In 1987, the Fogle and Abrahamson questionnaire on pet loss and human emotions was published in a Japanese veterinary journal, and 72 readers responded by completing and returning the form. In 1988, the questionnaire, supplemented by two more questions on euthanasia, was used to survey the 4,500 smallanimal practitioners in Japan. There were 2,500 responses. This study compiles the Japanese veterinarians' responses to the questions on euthanasia and compares them to the results of the British survey. Several marked differences are noted. For example, in Japan, only 44% of veterinarians would euthanize a healthy animal at the owner's request, compared to 74% in Britain. The differences in attitudes are discussed.