What to Expect

When you call, you will be talking directly with me—the veterinarian that will take care of everything for you and your pet.  I will get your pet’s history and ask for any helpful information from your primary veterinarian to help me understand the case and offer any input that might be useful.

I am the only veterinarian that will come to the house for your pet.  I will always do my best to be available in a timely fashion but please be respectful of the fact that I am just one person.  There will be times that I will have to help you find another doctor to help care for your pet, but I will do all I can to be available within reason.

I will explain the exact details with whomever is present when I come to your home.  I will also send you an email ahead of time with those details for those that want to prepare themselves ahead of time.

Every veterinarian approaches the process of euthanasia a little differently.  I pride myself on making each patient as relaxed as possible at this time.  Some owner’s may elect to have an oral sedative given prior to me even arriving.  Other’s may not want to do this and that is completely fine, I understand. 

Once your pet has peacefully passed I will handle all of your cremation requests.  Rest assured that we use Abbey Glen Crematory which has an excellent reputation.  I have personally worked with them for almost 30 years now and have full faith in their services. 

Once I have your pets cremains, back myself or a staff member will hand deliver them to your house.  For clients that live quite far, we can arrange delivery direct from Abbey Glen only if you are comfortable with that.  

I have put together a list of helpful tips to assess your pet’s overall quality of life.  We can have a phone conversation about your concerns to make the best decisions possible for your pet.

Please call me if you feel your pet’s final days are nearing.  I am happy to help guide you through this as best I can.  I have been in your shoes and I know that  making the choice of euthanasia for my own pets has been so incredibly difficult. I feel strongly that an experienced veterinarian’s input can help to ease the difficulty of this decision even though it may only be to a very small degree.   My goal is to not only help your pet, but to help you feel as comfortable as possible about this very important decision for your beloved pet.

Unfortunately if owners wait too long to make their decision, they will often be faced with a very stressful emergency situation and possibly the inability to have a veterinarian come to help your pet at home in a timely fashion.  While I know this is a very hard decision, I want you to keep this potential scenario in mind.  My preference, and I’m sure most owner’s, is for our pet’s to have a peaceful passing in the comfort of their loving family at home.

Does your pet still interact normally with family members on a daily basis?

  • Have appetite or drinking habits changed

  • Is there any vomiting, soft stools, coughing, labored breathing

  • Are there any outward signs of pain/discomfort

  • How is your pet’s mobility

  • Have there been changes in behavior such as:

    • Pacing/restlessness/anxiousness/vocalizing

    • Confusion

    • Aggression

    • Extreme lethargy