How Does Veterinary Hospice Comfort Care Work?
You will first connect with our Hospice Veterinarian for an initial 60-90 minute appointment in the comfort of your home. You will discuss many aspects of end-of-life care, including:
- Navigating daily life with terminal illness
- What behaviors might indicate pain, discomfort, anxiety, or distress
- When is the “right time” to euthanize?
- Quality of Life – what truly makes life worth living for your pet?
- Review of current treatment plan from a different point of view, based on 30 years of end-of-life care focus.
- Personalized recommendations for pet hospice comfort care plans
Following the Initial In-Home Consultation by the Veterinarian, you will then schedule a follow-up telehealth meeting with one of our Veterinary Hospice Nurses. The Nurse Follow-Up Telehealth is to discuss any changes in your pet since the in-home visit, as well as to develop a relationship with your Primary Nurse. The timing of the Nurse Telehealth is recommended by the Doctor during the in-home consultation using their medical expertise. The Nurse Follow-Up Telehealth is included in the cost of your initial in-home veterinarian appointment. Initial visit follow-up telehealth calls need to be completed no later than 30 days after the initial in-home veterinarian appointment.
During the nurse telehealth call, the Initial Nurse In-Home Visit will be scheduled. Nurse-In-Home Visits are a separate charge. During the nurses in-home visit, they will discuss many aspects of your pet’s care, including:
- Keeping aware of your pet’s changing needs to best adapt our treatment plans
- How to administer medications at home
- Proper recumbency care, exercises to improve joint range of motion, home hygiene
- Assisting pets’ mobility, use of mobility and supportive devices
- Environmental assessments to help reduce stress and minimize potential hazards
- Nutritional consultations for pets with poor appetite or special needs
- Emotional and mental enrichment activities for pets with limited mobility or cognitive dysfunctions, to help ease boredom and depression
- Family grief support, helping children cope with loss, and resources for continued support
- Discuss the Hospice Comfort Care Plan that would best fit the needs of your pet
