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in-home comfort care and euthanasia services
Thank you for your interest in Catnip Veterinary Care. We provide a mobile service focused on caring for elderly pets and those in need of comfort care for end-stage conditions, and in-home euthanasia services for your pet's peaceful transition over the rainbow bridge.
We are based in Mertztown, PA with a primary service area encompassing nearby eastern Berks and western Lehigh counties. For in-home euthanasia needs, we service a larger area. Please contact us if you have questions about your specific location.
Saying goodbye is difficult enough without having to worry about the stress of a car ride or the noise of a busy clinic. We offer a serene, compassionate alternative. We come to you, so your pet can remain in the comfort of home and be surrounded by loved ones, and you have the time and space needed to say goodbye. Catnip Veterinary Care commits to making this most-difficult time as peaceful as possible for everyone. We understand the need for privacy and dignity, at a time when it matters most.
As part of our euthanasia services, we also help with the aftercare transport, cremation, and return of your pet's remains if home burial is not an option for you.
Catnip Veterinary Care offers a humane in-home euthanasia service that is intended to be as gentle and stress-free as possible. We think your familiarity with the course of events during this visit helps to prepare you emotionally and curb some of the anxiety about the euthanasia procedure. Less anxiety for you also translates to less anxiety for your perceptive pet.
For this visit we can accommodate whatever location is most comfortable for your pet, be it in their favorite bed or outside in their backyard. After we arrive at your home and have met the patient and family, you will be asked to fill out a brief consent form that confirms your wishes for humane euthanasia and your choice of aftercare. We can take care of payment at that time as well.
The euthanasia procedure itself begins with an initial injection of a calming sedative/pain medication that takes about 5-10 min to take effect. When your pet is fully relaxed, the final euthanasia medication is given. It acts very quickly, and is painless. Your pet experiences a relaxing, falling-asleep feeling, and within a few minutes, the heart and breathing stop. The doctor will confirm that your pet has passed away. You may have already sensed that this has occurred. At this time, you will be offered time alone with your pet.
The euthanasia process is a gentle and peaceful one, but for full preparedness, immediately after your pet has passed you may see a few breaths; these are only reflexive and a natural part of the dying process. Your pet may or may not not close their eyes all the way. You may also see a few mild muscle twitches for a few seconds.
In regards to aftercare, you have the option of taking care of your pet's body on your own (e.g. home burial), or we can arrange for cremation of your pet's remains. Kitties and small dogs are wrapped in a blanket and placed in a basket for transport, while larger dogs (over ~20#) are wrapped in a blanket and placed on a stretcher to be carried out of your home. We arrange to bring a helper to aid with transport of the body, but may request help from family for giant breed dogs (>100lb).
For private cremation, your pet is handled separately at the crematorium, and your pet's remains are returned in a carved, wooden urn. Communal cremation allows for several pets to be handled together at the crematorium - this is a lower cost option and no ashes are returned.
We strive to provide in-home pet euthanasia services with compassion, empathy, and kindness in a way that supports both humans and animals during one of the most difficult moments of their journey together. We understand how important it is to make these last precious moments with your pet as peaceful, comfortable and stress-free as possible.
Comfort Care focuses on making our pet's last stages of life as comfortable as possible. For pets of any age who face difficult medical challenges, there are many reasons why a pet owner may choose not to pursue diagnostics, surgery, or in-hospital treatment. For these situations, we offer comfort care within your home to make your companion's final months, weeks, or days as “normal” and comfortable as possible. When a cure is unavailable, relief from pain or troublesome symptoms can be managed to keep your sweet companion happy and comfortable for as long as possible.
Comfort Care offers relief for the pet struggling with health issues like debilitating arthritis, dementia, chronic disease, cancer or other terminal illness. The focus is on providing comfort, not finding a cure. We can help manage pain, nausea, loss of appetite, incontinence, confusion associated with dementia, chronic vomiting, constipation or respiratory compromise. For a time, these troublesome symptoms can be held at bay in the final stages of a pet's health in order to maintain an acceptable level of comfort and dignity, thereby improving quality of life.
In addition to pain-management medications and other home-based treatments, the doctor may suggest changes to diet, daily habits, or the home environment to help your pet deal with his/her specific challenges. Each pet and situation is different, and the doctor will work with you to set up the highest quality of life for your furry companion.
We can also offer guidance with the tough, end-of-life decisions when it is time to do so.
When making an appointment for In-Home Comfort Care, please forward any relevant medical records.
~ Dogs do speak, but only to those who know how to listen ~
Orhan Pamuk, nobel prize-winning author
~ Time spent with cats is never wasted ~
Sigmund Freud, psychoanalyst
~ The dog is a gentleman; I hope to go to his heaven, not man's ~
Mark Twain, author and humorist
~ What greater gift than the love of a cat ~
Charles Dickens, writer
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