The 5 Best Pet Bereavement Services in Melbourne for Compassionate Support
Saying goodbye to a beloved companion is never easy. It brings deep heartache because they’re not just pets, but family members who have become a constant source of unconditional love.
You don’t have to go through it alone. We’re here to help you receive gentle guidance during end-of-life care for your beloved companion.
We’ve gathered the best pet bereavement services in Melbourne so you can find providers offering peaceful in-home euthanasia, thoughtful aftercare, pet cremation, and grief support. Here’s our guide to help you cope with loss.
How much do pet bereavement services cost in Melbourne?
The cost of pet bereavement services in Melbourne typically ranges from $90 to $180 for a private counselling session, whilst grief support groups offer free hotlines. Other services, like in-home euthanasia, can reach $550.
| Service Type | Estimated Cost |
| In-Home Euthanasia (Standard) | $330 – $550 |
| Communal Cremation | $150 – $200 |
| Private Cremation (with Urn) | $270 – $600+ |
| Grief Counselling (Private) | $90 – $180 per session |
| Grief Support Groups and Hotlines | Free |
1. Anivet Care
Website: https://anivetcare.com.au/
Areas Served: Epping, Wollert, and suburbs within a 15 km radius in Melbourne
Contact: 03 7050 9700 | [email protected]
Hours: Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM (Emergency euthanasia until 8:00 PM)
Families needing calm, thorough medical care at home will appreciate the expertise behind Anivet Care. Founder Dr. Sugumar Subramaniam brings 21 years of experience, postgraduate surgical training, and fluency in English, Bahasa Malay, and Tamil.
He provides weekday emergency euthanasia visits until 8 PM, extending care well past typical clinic hours.
More importantly, his and his team’s gentle quality-of-life assessment is impressive. They ensure every farewell remains unhurried, with soothing sedation and aftercare.
They offer mobile euthanasia so your pet’s final moments will be at home in a familiar place, rather than a strange clinic. We also appreciate that they can guide you straight after with their cremation services.
The only drawback is their coverage boundary, which is restricted to a 15-km radius in Melbourne.
A gentle goodbye for Daisy
Dr. Sugumar at Anivet is a truly special veterinarian. He was incredibly sensitive and professional during Daisy’s final moments, ensuring she was peaceful and comfortable. I am so grateful for the kindness he showed us during such a difficult time. Highly recommend Anivet for their heart and expertise.
- Matthew Southwell | Google Review
Support through cancer and loss
Dr Sugumar has been a wonderful and caring vet for our dogs over many years. He has always provided them with the best of care, and helped us through the very difficult time of treating our dog Pickle for cancer. He was supportive and empathetic when Pickle and also his brother Max, crossed over the rainbow bridge. More recently, he has given his usual exemplary care to our other dogs, Daphne and Larry. I cannot recommend Dr Sugumar more highly.
- Bronwyn Bruce | Google Review
2. Grief Australia
Website: https://grief.org.au/
Address: Ste 3.04/02 Nexus Ct, Mulgrave
Contact: 1800 642 066 | [email protected]
Hours: Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Grief Australia delivers an environment where you feel understood through deeply inclusive, culturally safe bereavement support led by First Nations voices. They welcome individuals of every faith, background, and identity.
Grieving pet parents can join their dedicated People Experiencing Animal Loss (PALS) group, which treats animal companion loss as a profound grief experience.
Victorian residents can easily access counselling sessions free of charge, via phone, telehealth, and in person.
On top of that, they provide training webinars for veterinary nurses and clinic workers coping with clinical euthanasia.
Just keep in mind that their pet-focused support runs through group sessions rather than tailored one-on-one pet therapy.
Finding support through grief
I would recommend Miguel Lopez from Grief Australia to anyone who is thinking about getting some support with coping with their loss. Miguel is such a kind, understanding and supportive grief counsellor. He is amazing at what he does, no doubt about it and you’ll certainly be in good hands. So for anyone not sure or sitting on the fence about opening up to a stranger, I fully support his work.
- Anna Nagreh | Google Review
Learning to live with grief
Grief Australia is an amazing service. I was hesitant to contact them, but it turned out to be one of the most important and positive decisions I would make. Week by week, I started to understand and acknowledge my grief, and use the strategies identified to finally be able to find the hope I so desperately needed. My counsellor was simply incredible. Kind, challenging, and a true companion ont journey.
- John Davis | Google Review
3. Pet Euthanasia in Melbourne | Goodbye Mate
Website: https://goodbyemate.com.au/
Areas Served: Melbourne and surrounding areas
Contact: 1300 580 777 | [email protected]
Hours: 24/7
Goodbye Mate gives you the chance to say goodbye to your pet at home. They offer 24/7 mobile end-of-life visits throughout Melbourne.
