House call euthanasia

[dpcdoc]

---

Members don't see this ad.

While reading the paper this morning I saw an ad for house call pet euthanasia www.euthhome.com

I think this is awful for a vet to solely practice euthanasia services, I imagine though for the animal's sake, it would be less stressful in their own home. It just doesn't seem right to me. Maybe after vet school my opinion will change, any thoughts????

 

[Biomajir]

I don't think there is anything wrong with that. I am not sure if one could make enough money solely doing euthanasia though. I think the animal would be more comfortable in an environment that they are use to, but I imagine it is even more comforting to the owner. I know from my experience that it is very hard on clients because not only are they losing their pet, but they have to do it in a place full of other people and pets. So I think being able to have the option of having it done at home is very comforting.

 

[168135]

My cat HATES going to the vet. You have to be pretty stealthy in order to get her into her carrier. Once she is in there she cries and ends up hurting herself. Last time she tore her claws to pieces on the door and the time before that, she scratched her nose. If she has to be put to sleep, I would love it if a vet could put her to sleep in our own home. I don't know if any of the vets around here will do that. It would certainly be better for her, and I would feel better knowing that her last moments were not spend in a place that she didn't want to be.

 

[LVT2DVM]

Hey dcpdoc, I know this vet😎. Wow did you check out those prices. Man...steep. You know the problem is that many vets in this area will not perform euthanasia outside the hospital for insurance and personal safety purposes. So that has left many clients feeling "out in the cold" so to speak. I know my own vet wouldnt come to my house when it was time for my pet and Im an employee. Luckily I had a vet friend that didnt mind. My concern is this. In VA you have to have an established doctor patient relationship to perform this procedure. How can you accurately assess the necessity of euthanasia in one visit? I mean I know its done all the time at emergency facilities but thats potentially a different story. From a personal perspective I wouldnt want a vet whom Id never seen before doing this procedure on my pet. But everyone is different I suppose. Im sure there is a small market for it, but I think this person also is a relief vet whos probably not deriving sole income from this endevor.

I forgot I wanted to mention that some clients are so traumatized by euthanizing their pet in the vet hospital, they cannot go back and end up going to another vet. So I could see where this would be good in that instance as well. Ive had clients that have us mark their chart not to load them into certain exam rooms because their pet was PTS there.

 

[millie]

Some pets who are senior and are pretty much at the end of their life (not walking, eating, drinking or untreatable) I think in those instances its good to have a house call vet. I agree with the comment that you can't really access a patient on the first visit and determine that nothing more can be done thus pet should be euthanized. I have had that issue before where pet owners won't go in the same room that their previous pet was euthanized, a good solution was to create a comfort room with a love seat, soothing paint on the wall and place for pet owners to spend the final moments with their pet. And let me tell you it was a great solution.

 

[LVT2DVM]

Some pets who are senior and are pretty much at the end of their life (not walking, eating, drinking or untreatable) I think in those instances its good to have a house call vet. I agree with the comment that you can't really access a patient on the first visit and determine that nothing more can be done thus pet should be euthanized. I have had that issue before where pet owners won't go in the same room that their previous pet was euthanized, a good solution was to create a comfort room with a love seat, soothing paint on the wall and place for pet owners to spend the final moments with their pet. And let me tell you it was a great solution.

Yeah I agree about the comfort room..if you have the space its space well used. Unfortuately not all clinics do, Ive worked for places that had 3 full time doctors and only 2 exam rooms. Talk about tight quarters.

 

[SweeTeaPie]

We had to call our equine vet to come put down our German Shepherd at home because she was unable to jump up into a car, was extremely heavy, and would snap at anyone who tried to lift her because she was in pain, and the small animal vets wouldn't do house calls. I think more small animal vets should take this into consideration. Afterall, most of us are intersted in veterinary medicine because we want to help out animals, right?

 

[akitavet]

When its time for my dog, we'll do it at home. Even if I wasnt going to vet school. Its about her comfort, and I think she'll be most comfortable at home in her bed.

 

[fetch]

I think this is awful for a vet to solely practice euthanasia services, I imagine though for the animal's sake, it would be less stressful in their own home. It just doesn't seem right to me.

