What is Pet Hospice?

PLEASE READ: Due to COVID-19, some modifications will be in place at this time to appointment format to keep everyone safe. Appointments will need to take place in an area or room close to an entrance in the home (or a garage or screened in porch). This space will need to be disinfected and have windows open (if applicable) +/- fans running for at least a couple of hours prior to the appointment. Please have the minimum number of people present. If there are areas of your home (stairs, floors etc) that pose a problem for your pet, please have pictures available so that Dr. Alissa can assess issues and work with you to find solutions to make mobility easier for your senior pet. Prior COVID-19 policies will still be in place. Dr. Alissa will be wearing a mask and gloves, and asks that owners be wearing masks as well. For these appointments, please try to practice social distancing of 6-feet whenever possible.

Faithful Hearts Mobile Veterinary Services is now offering animal hospice and palliative care services for pets with life limiting or incurable diseases and their families, starting with an initial quality of life assessment appointment.

Animal hospice includes the following services:

· Care focused on providing pain control and physical comfort to the pet, as well as educational support and emotional comfort for caregivers.

· A veterinarian serving as a teacher, enabling family members to care for their pet's medical and emotional needs at home.

· Time for families to adjust to their pet's progressive disease and say goodbye in a kinder, more personal way.

Many pet parents choose hospice care in order to participate in decision making about their pet's end-of-life needs, giving the entire family time to prepare for the pending goodbye to their companions and to plan for a peaceful death.

If you have the resources to support comfort care, the time and desire to care for your pet during the last days or weeks of their life, and a good support team in place, then hospice care may be the right choice for you and your pet.

Animal hospice and palliative care provide comfort to companion animals as they approach the end of life. Services may include hospice treatment, pain/anxiety management, holistic healing and in-home euthanasia. The concept initially gained significant traction within the pet industry and veterinary medical field. Now, some pet owners are embracing it. Dr. Alissa Anderson personally prepares a packet of resources and comprehensively discusses with you the specifics your pet’s disease or condition, including expected progression, medications (which she can prescribe and dispense to you or call in to a local pharmacy), ways to help your pet at home (including fluid therapy if needed), and what signs indicate a medical emergency.

Many pet parents choose hospice care in order to participate in decision making about their pet's needs, have the time to say goodbye to their companions and to plan for their death.

For additional information about animal hospice and palliative care, visit the International Association for Animal Hospice and Palliative Care (IAAHPC)’s website: https://iaahpc.org/faqs/ and scroll down to FAQ for Pet Parents.

To learn more about the animal hospice and palliative care services offered at Faithful Hearts, and whether they are the right fit for you and your pet, please call us at 864-274-5756 or email us at faithfulheartsvet@gmail.com.