BluePearl
Pet Hospice
In-Home Euthanasia and Comfort Care

You can feed your pet or offer favorite treats if he or she is eating.

On rare occasions, nausea can happen following sedation, but this is generally due to either your pet’s underlying disease process or sensitivity to medication, not the fact that you let your pet enjoy a favorite treat or meal.

The only medications we recommend you give your pet on the day of euthanasia are “comfort medications” such as pain or anti-nausea medications, if you are giving them, and they will not interfere with the euthanasia process.

Children should ideally have the opportunity to say goodbye to their companion. In our experience, children over five years old are amazingly present and engaged, and will often impress with their understanding and acceptance.

Of course, this decision is ultimately the choice of the parent. Some parents elect to have children at home but in a different room for the actual passing. This helps ensure they are insulated from the parent’s emotions (which is usually harder for them to deal with than the actual loss of the pet), but still allow them to say their goodbyes after the passing, before the pet leaves the home.

For children younger than five, they seem to be unsure about what’s going on and are, again, more upset by the parent’s emotions than by the loss of the pet. Still, we believe open communication about the loss is usually the best policy even for this age.

Upon request, our care coordinators can email you a helpful resource from The Ohio State University that shares how to best help children cope with serious illness or death of a pet.

• We will care for every possible need so that your only focus is being with your pet.
• We provide soft blankets, “potty pads,” and arrange for a paw print to be made by the crematorium.
• We care for all of your pet’s cremation and transportation arrangements, and provide a stretcher that allows for the gentle movement of pets from their home to our vehicle.
• We notify your veterinarian(s) so that you do not need to make that difficult call.

We understand that new people can be intimidating and that some pets experience “stranger danger.”

In the situation where a pet may be extra nervous, or potentially prone to biting, please let our care coordinators know. We will work with you to develop a specialized approach, helping to remove any anxiety or fear and in turn making these moments as stress-free as possible for both you and your pet.

In our experience, we find other household pets absolutely need this time to say goodbye, just like any family member.

Most pets seem to understand what is going on, and will sit quietly and attentively, honoring the process much in the same way as you do. If you feel your pet may be disruptive to the process, they can be placed in another room and allowed to say goodbye once their friend has passed.

Being able to see and smell their friend allows for closure, which is important in the grieving process. Following the loss of their friend, they may act depressed for a day or so after, but generally return to their normal behaviors and routines following this time. We offer as much time as needed for all members of the family to say their goodbyes.

Comfort Care is compassionate care focused on comfort, not cure, and meeting the unique needs of your pet. It is care that celebrates what life remains, allowing you to make the most of each day. Comfort Care not only recognizes the needs of your pet, but also the physical, spiritual and emotional needs of you and your family.

Comfort Care should start at the first signs of decline or when a diagnosis is made, not when “there’s nothing more we can do”. The sooner a relationship is started, the more you and your pet can benefit from the support and care our team provides.

• Nursing care education
• Assessment of the home environment
• In-home diagnostics such as blood work, urinalysis and blood pressure monitoring
• Preparation and planning for emergencies
• Nutrition counseling
• Facilitating end-of-life decisions
• Consultation: When should we consider euthanasia? What is the best way to plan for this time?
• Pet loss support focused on anticipatory grief
• Cohesive and collaborative care with your veterinarian and veterinary specialists

No, a Comfort Care relationship is appropriate at any stage of disease, and the sooner the relationship is started, the better.

The sooner Comfort Care is started, the more you and your pet can benefit. It is proactive care that can start at any stage of disease to greatly improve comfort and quality of life for months or years.

• A progressive disease such as arthritis, kidney disease or heart failure
• An incurable illness, such as cancer
• A disease for which you do not wish to pursue additional diagnostics, surgery or other therapies in lieu of comfort-oriented care
• A disease for which you do wish to pursue additional treatments (such as chemotherapy) but would benefit from additional support
• A long-term disability such as poor mobility, neurological disorders or disc disease
• “Old age” issues such as a general slowing down, nighttime anxiety or cognitive dysfunction (“doggy dementia”)

A “Comfort Kit” is something we dispense to our comfort care families when we are concerned that an emergency might happen, such as sudden distress or pain.

A Comfort Kit includes several pre-loaded syringes of a pain medication plus a sedative that families can give by subcutaneous (under the skin) injection in the case of an emergency. This easily administered injection provides both pain relief and sedation, and reduces any feelings of discomfort or distress.

A Comfort Kit provides relief not just for the pet, but for the family as well. For example, if a sudden crisis were to occur in the middle of the night, families would have on hand an intervention that will provide comfort until the vet arrives for euthanasia or reevaluation, or to provide comfort while en route to an emergency hospital if care is needed in the middle of the night.