If you view euthanasia as a curse instead of the blessing it truly is, you will burn brightly but quickly in a career as a clinical practitioner. What would you have us do? Emulate our human counterparts? Let them linger far longer than they should, with a certain percentage just dying on their own, continually upping the dose of their morphine CRI until the magic number is achieved?

They are filling a niche market. If the demand wasn't there, do you truly think they'd be offering the service?

If you still find it conflicts with your values, you can always find employment within the profession that doesn't involve dealing with animals directly.

My concern is this. In VA you have to have an established doctor patient relationship to perform this procedure. How can you accurately assess the necessity of euthanasia in one visit? I mean I know its done all the time at emergency facilities but thats potentially a different story.

The story is the same. That's why each scheduled euthanasia should require a mandatory exam/consult/whatever your practice calls it. If your employer(s) are accepting drop-off euthanasias that's their burden, and their burden alone, to carry.

And yes, you can accurately assess the necessity to euthanize in just one visit; either the animal has a vaild reason (acute/chronic trauma/disease/debilitation and/or the owner's inability to continue either emotionally or fiscally) or it is for owner convenience (moving away, moving into no-pet housing, new baby, etc). If it is the latter, and you object, who is holding you down and forcing you to depress the plunger? The logicial fallacy veterinarians are suspectible to is "If I don't, who will? - the animal may end up abandoned/botched home attempt/etc.". Don't fall for it.

 

[fetch]

Wow did you check out those prices. Man...steep.

Not really.

50# dog, southern NM/far west TX invoice totals:

In-clinic, no return of cremains: $150
In-clinic, cremains returned: $225
If after hours, add $75 emergency fee.

 

[LVT2DVM]

Not really.

50# dog, southern NM/far west TX invoice totals:

In-clinic, no return of cremains: $150
In-clinic, cremains returned: $225
If after hours, add $75 emergency fee.

Sorry I should have clarified. I was comparing to the local prices of the area this practitioner is from. Hampton Roads, Virginia. With an established relationship (ie previous exam and known medical history) Euthanasia without care of remains cost in the range of $35 to $85. Cremation is extra, and this vet is not charging for cremation just an exam, sedation and euthanasia. In comparision it would be less expensive to see your Reg. vet for this service. Not that price is everything. But under these circumstances some clients are tapped out if PTS is following a lengthly illness, so cost would/ might be prohibitive.

 

[NittanyKitty]

At our clinic we offer free euthanasia to clients and then charge if they'd like us to take care of the remains through cremation (group or private). People seem to really appreciate being able to spend as much time as they need to with their pets and then go home without worrying about bills and money.

As far as the "at-home euthanasia", my aunt and uncle had this performed for their old cocker spaniel. They had a really bad experience because the mediation didn't take at first or the doc couldn't find the right injection place or something along those lines. He basically had to "kill the dog" again because the first shot wasn't effective; I couldn't imagine going through that twice in one afternoon. Still, I think this was just one single bizarre case and not the rule; I would be in favor of having an at-home procedure, especially if my animals were in really bad shape. Having to move them, especially to a place that they aren't too fond of, is a very sad beginning to the whole thing. 🙁

 

[sofficat]

At our clinic we offer free euthanasia to clients and then charge if they'd like us to take care of the remains through cremation (group or private). People seem to really appreciate being able to spend as much time as they need to with their pets and then go home without worrying about bills and money.

I've always wondered if vets do that. Everywhere I have worked they charge for it (cremation not included of course), and I always thought it was kind of tacky. I don't know how much it costs the vet for the solution, but I thought it'd be nice not to charge. Then you always have 'those clients' who say "well, nevamind... I'll juss shoot it n' the head outside." Anyways, it's nice to know some vets don;t charge (and that it's do-able)

 

[WhtsThFrequency]

If you view euthanasia as a curse instead of the blessing it truly is, you will burn brightly but quickly in a career as a clinical practitioner. ......If you still find it conflicts with your values, you can always find employment within the profession that doesn't involve dealing with animals directly.


