How to navigate the end of your pet's life
There are a number of options available to help aging pets and their caregivers, including hospice and palliative care, at-home euthanasia and a growing community of so-called pet death doulas
NEW YORK (AP) — Dr. Lisa Walling’s first house call of the day was with a particularly fluffy hospice patient — a 13-year-old Newfoundland named Rugby.
Rugby happily licked a plate of peanut butter as Walling inserted needles along her back; acupuncture and a ketamine injection to help with pain and mobility problems.
As an end-of-life care veterinarian, Walling considers both pet and owner to be her patients. She’s there to make sure animals are as comfortable as possible in their final days, and help humans through the difficult decision of knowing when it’s time to say goodbye.
“I find a lot of the time, the biggest part of my job is helping the owners,” said Walling. When it came time to euthanize Rugby at a later visit, the whole family was there.
