In-Home Veterinary Hospice and End of Life Care for your Beloved Pet
Comfort Care | Hospice Care | Pet Euthanasia
One of the most difficult decisions we make as pet owners is deciding when to say goodbye. Our Paws at Home team does our best to help make this time of transition go as smoothly as possible for your family.
Your pet stays at home where they are most comfortable while receiving end of life care with Dr. Kristin Spear and the Paws at Home Team.
We also offer to facilitate cremation where you may choose to have your pet’s ashes returned to you.
Regular Business Hours:
| Monday | 8AM - 2PM |
| Tuesday | 8AM - 2PM |
| Wednesday | 8AM - 2PM |
| Thursday | CLOSED |
| Friday | 8AM - 2PM |
| Saturday | By appointment only |
| Sunday | CLOSED |
Have a veterinary emergency?
While we don’t offer any emergency veterinary services, we do have a resource listing your available options: Emergency Vet Listing
Comfort and Hospice Care
Many times when a pet is diagnosed with a terminal illness or is declining due to age, the owner is unsure how to best care for them.
Dr. Kristin Spear can offer suggestions on how to keep them the most comfortable and improve the quality of life for both the pet and the family. After an exam, she will discuss goals for your unique situation, offer treatment options, environment modifications, and can also prescribe medications to help deal with symptoms such as pain, inflammation, loss of appetite, vomiting, etc.
When is it time to say goodbye?
This decision is one of the most difficult you’ll have to make. While we are unable to answer that question for you, we are available for questions and guidance through this time.
Here is a quality of life assessment tool from our colleagues at Lap of Love. You may also find this Dog Quality Of Life Calculator: Assess Your Pet’s Wellbeing from the World Animal Foundation.
Euthanasia – What can I expect ?
The euthanasia of a beloved pet is a solemn time for everyone involved.This is a difficult topic to discuss, but it may be less of an emotional strain if you have prepared in advance for the euthanasia process and you know what to expect.
This is especially important when children are involved, your pet is a giant breed, or there are special scheduling considerations. It is also important to plan ahead since we can not offer Emergency Care outside of our Regular Business hours.
- Dr. Kristin will walk the family through the euthanasia process and answer any questions that the family may have.
- She will ask the owner to sign an Authorization for Euthanasia consent form which will ask the following questions:
– Would you like Paws at Home to assist in cremation services, or if you prefer to care for the remains?
– If you choose cremation, it will ask if you want your pet’s ashes returned to you (private cremation).
– Would you like us to notify your regular veterinary clinic of your pet’s passing, so they are aware of your family’s loss?
– Has your pet bitten anyone in the past 10 days? This question is asked due to the public health risk of Rabies and would require special handling.
- She will ask the owner to sign an Authorization for Euthanasia consent form which will ask the following questions:
- A sedative will be administered to make your friend as comfortable as possible.
- Once your pet is comfortable and peaceful, another injection is given to complete the euthanasia. Dr. Kristin will insure that your pet’s heart and breathing have stopped before she leaves.
- Dr. Kristin will offer to take a digital picture of your pet’s nose and paw print. These images can be used later to memorialize your pet with an individualized keepsake. She will make an imprint of your pet’s paw for you to keep.
- If elected, we will then transport your pet for cremation services.
When scheduling the home euthanasia, please let our Paws’ Team know if Dr. Kristin should bring an assistant to help with this process as we understand this can be both physically and emotionally demanding.
Pet Cremation Assistance
If you choose for Paws to facilitate cremation, Dr. Kristin will professionally care for and transport your pet’s remains after the appointment. We will coordinate with Printy Funeral Home’s pet cremation service. Please contact Paws at Home for current price information.
If you would like the ashes returned to you, the Paws’ Team will contact you usually within a week to coordinate the return.
Some families prefer burial, but there are many things to consider about burying your pet including safety considerations and environmental impact. Please contact the office for our Burial Tips handout.
Remembering Your Pet
Just like a person’s fingerprint, cats and dogs’ nose prints and paw prints are each unique. Many of our clients have chosen to memorialize their pets with a unique nose or paw print piece of jewelry.
