About
Calling Lakes Veterinary Hospice
Calling Lakes Veterinary Hospice is a veterinary house-call service provided by Dr. Melanie Roth. Dr. Melanie can make a visit to your home to assess the needs of your aging or terminal pet. Once an assessment has been performed, Dr. Melanie may prescribe medications for pain control, nausea, poor appetite or other symptoms that your pet may be demonstrating. She can also provide advice on your pet’s nutrition, grooming and physical needs.
In the final stages of life, Dr. Melanie can provide consultation about the euthanasia process and the options for after care. Euthanasia can be performed comfortably and quietly in the home when the decision has been made.
What is Veterinary Hospice?
Animal Hospice is a philosophy of care that begins when it becomes evident that the end of life is approaching. It focuses on emotional and physical support for the dying pet and emotional support for caregivers. The goal of hospice care is to focus on living life as fully as possible and to make preparations for death itself.
At Calling Lakes Veterinary Hospice, we offer in-home animal hospice and palliative care for pets with life-limiting or incurable diseases as well as support for their families.
Animal hospice includes:
-
Provision of pain relief and physical comfort to the pet.
-
Addressing the symptoms of aging and disease in the pet nearing the end of life.
-
Education and emotional support for the caregivers.
-
The veterinarian serving the family as a teacher and guide to enable family members to provide for their pet’s medical and emotional needs.
-
Guidance through the end-of-life process so that families can adjust to their pet’s disease and have time to say goodbye in a personal way.
Euthanasia
The word "euthanasia" derives from the Greek "eu" meaning "good" and "thanatos" meaning "death", forming the phrase "good death".
The euthanasia itself is performed by intravenous injection of a strong barbiturate. The injection first induces loss of consciousness, followed by cessation of breathing and the pet's heart and brain activity. Death usually comes quickly, within a minute or less, and the pet is not aware of what is happening.
The pet's eyes typically remain open after death; occasionally the pet may urinate, defecate, twitch or even gasp. Although these reactions may appear disturbing, the pet is completely unaware of them. Most of these reactions are caused by final death of the nervous system after the heart has already stopped beating.
Sedation is most often used prior to the final euthanasia injection to relax the pet and avoid any stress during the procedure. Sedation helps to make the pet as comfortable as possible in the final moments of life.