How Much Does Euthanasia Cost for Small Pets?

Euthanasia by injection is priced favorably under the GOT at 10.26 euros net at the single rate for small domestic mammals and rabbits (for dogs and cats it is 30.78 euros net, each scaleable up to three times). However, the total invoice usually rises to 50 to 150 euros due to sedation and veterinary care. Cremation costs are additional and are not covered by pet insurance.

Pure veterinary costs according to GOT 2022

Euthanizing a small pet generally costs between 50 and 150 euros in practice for the pure veterinary treatment, but in the year 2026 it can increase to 80 to over 400 euros due to surcharges for emergency services, home visits, and subsequent burial. The actual injection for euthanasia (the painless putting to sleep of an incurably suffering animal) often accounts for the smallest item on the total bill.

Veterinary services in Germany are billed bindingly via the German Veterinary Fee Schedule (Gebührenordnung für Tierärztinnen und Tierärzte – GOT). The revised version that came into effect on November 22, 2022, provides nationally uniform base rates for the pure procedure of termination by injection. For small domestic mammals and pet birds (such as guinea pigs, hamsters, or budgerigars) as well as breeding and meat rabbits, the single GOT rate (the legally defined fee tier for individual veterinary services) for the injection is 10.26 euros net. Since every fee according to Section 2 GOT is calculated at one to three times the base rate, this line item for these animal species ranges from around 10 to 31 euros plus VAT, depending on effort, practice location, and the course of treatment.

For comparison: For dogs, cats, and ferrets, the standard single rate for the same injection under item 208 of the GOT is 30.78 euros net; billing is permitted up to three times this rate. However, this pure injection item covers only the technical act of administering medication and includes neither the thorough examination nor the indispensable anesthetics or disposal.

Total costs through sedation and supportive care

In practice, euthanasia never consists of an isolated injection. According to Section 4 Paragraph 1 of the Animal Welfare Act (TierSchG), a vertebrate may only be killed under effective pain elimination in a state of insensibility and unconsciousness. Veterinarians therefore strictly initiate the process with sedation (a deep medicinal calming and pain suppression) or general anesthesia. Only when the animal is deeply asleep and no longer shows any reflexes does the actual overdose of the anesthetic take place, leading to painless cardiac arrest.

In addition, the Animal Welfare Act stipulates that there must be a reasonable ground for putting an animal to sleep. A medical indication exists if a severe disease, irreversible organ failure, or unmanageable pain turns continuing life into unreasonable agony. The veterinary practice documents this indication as part of a general examination with consultation.

Consequently, several individual services add up on the veterinary invoice, typically structured as follows:

• General examination of small pet mammals with consultation, running number 17 of the fee schedule: 15.39 euros at the standard single rate.
• First item: Injection for initiating sedation or general anesthesia in small pet mammals and cage birds, running number 222: 11.50 euros at the standard single rate.
• Second, separately billed item: Euthanasia by injection in small pet mammals and cage birds, running number 209: 10.26 euros at the standard single rate.
• Administered medications, anesthetics, and consumables (syringes, needles, intravenous cannula) according to the pharmaceutical price ordinance.
• Statutory value-added tax of 19 percent on all veterinary services and medications, as GOT fee rates are net amounts.

If a small animal practice bills according to the usual 1- to 2-fold GOT rate, purely medical treatment costs for a rabbit or guinea pig in 2026 regularly amount to around 50 to 150 euros. Pet owners can find further background information on general calculation principles in our guide on veterinary costs.

Surcharges for home visits and emergency service

Many owners wish for a farewell in familiar home surroundings without transport stress for their pet. If the practice offers such a home visit, additional fees apply according to the fee schedule. Under item 40 of the GOT, a separate home visit fee of 34.50 euros net applies. Added to this is the travel allowance under Section 10 GOT, which amounts to 3.50 euros per double kilometer when using a personal vehicle, but at least 13 euros in total.

If the animal has to be put to sleep during emergency service at night, on weekends, or on public holidays due to acute deterioration, costs increase noticeably. Under Section 4 Paragraph 1 GOT, the veterinarian is additionally entitled to an emergency service fee of 50 euros. In addition, standard fee rates in emergency service increase to double and may be raised up to quadruple the rate.

Costs for carcass disposal and cremation

After saying goodbye, pet owners face the question of how to proceed with the deceased small pet. The chosen form of burial often represents the largest individual financial expense. Generally, owners have four different paths available:

1. Private garden: Burying small pets on one's own private property is permitted free of charge in most federal states, provided the property is not located in a water protection area and the animal's body is covered with at least 50 centimeters of soil.
2. Municipal carcass disposal: If the animal remains at the veterinary practice, it is handed over to a carcass disposal facility. For small mammals, this usually incurs minor fees between 10 and 35 euros.
3. Collective cremation in a pet crematorium: The animal is cremated together with other pets. The ashes are scattered anonymously on a scattering meadow or placed in a communal grave. For small pets up to 1 kg, costs in 2026 range around 40 to 70 euros.
4. Individual cremation in a pet crematorium: The small pet is cremated separately, and the ashes are returned to the owner in a selected urn. Costs for small pets and birds start at around 60 to 110 euros and can rise to 150 to over 300 euros depending on the urn, certificate, and transfer method.

Reputable pet undertakers primarily base cremation prices on animal species and weight. Since rodents such as fancy mice or hamsters often weigh under 200 grams, they fall into the lowest tariff tier, while larger rabbit breeds weighing two to three kilograms and above are placed in higher weight categories.

Why pet insurance does not cover these costs

A frequent question among pet owners is whether an existing pet health insurance policy covers the costs of euthanasia and burial. The statutory purpose of pet health or surgery insurance is to restore and maintain the health of the insured pet.

Insurance policies therefore define precisely which costs are eligible for reimbursement. Covered items include veterinary necessary curative treatments, diagnostic procedures such as X-rays or ultrasound, and operations under anesthesia resulting from illness or accident. Euthanasia legally and medically does not constitute an attempt at cure, but ends the animal's life. Pure end-of-life expenses therefore fall under the general exclusions of policy terms.

• Eligible for reimbursement: Medical examinations, stabilizing medications, intensive care, and surgical interventions prior to the decision for euthanasia.
• Not insured: The final euthanasia procedure (GOT item 209), sedation for the purpose of euthanasia, as well as associated emergency service and travel fees.
• Fully out-of-pocket: All expenses for carcass disposal, cremation, transfer, urns, and cemetery fees.

Pet owners must prepare for the final invoice for the animal's last journey to be borne entirely out of pocket.

Covering veterinary illness costs in advance with small pet insurance

While the costs of euthanasia remain plannable and limited, preceding treatments for acute or chronic conditions can quickly run into several hundred or thousand euros. Small pets such as rabbits or guinea pigs frequently suffer from specific issues like malocclusion (dental misalignment), gastric stasis, abscesses, or tumor conditions that require extensive diagnostics and surgical intervention.

Whether insurance cover pays off for your pet depends primarily on the specific illness risk of the species and your willingness to cover surgical costs out of pocket in an emergency. A general guide cannot anticipate which course of illness an individual pet might develop or which veterinary measures will become necessary over its lifetime.

For owners seeking protection against unpredictable surgery and treatment costs, nextsure offers small pet insurance providing transparent comprehensive and surgical coverage for rabbits, guinea pigs, birds, and exotic pets. Calculate your premium online with ease and find out which plan tier best suits your small pet.