Frequently Asked Questions
My pet has good days and bad days and I’m not sure if now is the time to say goodbye. What should I do?
Sometimes it is hard to have perspective and to recognize suffering in our pet.
We can feel very conflicted and even guilty about choosing euthanasia. In these situations we recommend setting up an appointment for an exam.
Dr. Kristin can examine your pet, discuss your goals and needs, answer questions and give recommendations on a plan for hospice or palliative care or home euthanasia.
How do I make a euthanasia appointment?
- Please visit the Client Center to get started.
- Then, call or text (217-279-4500) or you can email (info@pawsathomevet.com) to arrange a time for Dr. Kristin to come to your home for an initial assessment or a home euthanasia.
Do I need to be a current client of Paws at Home in order to receive euthanasia services?
No. We offer home euthanasia services to anyone that needs loving and professional veterinary care.
We do need registration information about you and your pet ahead of time, so we can prepare and schedule an appointment for your family.
Paws at Home does NOT offer home euthanasia as an emergency service.
How much does in-home euthanasia cost?
This varies based on the weight of your pet, your location, and your choice on cremation. Please contact Paws at Home for current price information and we can provide an estimate.
What payment options do you offer?
Paws at Home requires payment at the time of services. We accept cash and personal checks for no extra fees. For a small convenience charge, we will also accept credit cards and Venmo business payments. We are unable to offer delayed billing.
How long does a euthanasia appointment take?
Every situation is unique just like every individual is unique. Our goal is a peaceful euthanasia, so typically the appointment is between 30-60 minutes.
We start with a sedative injection that will allow your pet to relax, but we do recommend owners give all pain medications prior to our visit. We are happy to offer suggestions on how best to approach this difficult moment in your family’s life.
We want your pet to be as comfortable as possible, so Dr. Kristin may choose to give more medication depending on the patient’s response. The euthanasia injection, simply an overdosage of anesthesia, can be given different routes and this decision is often based on the patient’s health at the time of the euthanasia.
How much notice do you need?
The more notice you can give us, the better chance we have of working around your schedule and ours. Remember that we want to make the process as peaceful as possible.
Just like birth, death is difficult to predict. We try our best to accommodate your pet’s needs as much as we can, but we are NOT able to provide emergency euthanasias.
What do I need to prepare for an in-home euthanasia?
You may want to determine a location where you and your pet will be the most comfortable.
You should give all current pain medications on schedule. Dr. Kristin will bring everything else that is needed.
Should my other pets be there?
We recognize the benefit of your other pets being able to say goodbye also.
The euthanasia process can be difficult with the other pets present, so we usually recommend to let them say goodbye once the euthanasia procedure is complete and Dr. Kristin has removed her equipment.
Will my other pets grieve?
Like humans, pets grieve too, but they grieve in their own way. Home euthanasia allows housemates to instinctively “know” what has happened. Animals seem to understand this circle of life better than humans do. You may see a temporary change in the other pets’ appetites, demeanors, or normal routines.
They can even pick up on our emotions, so don’t be surprised if they are more attentive.
Should my children be there?
This is a very personal decision that you as a parent must make and the choices vary widely depending on the age and maturity of the child.
We do not recommend young children be present as this can be very upsetting for them. Please discuss with our staff when discussing the home euthanasia.
We absolutely recommend letting your child say goodbye, instead of coming home to an empty house. Some parents have elected to have children at home but in a different room for the actual procedure. This ensured the child was removed from the parent’s emotions (usually harder to deal with than the actual loss of the pet), but were allowed to come say goodbye before the pet was removed from the home.
What can I expect from the grieving process?
Everyone experiences grief differently, and there is no right or wrong way to do it. Sharing memories and remembering the good times you had together will help ease the sadness. By focusing on giving them peace, you can also bring peace to your hurting hearts. You may wish to plant a tree or plant as a lasting memory of your pet.
Next Steps
All new clients will need to fill out our Client and Pet registration forms.