Gentle Care Animal Hospital offers hospice and euthanasia services to pets that are terminally ill and suffering. We perform these services with tenderness, and expert care. We have been providing compassionate care through all phases of your pet’s life, and we will continue the same kind, understanding care when the end of life draws near.
Our doctors and staff have the greatest compassion for animals and for their owners during difficult times such as these. Our main focus is making your pet as comfortable as possible while allowing you to say goodbye. When you bring your animal in for euthanasia services, we give you time with your pet, explain the procedure and what you can expect to happen so that you are prepared. We have hand-chosen medications that make the procedure painless and induce pets to drift off into a peaceful and permanent sleep.
Afterwards, we can assist in the handling of your pet’s remains. We offer clay paw memorials, fur clippings, and cremation services. For pet parents who wish to have their pet’s remains returned to them, we can present them in either a decorative tin scatter box or a rosewood box. We will also handle the ashes for clients who do not want them returned.
Watching your beloved pet suffer day after day as he approaches the end of life is a heart wrenching, painful experience. Before you and your pet struggle through one more day, call us at Gentle Care Animal Hospital to learn how we can help you through this difficult time.
How Do You Know If It is Time?
This is one of the most common questions we get asked. There are several criteria used in evaluating life quality and you should consider them carefully. We have passed the following information along to several of our clients and they have found it helpful during this very difficult time.
Is your pet eating? Basically, quality life involves eating or at least interest in food. An animal that is hungry has vitality that must be considered, though this is not the only consideration.
Is your pet comfortable? The pet should be free of debilitating pains, cramps, aches or even the psychological pain that comes from the development of incontinence in an animal who has been housebroken for an entire life.
Does the pet still enjoy favorite activities? The elderly pet does not necessarily need to continue chasing balls or jumping after discs, but he should enjoy sleeping comfortably, favorite resting spots, the company of family, etc. You know your pet better than any one and only you can truly answer these questions.
Dr. Alice Villalobos, a veterinarian who started a quality-of-life program for terminal pets, has published a scoring system for life quality called The HHHHHMM scale. The letters stand for: Hurt, Hunger, Hydration, Hygiene, Happiness, Mobility, and More Good Days than Bad.