I don't think dpcdoc meant it is an "awful" practice as in a "wrong" or "bad" practice....I think he meant that it would make him feel awful, and that it would feel wrong, simply doing that ALL DAY. I think a lot of us would have a tough emotional time if that was our job, to drive around to people's houses constantly putting animals down. Euthanasia is not just a cruse and it is not just blessing - it is both. You're toeing the edge of Godwins' law of SDN 😉

I think honestly it is a wonderful service. Whenever my dog has to be put down (hopefully not for another twelve or so years) you had better believe I'm doing it at home. I couldn't bear having her spend her last minutes on a cold table in a relatively unfamilar environment, and environment where all she knows is that she usually gets shots and pokes and prods and there are other scary dogs around (she is afraid of other dogs), even with me there.

 

[Snakegal]

Back in July I had to say Goodbye to one of my best friends. He was in my life before my husband and when we all started living together, he kept his HALF of the bed. Cowboy was a beautiful rottie that was my dog. He had hip dysplasia and it steadily got worse. I noticed one day in May 2006 that his gums were extremely pale (almost white). I took him down and the vet checked him out. He had the lowest hematocrit the vet had seen in a dog, getting cataracts, and losing muscle mass in his hips. He was put on pred to make him more comfortable. We did an ultrasound and he had a mass in his abdomen. I was told he would last maybe two weeks. He was on the pred for a long time and started losing his hair. and even more muscle mass in his hips and shoulders. My beautiful 140 lb dog had dropped down to 91 lbs. He got to where he couldn't jump up into the car to go anywhere so I had to borrow my mom's car. I told my vet that my dog was not going to die in the vet's office if it came to that. It broke my heart to see him. It had been over a year since we found the mass and my friend got to where it took him awhile to get up. I told him that it was ok for him to go ahead and just go. He wouldn't. Everytime we got up to go somewhere, he was raise his head and in his eyes you could see how bad he wanted to come with us, but he couldn't. I finally had to make the call to the vet. It was the hardest decision I ever made. The vet came out and we were out on the back porch. Cowboy just gruffed... he couldn't get up. I was so thankful that my vet came out to the house. I couldn't have handled it if I had to take him in. I was nervous when the bill came in (I know how house calls can make the balance jump up) but he only charged me for the drugs.

Now I'm dealing with my 13 year old cat who's kidneys are failing. He was really bad, given a lot of fluids and got better. Now he's going down-hill again. I don't know if I can make that decision again...🙁

Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to put up this much. I just wanted to say that when I had to make that choice, my vet came to me. I used to work for him and he's my son's swim coach, and I told him that I would kick his butt if he didn't come out.

Laters...

-Snakegal

 

[fetch]

I don't think dpcdoc meant it is an "awful" practice as in a "wrong" or "bad" practice....I think he meant that it would make him feel awful, and that it would feel wrong, simply doing that ALL DAY. I think a lot of us would have a tough emotional time if that was our job, to drive around to people's houses constantly putting animals down. Euthanasia is not just a cruse and it is not just blessing - it is both. You're toeing the edge of Godwins' law of SDN 😉

If I ever evoke Godwin's Law, there will be no doubt. In this instance I do not need to evoke inflammatory, exaggerated or fallacious statements, let alone having to resort to mention of Adolf and his boys.

...


aww, damn...

Actually, it is neither a blessing or a curse and quite amoral until you introduce the human element. Not that there is anything wrong with being morally or ethically conflicted with the concept of euthanasia. They are emotional, they are rough, they do drain you; some will even take a little piece of you with them.

However, I felt compelled to point out if one views it as a negative instead of looking at it as a positive and valuable tool the collective experience of the profession before you says clinical practice is not for you. You will burn out. You will suffer from compassion fatigue. Faster than those who hold it in favorable regard, anyways.

If the OP meant as you suggest, then I am in error and stand corrected. I did not interpret it as such for a simple reason. Starting up a mobile euthanasia only practice is a voluntary choice. Wouldn't you agree people who feel it would be too emotionally tough or made them feel awful or felt wrong to do multiple euthanasias a day would elect not to do so in the first place?

I have killed animals "all day". I saw the need and the value in the service and do not regret it. It is an awesome responsibility and one I do not take lightly. If the day ever comes where the ability to humanely euthanize is legislated out of my hands, I will be looking for a new career the next.

