Hospice & In-Home Euthansia
NMotion Home Veterinary Care provides hospice care to the terminally ill pets. We also provide In-home pet euthanasia to your pets to get relief from the incurable and painful diseases.
Pawspice (Hospice Care for Pets)
Tailored regimen of medications, diet, physical therapy, carts, slings, orthopedic beds–there are a lot of options to help make your pet’s limited time more comfortable. Pawspice care is a valid option when it will preserve your pet’s quality of life.
According to The International Association of Animal Hospice and Palliative Care (IAAHPC):
"Many pet parents choose hospice care in order to have the time to say goodbye to their companions, to plan for their death, and to ensure that all the decisions about the pet's needs are guided by their view of the pet's needs. If you have the resources to support comfort care, the time and desire to care for your pet during the last days or weeks of their life, and a good support team in place, then hospice care may be the right choice for you and your pet."
Quality of Life
The goal of any Pawspice care is to give your pet more good days than bad. All animals have the right to be free from Hunger, Pain, Excessive Hot/Cold, Dehydration, and Fear. They should still enjoy you and vice versa.
According to The International Association of Animal Hospice and Palliative Care (IAAHPC):
"Many pet parents choose hospice care in order to have the time to say goodbye to their companions, to plan for their death, and to ensure that all the decisions about the pet's needs are guided by their view of the pet's needs. If you have the resources to support comfort care, the time and desire to care for your pet during the last days or weeks of their life, and a good support team in place, then hospice care may be the right choice for you and your pet."
Quality of Life
The goal of any Pawspice care is to give your pet more good days than bad. All animals have the right to be free from Hunger, Pain, Excessive Hot/Cold, Dehydration, and Fear. They should still enjoy you and vice versa.
In-Home Euthanasia
The decision to euthanize your pet is likely to be the most difficult decision you will ever have to make as a pet owner. If the quality of your pet’s life has diminished so that you are experiencing more bad days than good, then it may be time to consider easing your pet’s suffering.
Quality of Life examinations will be performed on all new patients prior to euthanizing. We can examine your pet in its own environment to get an accurate understanding of its medical problems and quality of life to guide you through this critical time. We will not euthanize a patient with a manageable or treatable disease (ie arthritis, blindness, deafness, untreated diarrhea, untreated renal disease, etc.).
NMotion HVC will sedate your pet in its favorite location, allowing you time to say goodbye. After the sedative has taken effect, we will administer anesthesia, before the final injection of euthanasia, while you are comforting your pet. We can also prepare final arrangements for your pet, if requested.
Please Note: NMotion HVC performs euthanasia only on pets who have an unmanageable disease or those with little quality of life remaining. We reserve the right to refuse euthanasia if we feel it is being chosen as a convenience option (i.e. I want a new pet; I’m having a baby; It was my parent’s pet and I don’t want it; It’s just old; etc.). If we determine that it is not time to euthanize your pet, a house call fee and quality of life examination charge will be assessed.
Quality of Life examinations will be performed on all new patients prior to euthanizing. We can examine your pet in its own environment to get an accurate understanding of its medical problems and quality of life to guide you through this critical time. We will not euthanize a patient with a manageable or treatable disease (ie arthritis, blindness, deafness, untreated diarrhea, untreated renal disease, etc.).
NMotion HVC will sedate your pet in its favorite location, allowing you time to say goodbye. After the sedative has taken effect, we will administer anesthesia, before the final injection of euthanasia, while you are comforting your pet. We can also prepare final arrangements for your pet, if requested.
Please Note: NMotion HVC performs euthanasia only on pets who have an unmanageable disease or those with little quality of life remaining. We reserve the right to refuse euthanasia if we feel it is being chosen as a convenience option (i.e. I want a new pet; I’m having a baby; It was my parent’s pet and I don’t want it; It’s just old; etc.). If we determine that it is not time to euthanize your pet, a house call fee and quality of life examination charge will be assessed.
Pawspice And Euthanasia Pricing
House call Pricing in the Washington, DC and Metropolitan Maryland Area*
In-Home Euthanasia: Owner handles arrangements $ Please call
Aftercare Pricing: If you wish, we will take your beloved pet with us and arrange for cremation services. They will be handled with care, as if they were our own.
