Animal Hospice

That terrible time has finally arrived.  The time every pet parent dreads.  Your beloved animal family member is showing their age, is significantly slowing down, has a debilitating disease or has been diagnosed as terminal.  What do you do?

Do you want to make your pet’s last days memorable?  Are you interested in finding holistic ways to help them in their time of need?  How about trying to extend the time they have left ensuring their quality of life is still acceptable.   Maybe you think that taking them to the vet to have them euthanized before they suffer too much is the kindest thing you can do. There is not an easy answer to any of these questions.   Before you are overwhelmed with worry, let me shed some light on your options and put some facts into perspective to help you make the best decision for your pet, yourself and your family.  Knowing what you would do ahead of time relieves some of the burden when the actual event occurs.

First let me explain a few words you may hear but not completely understand.  Palliative care is provided when no hope or cure is available for your pet’s health condition.  It tries to provide the best quality of life for your loved one.  This type of care does not necessarily mean your pet is terminal but may require some special attention and help.

End of life care is the term given to any care given to a pet that has been diagnosed as terminal.  If you provide care for your beloved animal until they are euthanized, this is considered end of life care entailing palliative care.

Let me give you an example of what I mean.  My horse had a severe case of colic but as the vet was treating her he found that she had blood in her stomach caused by a tumor that in turn resulted in giving her colic.

Colic is an illness where her intestines have a blockage, impaction or are twisted.  The vet recommended euthanizing her immediately.  I chose to let her recover from the colic and see how her quality of life was after that.  Amazing, she recovered immediately and acted like nothing was wrong with her.  I discussed the issues and care I could provide myself with my vet.  I expressed that I wanted to give her a good quality of life until she displayed symptoms that were unmanageable.  I didn’t want her to be in pain for any significant amount of time.   So we had four wonderful months together making memories.  During those months I periodically had to give her a pain shot which my vet graciously taught me to do.  It felt wonderful to be able to care for her and ensure our last days together were memorable.

With Animal hospice often times considerable effort and time will be required of the pet owner.  Are you up for the challenge?   Be assured no one will judge you one way or the other.  Many reasons will factor into what you choose to do for your beloved animal friend.  Maybe you can’t get away from work, your health won’t allow you to care for your pet, or it is financially not possible.  It could be you are emotionally overwhelmed at the thought of caring for your pet for an indefinite period of time.   However, if you have the time and ability to learn new things, providing animal hospice for your pet may be the right choice for you.

Ask your vet about the services they can provide to you in this situation.  Many vets may not wish to provide animal hospice because they are not staffed to be able to provide round the clock care.   You do have alternatives.  You can learn some holistic healing modalities yourself or can hire someone to assist you.  If you choose, ask your vet for help provide pain relief medicine for your pet ahead of time to make it through at least one night until you can get to medical help.

There are companies that provide animal hospice in your home.   One company in particular, in the Cleveland area (Joycares Personalize Pet Care), uses both traditional western medicines along with holistic healing modalities to provide a well- rounded compliment of care for your pet.  When the end does come, and it always does, they can euthanize in your pet’s home to avoid the last nasty trip to the vet when your pet doesn’t transition into spirit on their own.

Here is a list of some holistic healing modalities to assist your pet to be more comfortable when they are ill:

Telepathic Animal Communications

Healing Touch for Animals

Bach Flower Essences

TTouch

Essential Oils-Aromatherapy

Tuning Forks

As you can see they are many holistic healing modalities that can assist you and your pet through their transition period.  Please know that they are no right or wrong answers to how you decide to face the fact that your beloved pet is ill.  Only you can know what resonates with you and your lifestyle when it comes to providing care for your pet.  Please know that whatever method you choose when your pet is sick, your beloved animal companion will not judge you.   They accept decisions with an open heart. Why not ask them how they would like the situation handled?

As an animal communicator, I have spoken to many animals on this topic and have received a wide range of answers.  If possible, let your pet decide in the end what is best for them.  Some have very strong opinions on whether they wish assistance as they transition or want to try to leave their body on their own.  Many really cherish the time you spend (if you can) providing healing to them.  Some animals have told me they do not want you to fuss over them and they don’t want to cause you further inconvenience.  Your wonderful animal companions truly believe they are here to make your life easier, not harder.  As a well- loved member of your family don’t they deserve the same care you would provide to anyone else?  Only you can know what is in your heart.