 

[WhtsThFrequency]

If I ever evoke Godwin's Law, there will be no doubt. In this instance I do not need to evoke inflammatory, exaggerated or fallacious statements, let alone having to resort to mention of Adolf and his boys.


Oh sorry, no no you misunderstand. This is what I get for hanging with the med kids I guess. It's a joke regarding people of SDN who say things akin to "Wow, with those ideas you won't be a good doctor" or "I feel sorry for your future patients" or something like that. "Godwin's Law of SDN" - if someone says something like that - boom! They lose 😉

Damnit I hate it when jokes flop like that! All right, back to studying bovine vaccination protocols for me.

 

[fetch]

No worries, you're good.

I's still got it; even if the meaning is mutated, the implication is the same.

Was having a bit of fun at my own expense, yes? Get it? Goodwin's Law...mentioned both Hilter AND Nazi's...

Darn screen.

 

[tealamutt]

I agree with fetch, those prices are quite reasonable. We perform at home euth's all the time- for both large and small animals. Often we don't bother charging unless they want cremains back. Of course I live in a very small community, people often send us cards and baked goods after euth's because they know we're sad about losing their animal too. At the risk of sounding cold, I think euthanasia is a gift to both animal and client if done in the right spirit.

 

[Snakegal]

Wow, I posted last night about having to make the choice for my dog and how the vet came here.... Today I had to make the choice for my cat. I know it's a blessing, he's not suffering anymore and his quality of life was pretty much gone. He was so weak, he didn't even need the injection. The anaesthetic they gave him put him to sleep and he died. So even though it is a blessing, it doesn't make me miss him any less. I fully believe that when there's nothing left to do, the animal should be PTS. The choice is tough, but I know I made the right decision in both cases. It doesn't ease the pain.

Goodbye my dear Lucifer.

 

[philomycus]

Awww 🙁 Snakegal !!! I was saddened to read about your poor kitty. At least he went quickly and he's no longer suffering! And you know you did the best thing for him.

Putting down my dog (at only an age of ~ 5yrs) was the hardest and the easiest thing I have ever had to do. The circumstances would not have allowed me to do it at home, but when the time comes for the rest of my 'kids' I hope it can be done at home. I think it would make it much easier on the animal in thier own environment.

I don't know if I could be the kind of vet that primarily did home euth's but I feel it is a valuable service that a vet can provide.

 

[Truth74]

I think to do it at home is a less stressful way to do it.
Unfortunately, when it came to Maggie's time (my cute little beagle mix), she didn't give us a choice. She had a brain tumor. She went down hill while we were up north at my mom and dad's house for Christmas. I didn't want her to suffer the hour and a half ride back home to have our vet do it. The vet came over to the house with an assistant. She was awesome.
I mean the vet and my dog.

 

[aggiedonk]

I work at a cat clinic where at-home euthanasia is done whenever it is requested. Most of the time it is for regular patients (often longterm- she has very loyal clients) whose owners don't want them to go through the stress of a clinic visit and who want them to go peacefully in familiar, quiet surroundings. I have assisted with these many times as a tech and it is what I would chose for any of my animals. They are at home and often comfortable in their favorite spot where they just lose consciousness and no longer suffer from whatever illness. I think it's the fairest and easiest situation for both the people and the animal.

Now there was one case where a man just refused to take his cat to the vet due to a perceived bad experience at another clinic and let the cat get too far along without treatment and then called us for euthanasia. THAT was hard but he was not going to take her for treatment and she was and old cat in terrible pain. We tried to convince him to try bringing her in on the chance something could be done but he wouldn't budge. It was either leave her like that or let her go. TOUGH DEAL.

 

[philomycus]

I am also a firm believer that humans should have the same rights as animals (sounds funny doesn't it?) to die without prolonged suffering and pain.

Agreed. I was fortunate enough that last year when my grandmother was going and there was nothing they could do, the Dr's gave us permission to use the maximum morphine in a short time frame to make it eaiser. She had already entered a coma. The bad thing (and good I guess) was I was the one making all those decisions becuase my mom couldn't handle it. I basically gave permssion for a euthaniasia of a family member. That's something I will never get over.

 

[dpcdoc]

I was in no way condemning euthanasia or it's proper place in the continuum of care, I just think it would be awful to solely practice the profession in that manner. Too much death. I also didn't mean to attempt to evoke a debate on the subject, I was just curious what others felt about this Vet's practice. Best wishes to all.

