before the final euthanasia procedure is carried out. A heavy-duty plastic sheet or incontinence/puppy training pad covered by a pet blanket/towel that can be soiled and discarded are very useful.
42. We will not be held liable for any damage, injury, illness or losses resulting from the handling, restraining or manual lifting of any pets before, during or after our service.
Liability and Insurance
43. We carry professional indemnity insurance with the following limits of indemnity:
- £200,000 per claim for criminal or disciplinary action
- £10,000,000 per claim for human injury arising from professional liability
- £250,000 per claim for civil liability relating to domestic pets
44. Our liability to you for any loss, claim, cost or expense shall be limited to the limit of indemnity under each heading specified above.
45. Nothing in these terms and conditions shall exclude or limit our liability for death or personal injury caused to a human being.
46. Our liability for any indirect or consequential loss (e.g., loss of income or revenue, loss of business, loss of profits, loss of anticipated savings, loss of data, loss of waste management or loss of office time) shall be excluded to the maximum extent permitted by law.
Complaints and Feedback
47. We strive to provide you and your pet with exceptional service and care. If you wish to make a complaint or provide us with feedback for any aspect of our service please make it in writing to icare@mygentlehomefarewell.co.uk. We will reply within 21 days of receipt of the email. We may share the email with our professional indemnity insurer or other professional advisor if we believe that will help us to resolve it more effectively. We value and thank you for your feedback as it helps us to continuously improve our service.
Data Protection and Privacy
48. We only use your personal information to provide you with our service and to process your payment (see Privacy Policy for more information).
General
49. If any court or competent authority decides that any of the provisions of these Terms and Conditions of Service are invalid, unlawful or unenforceable to any extent, the term will, to that extent only, be severed from the remaining terms, which will continue to be valid to the fullest extent permitted by law.
Right to Make Changes
50. We reserve the right to revise and make changes to our Terms and Conditions of Service from time to time. You will be subject to the policies and terms and conditions in force at the time your appointment was confirmed, unless any change to those policies or terms and conditions is required to be made by law or government authority.
51. Contracts for our service and any dispute or claim arising out of or in connection with them or their subject matter or formation (including non-contractual disputes or claims) will be governed by English Law. Any dispute or claim arising out of or in connection with such contracts or their formation (including non-contractual disputes or claims) will be subject to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.
Right of a Third Party
52. A person who is not party to these Terms and Conditions of Service shall not have any rights under or in connection with them (Right of Third Parties Act 1999).
Last updated 16/04/2025.
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