End of Life Care
Hospice and Palliative Care
Everyone lucky enough to be loved by a senior pet is truly blessed- and vice versa. This is why Dr. Fletcher has specialized training and certifications in end of life care. We start with a thorough, in-depth geriatric consult to evaluate your pet in his/her home in order to determine every way possible to increase his or her comfort and happiness. We will also support you as you begin the difficult process of caring for your aging family member. We will provide you with multiple ways to evaluate your pet’s pain level as well as their mental, and emotional wellbeing. We also give you tools to help you know how to decide when it’s time to make the extremely difficult decision to say goodbye.
In-Home Euthanasia
We know this decision will be the most difficult one you will need to make in your relationship with your four-legged friend. Our service allows you and your pet to be at home in private and familiar surroundings. We will explain the entire process before we start and make sure everyone’s questions are answered. We will first sedate your pet by giving an injection into the muscle. The pet may feel slight discomfort when the needle tip passes through the skin, but this is no greater than for any other injection. This injection takes 5-10 minutes to take effect. During this period, you can be with and comfort, your pet. We will do everything in our power to ensure that your beloved pet is as comfortable as possible before we proceed with the second and last injection. The final injection is given into a vein in a leg. It is an overdose of anesthesia that shuts down brain function which, in turn, shuts down the rest of the body. Afterward, several options are available. You may bury your pet at home, or we can arrange for pickup for cremation with or without return of the ashes. Whether you decide to bury or cremate your pet, we will do all in our power to make this difficult process as smooth and peaceful possible.