Rover Veterinary Care provides gentle in-home pet euthanasia in North Palm Beach, Florida, south of Jupiter along the Intracoastal, with appointments available 7 days a week. Dr. Katie Matzke, a Jupiter native and DVM, comes to your North Palm Beach home so your dog or cat can pass peacefully surrounded by family. Euthanasia packages start at $450. Call or text (561) 295-7979.
North Palm Beach is a community built around staying. John D. MacArthur planned the village in 1956 with intention: businesses along Northlake Boulevard and US-1, residential streets kept quiet, the Intracoastal Waterway woven through everything. That design held. Families settle here and do not leave. Pets become part of that permanence. The retriever who spent a decade on the dock watching boats pass. The cat who claimed a corner of the screened porch years ago and never gave it up. When that pet reaches the end, home is the right place for goodbye. In a village of waterfront homes and private docks, where so much of life happens within your own walls, in-home euthanasia fits the way people here already live.
Dr. Katie Matzke is a Jupiter native who graduated from the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine in 2013. She focuses exclusively on end-of-life veterinary care and has been serving Palm Beach County families since 2023. Rover Veterinary Care has earned 110+ five-star Google reviews for the unhurried, compassionate approach Dr. Matzke brings to every home visit.
[QUOTE_PLACEHOLDER: Dr. Matzke on what makes her approach to these appointments different from a general practice veterinarian]Many North Palm Beach households include larger breeds that are physically difficult to transport at end of life. Retrievers, Labradors, and other big dogs that once bounded across the yard may no longer stand without help by the time this decision arrives. Lifting a 70- or 80-pound dog into a vehicle, driving to a clinic, and carrying them inside adds pain and stress to an already difficult day. When Dr. Matzke comes to your home, your pet stays exactly where they are comfortable. There is no car ride, no lifting, no unfamiliar building.
Privacy matters in North Palm Beach. Families in Lost Tree Village, Old Port Cove, and Seminole Landing chose those communities for a reason. In-home euthanasia keeps this moment entirely within your home. There is no waiting room, no strangers walking past, no clinical environment. Your family has the space and time to be together without interruption, in the setting your pet has always known.
The process itself is designed so your pet never experiences anxiety or pain. Dr. Matzke administers the first injection subcutaneously, a combination of sedative and pain control medication. Your pet drifts into a deep sleep over the next five to ten minutes. Only after they are fully sedated does Dr. Matzke administer the second injection intravenously. This is what sets the process apart: your pet feels a small pinch, then nothing. They fall asleep in their own bed, surrounded by the people they love, and they do not wake up.
Dr. Matzke arrives at your North Palm Beach home and takes time to settle in before beginning. She greets your pet gently, handles paperwork first, and lets the household find a comfortable rhythm. There is no rush. When your family is ready, she administers the first injection subcutaneously. This is a combination of sedative and pain control medication, and your pet feels only a small pinch before drifting into a deep, peaceful sleep over the next five to ten minutes. During this time, you can hold your pet, talk to them, or simply sit together. Once your pet is fully sedated and completely unaware, Dr. Matzke administers the second injection intravenously. Passing is quick and painless. Afterward, she creates a clay pawprint for your family. If you have chosen cremation, Dr. Matzke handles transport with care. The entire appointment takes 30 to 60 minutes, and the pace is always set by your family.
The signs are often gradual. Your pet stops greeting you at the door, loses interest in food, struggles to stand, or no longer wants to go outside. Pain becomes harder to manage. Breathing changes. Some days seem better, which makes the difficult days harder to weigh. You may notice your dog can no longer walk to the water's edge or your cat has stopped jumping to the windowsill they always claimed. These shifts in behavior and comfort are the clearest signals that quality of life is declining.
The HHHHHMM Scale, developed by veterinary oncologist Dr. Alice Villalobos, provides a structured way to evaluate your pet's condition across seven categories: Hurt, Hunger, Hydration, Hygiene, Happiness, Mobility, and More Good Days Than Bad. Each category is scored on a scale of 1 to 10, and a total score below 35 generally suggests that quality of life has declined significantly. Scoring each category helps you move past the emotional weight of the decision and see your pet's experience clearly. If you are unsure where your pet stands, Dr. Matzke offers a free quality of life consultation by phone. Call or text (561) 295-7979 to talk through what you are seeing.
$450
Peaceful euthanasia in your home using the two-step process, clay pawprint, and gentle aftercare. You arrange cremation or burial independently.
$600
Everything in the euthanasia package, plus communal cremation through Memorial Reefs International. Your pet becomes part of an undersea reef. Ashes are not returned.
$700
Everything in the euthanasia package, plus private cremation through Pet Angel Memorial Center. Your pet's ashes are returned in a keepsake urn.
North Palm Beach is within our standard service radius. No extended travel fees apply. Evening, weekend, and holiday appointments are available for an additional $100. For full details, visit our services and pricing page.
Dr. Matzke serves all of North Palm Beach, including Lost Tree Village, Old Port Cove, Seminole Landing, the North Palm Beach Country Club area, and waterfront communities along the Intracoastal. We also travel to nearby Juno Beach and Palm Beach Gardens. If you are not sure whether your address falls within our service area, call or text (561) 295-7979.
Call or text (561) 295-7979 to schedule an in-home appointment or request a free quality of life consultation. You can also book online. For more information, visit our services and pricing page, cremation options, or Jupiter homepage.
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