How to navigate the end of your pet’s life
Copyright Source：
Yueke
Fri, Jul 12, 2024
PHOTO: Yueke
How to Navigate the End of Your Pet’s Life
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.
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 number of so-called pet death doulas. But navigating decisions around the end of their life can still feel overwhelming. Here are some ways you can take care of your pet and yourself.
How can I make my elderly pet more comfortable?
Hospice and palliative care veterinarians like Walling specialize in home visits, which can be a good option if transporting your pet to the vet’s office becomes too difficult.
The International Association for Animal Hospice and Palliative Care maintains a list of its members.
Vets can prescribe medication to treat infections, pain, and chronic conditions, and help with diet changes. But there are simple things owners can do themselves around the house to make their pet more comfortable.
As dogs age and their limbs become stiffer, slippery floors like hardwood and tile become difficult to walk on. Try putting carpet runners or yoga mats where your pet walks, and especially where they stand to eat. For breeds with longer hair, you can trim the fur off the bottom of their paws to give their pads more grip.
“We had to take all of the area rugs and patchwork our kitchen,” said Rugby’s owner, Sam Boege.
For larger dogs that need help getting up or going outside, Walling recommends a special harness that has front and rear handles.
Cats don’t struggle with slippery floors as much, but they do get arthritis. If your cat is having trouble stepping up into their litter box, it might be a good idea to get one that’s lower to the ground.
For both dogs and cats, try raising the food and water bowls so they don’t have to bend down as much.
How do you know when it’s time to say goodbye to your pet?
If medication and pain management aren’t relieving your pet’s suffering and you’re trying to decide if it may be time to let them go, look for signs like loss of appetite and difficulty breathing — and check with your vet.
“There is a spectrum of time when a euthanasia is an appropriate decision,” said Dr. Dani McVety, a veterinarian who founded Lap of Love, the country’s largest network of at-home euthanasia providers.
Lap of Love provides resources on its website that can be used to evaluate your animal’s quality of life.
Planning for at-home euthanasia can be a good choice for pets who aren’t experiencing immediate medical emergencies. It’s smart to prepare ahead of time and understand how the procedure works so you can focus on your pet in their last days.
“You’re not shortening their life, you’re shortening their death,” Walling said.
Where to turn for emotional support at the end of your pet’s life
You don’t have to go through the end of your pet’s life alone.
The Association for Pet Loss and Bereavement provides information on its website to help pet owners understand euthanasia and grief. Lap of Love offers pet loss support groups several times a week. There are also pet loss counselors, grief specialists, and animal chaplains who offer one-on-one support.
Animal end-of-life doulas, or “death doulas,” offer emotional, spiritual, and informational support around the time of death. They aren’t required to have medical training but may work with veterinary providers. A doula can help owners process feelings of grief and loss or assist with practical steps like planning for final days.
“Everybody’s different,” said Lauren Seeley, a death doula based in New York City. “What I find is most people aren’t ready to deal with it until it’s already happened.”
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.
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 number of so-called pet death doulas. But navigating decisions around the end of their life can still feel overwhelming. Here are some ways you can take care of your pet and yourself.
How can I make my elderly pet more comfortable?
Hospice and palliative care veterinarians like Walling specialize in home visits, which can be a good option if transporting your pet to the vet’s office becomes too difficult.
The International Association for Animal Hospice and Palliative Care maintains a list of its members.
Vets can prescribe medication to treat infections, pain, and chronic conditions, and help with diet changes. But there are simple things owners can do themselves around the house to make their pet more comfortable.
As dogs age and their limbs become stiffer, slippery floors like hardwood and tile become difficult to walk on. Try putting carpet runners or yoga mats where your pet walks, and especially where they stand to eat. For breeds with longer hair, you can trim the fur off the bottom of their paws to give their pads more grip.
“We had to take all of the area rugs and patchwork our kitchen,” said Rugby’s owner, Sam Boege.
For larger dogs that need help getting up or going outside, Walling recommends a special harness that has front and rear handles.