 

[cwazy cat lady]

I had a cat euthanized at home when he finally began succumbing to the illnesses he suffered from... (he was old and had plenty of issues).

Overall, it went well. There was a minor problem: there wasn't enough tranquilizer (not the sodium pentobarbitol, but a pre-injection). I guess some cats actually can become rather alert from the first (minimal) dose... He actually nipped the vet, something he had never done in his life. Poor little old guy. My mother had to run to the clinic to pick up more while the vet and I sat with the cat... 🙁

But if I get to that point again with another pet, I am definitely going to have the vet come to my house again. I felt better about it for my kitty and for me. I was a mess. I didn't wan tot be anywhere else. I'll just make sure they bring plenty of back-up supplies next time around.

But yes, I agree. I don't think I could do this full-time.

 

[aggiedonk]

dpcdoc,
Oh I absolutely agree with you. I certainly could not do that all the time, it would drain on me for sure.
I did not intend on the debate thing either - just current thoughts.

And on the flip side cwazy cat lady, I have heard about euthanasia that does not go perfectly - sorry about that.

Finally, Philomycus, I am so sorry to hear about your experience....nothing about that is easy.🙁

 

[Badger Girl]

I thought of an idea that may help the owner if euthanasia is performed at a clinic. I thought that if one particular exam room in a clinic could have an exit door, the owner could take their time after their pet is gone and leave without having to face the embarrassment of walking back through the clinic in an emotional state. They could also spend as much time as they want (within reason) with their pet before leaving. There could be a signal or light that the owner could use outside the room to signify when they are ready to leave. The issue with billing would have to be worked out somehow, but there are always options. This is one of the things that I fear when the time comes for my pets. I do not like showing my emotions in public and I have seen some people who are pretty distraught (with good reason) at various clinics.

 

[nyanko]

The issue with billing would have to be worked out somehow, but there are always options.

At the clinic where I worked, we always had people pay before the euthanasia was done, when we had them sign the consent form. If they were a good client that we knew well we would sometimes just send a bill later.

 

[lailanni]

I've always wondered if vets do that. Everywhere I have worked they charge for it (cremation not included of course), and I always thought it was kind of tacky. I don't know how much it costs the vet for the solution, but I thought it'd be nice not to charge. Then you always have 'those clients' who say "well, nevamind... I'll juss shoot it n' the head outside." Anyways, it's nice to know some vets don;t charge (and that it's do-able)

I agree - I wish more places did not charge for euthanasia (provided that there is a very clear, real medical reason for it -- never a convenience euth!!)

The local clinics here do charge, and though it is not very much, people do get upset hearing it will cost them -- we get far too many "well I'll just shoot (drown, gas, etc) my animal then." That's just awful. The pentobarb can't cost that much, can it? On top of that, they also charge for cremation.

But anyways, I know our vets will do house calls. They don't do a whole of of them but they will.

And at the clinic we get people to pre-pay so they don't have that hassle after the euth. I agree with Badger Girl, about a comfort room/different exit. Absolutely. As someone who was left in the waiting room crying while other clients looked at me uncomfortably (my very first rabbit, only my 2nd time ever at a vet clinic), I'd say it's a necessary courtesy.

I have seen some bad PTS, where the animal struggled or was a screamer. I can completely understand why people would want an in-home euth, the animal would be more comfortable. Personally I would want to do so with my own animals now that I know better. I have met quite a few people who, after they PTS a pet at the clinic, never wanted to come back to the clinic because of the bad memories.

 

[CookieBear]

I found that when I would accompany owners into a room for PTS, and I offered to handle the bill with them (or bill them afterwards, depending on who it was), allowing them to leave the hospital after the procedure, pretty much all of them agreed. I would do the consent part and run the invoice outside and come back in. I think that as long as this is done in a quiet, respectful and compassionate matter, many clients will appreciate it greatly.

As for the housecall euthanasia, I can completely understand the service that it offers to pet owners. My practice did some housecall euthanasia on request, if it was a client/pet we knew. We'd block out enough time, and the doc would take a tech and the forms with them.