Animals Unfolded

If it’s one thing I’m known for professionally, it’s thinking ahead to what things could happen & having a plan to pivot on the fly. Of course, this is essential working in animal hospice. Though from a practical standpoint, when we’re responsible for a pet of any health status or age it makes good sense to consider how we might navigate an unexpected situation since they can’t fend or advocate for themselves. I can’t count the number of occasions I’ve gotten a phone call from an accident scene, or the hospital from a frantic family-of-record after an unexpected event like that or a serious illness unfolds & their pets are waiting for them at home—alone.  ‘You’re the first person I thought to call, Lorrie.’ I’m usually able to step in at a moment’s notice when I get a call like this to bridge the gap with short term emergency visits for the pets, but given the nature of my work, providing longer term custodial care just isn’t feasible. And yet, there are cases where a ...

Eating is an activity of daily living (ADL) that looms large in the work that families & I do together. We track the usual aspects of this activity: the pet’s interest in food, how much they’re eating, when they’re doing so, & what they’re eating. And that gives the pet guardians, the core members of the vet interdisciplinary team (vets, vet techs) & me good information about how well a pet is doing & coping with symptoms & changing needs as they navigate this time, whether they’re senior or geriatric, coping with recovery through injury or illness, or, as is a focus of my practice—when they’re benefiting from the program of care that is a nimal hospice & palliative care .  If a pet is demonstrating a change in appetite, our identifying what’s happening, when, how often, to what degree, & what has or hasn’t worked is par for the course & then relaying that information to the vet team. Routinely submitting quality of well being assessments ...

  Hey you. Yes, you. The one who’s grieving after your pet has died. Especially when trauma was a feature of the pet’s death or when a diagnosis was sudden, swift & explained, or not.  This is for you.  Anger is a common feature of your grieving process. But you knew that already. But you might not be able to hone on why you feel so angered, pissed off. You might have some inkling, but the anger feels wrong or incompatible with the sadness, anguish & the fogginess that’s taken over your brain & body right now.   Let me assure you that your anger is natural. Expected. Why? When an accident, someone’s negligence or a diagnosis that swoops in unannounced & departs like a clattering whisper has been a catalyst in your pet’s death, it’s accompanied by a sense of injustice & it feels terribly unfair. When these scenarios unfold, I often hear, ‘It’s not fair’ or ‘I did everything ‘right’: I did the regular vet visits & got the bloodwo...

After many years of hands-on work in animal hospice and palliative care, keeping pets comfortable who are in their final years-to-days is my jam. I’ve had the good fortune of discovering and learning many things along the way and helping families near or far .  But I’m going to show you that you have the ability to provide an enhanced level of comfort for your own pet right now.   Pets who are feeling unwell—especially those who are experiencing pain or nausea—really have a tough time. This includes those with liver disease, or late-stage cancer, and especially those with airway issues like Geriatric Onset Laryngeal Paralysis & Polyneuropathy (GOLPP) and primary or secondary lung masses. They experience trouble staying cool or more accurately, feeling cool . And in pets with airway issues, they can’t breathe and pant as efficiently and that can contribute to them working even harder to breathe, and as importantly, anxiety. This isn’t good for any patient, nor their car...