Cats don’t struggle with slippery floors as much, but they do get arthritis. If your cat is having trouble stepping up into their litter box, it might be a good idea to get one that’s lower to the ground.
For both dogs and cats, try raising the food and water bowls so they don’t have to bend down as much.
How do you know when it’s time to say goodbye to your pet?
If medication and pain management aren’t relieving your pet’s suffering and you’re trying to decide if it may be time to let them go, look for signs like loss of appetite and difficulty breathing — and check with your vet.
“There is a spectrum of time when a euthanasia is an appropriate decision,” said Dr. Dani McVety, a veterinarian who founded Lap of Love, the country’s largest network of at-home euthanasia providers.
Lap of Love provides resources on its website that can be used to evaluate your animal’s quality of life.
Planning for at-home euthanasia can be a good choice for pets who aren’t experiencing immediate medical emergencies. It’s smart to prepare ahead of time and understand how the procedure works so you can focus on your pet in their last days.
“You’re not shortening their life, you’re shortening their death,” Walling said.
Where to turn for emotional support at the end of your pet’s life
You don’t have to go through the end of your pet’s life alone.
The Association for Pet Loss and Bereavement provides information on its website to help pet owners understand euthanasia and grief. Lap of Love offers pet loss support groups several times a week. There are also pet loss counselors, grief specialists, and animal chaplains who offer one-on-one support.
Animal end-of-life doulas, or “death doulas,” offer emotional, spiritual, and informational support around the time of death. They aren’t required to have medical training but may work with veterinary providers. A doula can help owners process feelings of grief and loss or assist with practical steps like planning for final days.
“Everybody’s different,” said Lauren Seeley, a death doula based in New York City. “What I find is most people aren’t ready to deal with it until it’s already happened.”
Lee Kalpakis finds this recipe quite amusing. Whenever she comes across it while researching outdoor cooking, she can't help but smile and think, "What are you doing here? You're much too sophisticated for a camping cookbook. How did you end up among the beans and pancakes?"
It's included here because she is passionate about scallops, and they are typically cooked in one pan. She contends that just because a dish is usually found in upscale restaurants doesn't mean it can't be prepared in an exceptional manner over a campfire. She has access to a fantastic local market that supplies delicious scallops, so why not enjoy them when they're available?
SCALLOPS WITH PEAS AND PROSCIUTTO
Serves: 2
INGREDIENTS
2–4 slices of prosciutto
Olive oil for cooking, if needed
10 large scallops
2 shallots, thinly sliced
1 cup of dry white wine
2 cups of shelled English peas (fresh or thawed frozen)
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
1 tablespoon of butter
Flaky salt for garnish
DIRECTIONS
Place a rack on a baking sheet and position it near the stove. Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. When the skillet is hot, add the prosciutto and cook like bacon, flipping to brown both sides, until the fat has been rendered and each slice is as crispy as possible, 3–5 minutes. Transfer the prosciutto to the rack to maintain its crispness, leaving the fat in the skillet.
If the skillet is not evenly coated with prosciutto fat, add a little oil. Add the scallops and sear until a golden crust forms on the bottom side, then flip to create a similar crust on the other side. This should take just a minute or two on each side; if cooked longer, the scallops will become chewy. Once they are properly seared on both sides, transfer them to a plate, cover with foil to keep them warm, and set aside.
Add more oil if necessary to coat the bottom of the skillet, then add the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are softened and browned, 5–7 minutes. Pour in the wine and deglaze the skillet, stirring to loosen any browned bits on the bottom.
Add the peas and stir, then add the lemon zest, season with kosher salt and pepper, and cook until the peas are bright green, 1–3 minutes. Transfer the peas to a large platter and place the scallops on top of the peas.
Add the butter and lemon juice to the skillet and swirl until the butter melts.
Pour the lemon butter over the scallops and peas, then crumble the prosciutto on top. Garnish with flaky salt and additional pepper and serve immediately.
Copyright Source: Yueke
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