- Trip Fee: $50 - $100
- Pawspice Consultation: $200
In-Home Euthanasia: Owner handles arrangements $ Please call
Aftercare Pricing: If you wish, we will take your beloved pet with us and arrange for cremation services. They will be handled with care, as if they were our own.
- Private Cremation: With this option, your pet is cremated privately at a licensed crematorium. Cremains (ashes) are usually returned to you 2-3 weeks via UPS (in a very nice red mist wooden urn) unless other arrangements are requested at an additional cost. $ Please call
- Communal Cremation: With this cremation option, pets are cremated with other animals and their ashes are scattered together at a pet cemetery. $ Please Call
Euthanasia Assessment
Sometimes, euthanasia is obviously the best thing to do for your pet when the pet is suffering or has a terminal illness that can no longer effectively be treated. At other times, however, it can be less clear. This can be incredibly difficult for both the owner and the veterinarian and is often a very tough decision to make. An open discussion with your veterinarian including an honest evaluation of your pet's quality of life should help you make the decision.
One way to determine if your aging pet is still enjoying life and can remain with you a little longer is by using a "Quality of Life" scale to determine if the animal's basic needs are being met. This scale can be very helpful for the veterinarian and pet owner when deciding what is best for your pet. In this scale, pets are scored on a scale of 1 through 10 in each category with 10 being the highest score for quality of life. Again, only an honest evaluation of each category will help with the decision.
Quality of Life (HHHHHMM Scale)
Score Category Criterion
0-10 HURT Adequate pain control (including breathing ability)
0-10 HUNGER Is the pet eating enough? Does the pet require hand-feeding or a feeding tube?
0-10 HYDRATION Is the pet dehydrated:? Does it need subcutaneous fluids?
0-10 HYGIENE Pet needs to be brushed and clean, especially after elimination
0-10 HAPPINESS Does the pet express joy/interest? Does it respond to its environment? Does the pet show signs of boredom/loneliness/anxiety/fear? Can the pet's bed be situated close to family activities?
0-10 MOBILITY Can the pet get up without assistance does the pet want to go for a walk? Is the pet experiencing seizures/stumbling?
0-10 MORE GOOD THAN BAD When bad days start to outnumber good days, the quality of life becomes compromised and euthanasia needs to be considered
Total A total of 35 points is considered acceptable for a quality of life score
The AVMA offers several additional resources for pet owners, including brochures that are available online and can be downloaded and printed at no charge.
One way to determine if your aging pet is still enjoying life and can remain with you a little longer is by using a "Quality of Life" scale to determine if the animal's basic needs are being met. This scale can be very helpful for the veterinarian and pet owner when deciding what is best for your pet. In this scale, pets are scored on a scale of 1 through 10 in each category with 10 being the highest score for quality of life. Again, only an honest evaluation of each category will help with the decision.
Quality of Life (HHHHHMM Scale)
Score Category Criterion
0-10 HURT Adequate pain control (including breathing ability)
0-10 HUNGER Is the pet eating enough? Does the pet require hand-feeding or a feeding tube?
0-10 HYDRATION Is the pet dehydrated:? Does it need subcutaneous fluids?
0-10 HYGIENE Pet needs to be brushed and clean, especially after elimination
0-10 HAPPINESS Does the pet express joy/interest? Does it respond to its environment? Does the pet show signs of boredom/loneliness/anxiety/fear? Can the pet's bed be situated close to family activities?
0-10 MOBILITY Can the pet get up without assistance does the pet want to go for a walk? Is the pet experiencing seizures/stumbling?
0-10 MORE GOOD THAN BAD When bad days start to outnumber good days, the quality of life becomes compromised and euthanasia needs to be considered
Total A total of 35 points is considered acceptable for a quality of life score
The AVMA offers several additional resources for pet owners, including brochures that are available online and can be downloaded and printed at no charge.
RainbowBridge.com
Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.
When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.
All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor. Those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.
They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent. His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.
You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.
Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....
Author unknown...
When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.
All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor. Those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.
They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent. His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.
You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.
Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....
Author unknown...
Euthanasia and Grief Resources
The Association for Pet Loss and Bereavement may have more information that can be helpful to you in dealing with all stages of this decision.
