I knew I wanted to work in the death care industry as a three-year-old, after my eccentric grandmother gifted me a series of books about mummification and ancient Egypt.
I went on to become a mortician. Before retiring due to disability, I had six years of experience as a funeral director, crematory operator, and embalmer. Euthanizing our own pet helped us to realize that we should combine our skill sets to help people make one of the worst days of their lives as good as it possibly could be.
Harper deserved the best, and we did everything we could to give her that for all nine years that she was with us. We promised her a good life, and a good life includes a dignified death.
The biggest struggle that most people have with end-of-life decision making is figuring out when is the right time to move forward with euthanasia. A quality of life checklist can be a useful tool to help determine when your pet has entered their compassionate death time frame. When Harper got sick, we made a list of five things that proved to us she was experiencing a good quality of life, including getting up to bark like a fool at the front door and scarfing down her dinner.
When she was too exhausted to complete most of the things on the checklist, we knew that her body was announcing to us that her suffering was outweighing her enjoyment of life.
The morning of her euthanasia, Harper was too fatigued to even eat breakfast. The very act of standing up to cross the room left her worn out. More on that below. In addition to being sad, euthanizing at the vet can be awkward.
Finally, if your pet has anxiety about visiting the vet, they may be agitated, which is probably not the way you want them to experience their final minutes.
Many veterinarians are willing to schedule in-home visits for euthanasia appointments, but increasingly, mobile veterinary clinics like ours exist specifically to help meet the need for euthanasia from the comfort of your own home. The vast majority of in-home pet euthanasia practitioners try to ensure their costs are comparable to other clinics. Most brick-and-mortar veterinary clinics will have a list of in-home practitioners that they can recommend to you.
Though legal in all 50 states, this is still a growing field, so some states and rural areas may not have the same ready access to in-home options that more suburban or urban areas do. In-home visits remove the stress that can be associated with the hospital setting. Being at home means that people retain a certain level of privacy and are not rushed by the schedule of a busy veterinary office.
In-home euthanasia practices work as an adjunct for veterinary clinics. We exist in a circle of mutual appreciation of each other, understanding that each of our models offers its own set of boons and constraints and focusing on the end goal of doing whatever is best for the animal.
Derek and I make sure to have pre-appointment phone chats with families before we go to their houses and upon arriving, we explain the euthanasia process to the family before we even bring in any of our medical equipment, and allow as much time as needed for questions.
Any veterinarian who makes you feel rushed—in-home or in-office—is not giving you the care you deserve. Making the choice before the actual appointment means you can weigh your options before the stress of the moment and without a staff member who is about to hand you a bill. Decision-making is always easier when done in the coolheadedness of before rather than the emotional rush of after.
Choosing burial is usually about having access to land. Some cities do have pet cemeteries, but it costs money to buy and maintain a plot of land and a grave marker.
Many other pet owners select cremation as the final disposition for their pets. Cremation—the process of using high heat to reduce a body down to ash and bone—is typically fairly inexpensive. Families have the option to have their pet cremated as part of a group or individually. Typically, cremated remains are not returned to the family but may be respectfully scattered by the crematory.
The crematory we work with, Pets at Peace in San Ramon, scatters the cremated remains from group cremations in the Sierra Mountains.
Many families who do not want to possess cremated remains choose this option and then memorialize their pets by planting a tree or placing a marker somewhere, like their yard. Some families may choose a witness cremation, where they have the opportunity to visit the crematory like I did and view portions of the cremation process. Most crematories charge a small fee for this process, but families often find a sense of closure and relief from knowing exactly what happened instead of having to try and imagine.
Individual cremations usually cost a little bit more and the cremated remains are returned to the family in an urn. Nowadays, there are an incredible number of beautiful options for personalized urns and even jewelry to hold small bits of cremated remains. Other people feel adamant that having their pets returned is an integral part of the mourning process.
The body is essentially broken down to its chemical components over the course of four to six hours. Remember that onion powder is an ingredient in certain snacks and baby food.
There is some evidence that cocoa mulch can also be harmful to pets , so you may want to choose another mulch for your yard and garden. Liquid Air Fresheners Some liquid potpourri contain cationic detergent, which can burn your cat's mouth and digestive system if he ingests it. It can also irritate his skin. Choose an air freshener your cat won't be tempted to taste, or one that is non-toxic. Check out our great list of air fresheners you can make at home.
Bones Cats love poultry and fish, but if you let them indulge in these delectable treats, make sure they're boneless. Bones can splinter and obstruct your cat's digestive tract or even puncture it. Sometimes canned food is simply the way to go. Were you surprised by any of these things you should keep away from your cat? Please make sure to share this post with family and friends who have cats!
And for more pet tips, follow out Pet Tips board on Pinterest. How do you protect your cat from ingesting these items? Share them with us in the comments section below or on the Who Knew? Facebook page. Image courtesy of Anna Boudinot. After saving thousands per year using everyday tips and simple lifehacks, they started their own business in the hopes of sharing their knowledge with others.
They have been known to go into their friends' refrigerators to turn their eggs upside down so that they last longer. Wolf of the blog Vox Felina , we have a copy of the original op-ed. The Audubon Society may decide to claim that this is a case of a lone wolf, a man whose views don't represent the whole.
They may claim that he wasn't telling you to actually kill cats. But c'mon, that's like showing someone how to make a bomb, but then saying, "Promise you won't actually bomb anyone, OK?
There has to be common ground in this conversation. That's how solutions are found to problems. Truth is, vaccinated and sterilized cats are the best humane option we have. Extremists like Ted Williams who think the mass slaughter of feral cats by a pain pill—wielding populace is the right solution should kindly keep their manifestos to themselves; that type of incendiary ranting has no place in civilized discourse.
We believe Mr. Williams doesn't deserve to be paid by the National Audubon Society, either. Please, click the button below to send a letter to the National Audubon Society calling on them to further demote Mr. Williams, ideally to part-time custodial arts engineer.
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