They organise complete aftercare packages alongside external cremation partners. This gives owners the choice between private urn returns or peaceful communal scatterings.
We also appreciate their compassionate 20-minute phone consultation. It helps clients assess their pet’s quality of life before booking.
Another thing worth mentioning is their free grief sessions with qualified counsellors. This includes age-appropriate guidance for children facing pet loss.
Just remember that weekend or late-night bookings come with a $99 surcharge. You should also know that cremation memorial services involve a separate partner handoff.
Compassion through a difficult loss
I’m not normally one to write reviews, but I felt I had to in this instance. The service that Goodbye Mate provided was exceptional. They were caring, compassionate and timely with all their communications and interactions, and nothing was too much trouble. A special shout out to Amy who was incredible, and was always available to assist. They made the process of losing a loving part of our family that much easier, and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them.
- John McLelland | Google Review
A calm and caring farewell
I cannot speak highly enough of this company the care and empathy they showed us during this difficult time was above and beyond. From the call centre to the vet who attended The Dr that came out to us was absolutely lovely he gave us as much time as we needed to say our goodbyes from sedation to the final needle then allowing us to place our boy in the vehicle. Thank you for making such a difficult time somewhat calmer
- Heather Cawsey -Noble | Google Review
4. Forever in My Heart Pet Loss Counselling
Website: https://www.foreverinmyheartpetlosscounselling.com.au/
Areas Served: Melbourne and surrounding areas (Online Consultations)
Contact: 0412 631 627 | [email protected]
Hours: Monday-Thursday, 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM | Friday, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
At Forever In My Heart Pet Loss Counselling, you get contract-free, deeply personal counselling from someone who knows what it’s like to lose an animal companion.
Founder and counsellor Renee Magri focuses on animal loss. She draws on her personal experience losing her Boxer, Buckley, to offer non-judgmental guidance without rigid healing timelines.
She works closely with families managing anticipatory grief and palliative care. Parents can access gentle, age-appropriate advice to help young kids process sorrow without feeling isolated.
It’s worth mentioning that her 60-minute appointments support veterinary nurses and shelter staff coping with clinical fatigue.
You do need to note that all sessions take place remotely via phone or video, so face-to-face appointments are out of the question.
Coping with loss and guilt
Very grateful to Renee who helped me so much to cope with losing my beautiful dog, Rusty. I found Forever in My Heart pet loss counselling when I was at my lowest ebb. Renee helped me process my grief and learn how to adjust and live with it, especially through the guilt I felt when I had to have Rusty put down. Renee gave me coping techniques that I had never thought of. Her compassion, care and understanding guided me through this difficult time.
- Regina Small | Google Review
Support after sudden pet loss
I am so blessed to have come across Renee. The loss of my first dog so suddenly was unbearable. Renee was so understanding, compassionate and such had such a loving and warmth feeling to be around. Thank you so much Renee for what you do!
- Elizabeth Mac | Google Review
5. Rest Your Paws
Website: https://restyourpaws.com.au/
Areas Served: Melbourne and surrounding areas
Contact: 0422 157 675
Hours: Monday-Sunday, 8:00 AM – 11:00 PM (After-Hours Available)
Rest Your Paws delivers in-home euthanasia across Melbourne. This lets pets remain comfortable on their own bed, couch, or in your arms whilst family members and other pets stay close.
Beyond that, they also offer aftercare packages to help you decide what to do. There’s private cremation (ashes delivered), community cremation (no ashes returned), burial (at home or cemetery), and animal donation to veterinary teaching hospitals.
Their team includes veterinarians trained in the Companion Animal Euthanasia Training Academy (CAETA) animal euthanasia practices, which focus on compassion. Plus, they hold hospice and palliative care certifications.
We also appreciate that their veterinarians are available for both in-home and telehealth quality-of-life visits.
Just keep in mind that short-notice cancellations carry a $50 fee, with no refunds if cancelled within three hours.
Compassion during heartbreak
We were so happy with the service from Rest In Paws. The staff were compassionate, patient, and professional throughout. Despite being heartbroken over our loss, we are still very thankful to Rest In Paws for their help during such a difficult time.
- Thomas Harte | Google Review
Peaceful support in final moments
From the first phone call Rest Your Paws were compassionate and caring. They understood the devastation of losing my beautiful 20 year old Lucky girl. Dr Audrey was sensational and helped my beautiful girl go to heaven peacefully and with dignity, while also managing my grief. I can’t praise Rest Your Paws enough.
- Misioux | Google Review