Routine Care

I offer routine health care for healthy pets and appropriate care for sick patients in your home. For healthy patients we will start with a general physical exam including medical history, vital signs, and checking your pet from nose to tail to evaluate all the appropriate systems. Vaccinations are tailored to every individual pet, with separation of vaccines and/or relevant titer tests always offered as options. Screening diagnostics such as heartworm testing, fecal parasite testing, and screening bloodwork are also recommended as warranted. We will discuss the importance of preventative care and other measures you can take to ensure your pet lives a long healthy, happy life. We will discuss care from an eastern perspective to also include diet, lifestyle, etc. Acupuncture, herbal medicine, and food therapy may be recommended as well to optimize well-being.

Sick Pet Exams and Therapy

If your pet is sick, I can still help. There are many times patients are treated on an outpatient basis with the appropriate medical and supportive care. If your pet is more ill than outpatient care warrants, we still have options. As a mobile practitioner, there are certain limitations to the care that I can provide in your home such as immediate lab results, x-rays (radiographs), hospitalization, and surgical interventions. If your pet is in need of this level of care, I will direct you to a more appropriate care facility. And if your pet is referred to another facility, I will still be a source of support and guidance along the way. I have great working relationships with my referral hospitals. They are great doctors, you will always be in good hands.

Saying goodbye is already hard enough and it should always be done in a serene and loving environment. Car rides to and from the vet are hard on everyone: you, your beloved pet, and the whole family. Being in the comfort of your own home can make this whole process easier on everyone. It provides support to you, your pet, and the entire family as you face this most difficult time. You are not alone. My intention is to make the process of saying goodbye as easy, loving, and tranquil as possible which is paramount to everyone’s experience. All beings involved will have peace; you, your pet, and me.

How Does it work?

Contact me to make an appointment via text (preferred), email or phone. The appointment typically includes a preemptive conversation, exam if warranted, and after care decision making. Some information regarding this is covered in more detail below.

Some pet owners seeking euthanasia services like to pay in advance or at the beginning of the appointment due to emotions. If this is your wish, just let me know and we will make it so. Payment options include cash, check, and major credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, Discover) with an option to pay online. Home euthanasia with house call fee and exam included is in the fee. Aftercare services and memorabilia are additional and pricing is listed below.

At the visit, an assessment will be determined to provide peace of mind that "it is time." The assessment varies depending on the case and circumstances. We will walk through the process together. You can hold your baby if desired, whatever feels good. When letting go, usually two injections are given at separate intervals. For the first injection, heavy sedation (with lots of pain medication) is administered prior to ease the transition. Your pet will become sleepy enough to have surgery. This injection can take 5-10 minutes to take effect. When your pet is ready (and you are too), a second injection is administered upon appropriate sedation to ensure an easy and peaceful passing. Even if you did not read this, we will walk through this together.

What happens afterwards?

You have options. You can bury your pet at home. You can utilize the after-care service as part of the care I provide. Or you may arrange for your own after care services if you desire. Any options that you decide will be ok.

I offer an environmentally sustainable water cremation service provided by Companah. They are a wonderful service and more information is provided below.

Companah

Aftercare service options include either private cremation or communal cremation. They offer water cremation – which is a gentle, environmentally-responsible process (it’s also referred to as alkaline hydrolysis). I have trusted them with my own darlings: my noble 21 year old gentleman tabby cat Bobby, my timid sweet soulful tuxedo cat Star, and my lovely beagle and heartbeat Maggie. They were 100% compassionate, caring, respectful, dignified, and loving. I trust them as a company and as people. All private cremations are truly individually cremated, so you can know with confidence that your pet’s ashes, and only their ashes, are returned to you. Communal cremations are treated with the greatest respect and the ashes are lovingly released into the Pamlico River in Eastern North Carolina.

Companah Pricing and Options:

• Home euthanasia with housecall fee and exam included
  $450
• Individual Cremation with personalized urn options
  $355
  • Tree of Life Hand Urn
  • Biodegradable Urn suitable for Home Burial
• Communal Cremation     $225
• Companah Pet Services home pickup for pets greater than 110lbs     Call for pricing
• Memorial Items
  • Clay Paw Print
    $30
  • Wooden Paw Print
    $30
  • Paw Print in Faux Leather Shadow Box Frame     $40
  • Additional keepsake items are also available through their website as well. Please feel free to visit the Companah website for additional memorials.

If you have any questions or concerns about any part of this process, it is my honor and privilege to help. Please text, email or call me. We will work together until you have as much peace of mind as possible about any part of the process.

Acupuncture works with life energy called Qi, the energy flowing through and around the body. It involves the insertion of very thin needles through the skin at special points along the body, which are then left in place for a short time, to stimulate and correct the body's natural flow of Qi (energy). This may seem like a torturous procedure, but, many animals enjoy the process—and it’s quite common for a dog or cat to fall asleep or into a trance during treatment.

Acupuncture is effective when treating acute and chronic issues, internal organ disorders, immune and autoimmune disorders, hormonal problems, skin issues, allergies, pain associated with musculoskeletal system, arthritis, and animals with non-specific behavioral and stress related issues. The most common problems that acupuncture is used for are those that involve pain or neurologic/nerve dysfunction, but as acupuncture’s effects are body-wide, a great variety of other medical and behavioral issues can benefit from needles as well.

Exactly how acupuncture works is not fully known and is understood slightly differently by different medical modalities (eastern vs western medicine). In essence, needles are inserted at specific points along the body known to exert certain local or body-wide influences. From an eastern perspective, these locations are placed along one of fourteen channels (meridians) and affect the body in a variety of ways. From a western perspective, acupuncture points are generally quite enriched with nerve endings, and needle stimulation has been shown to alter nerve function, with both local and body-wide effects. The goal is to either sustain this optimal, balanced flow with preventive treatments or to restore the body’s natural balance that has been disturbed by illness or other disorder. We seek balance and harmony with this approach to care promoting well-being.

There are many types of acupuncture modalities. Many people think it is like hundreds of needles that have been reflected in movies. Sometimes we use dry needles. Sometimes we utilize "Aqua Acupuncture" which is the injection of a substance such as Vitamin B12 or Adequan into the acupuncture point which acts like the needle long after we've left the appointment. It is quick, highly effective, and very well tolerated. For severe cases, we will utilize Electrical Acupuncture which includes dry needling and electricity to stimulate the acupuncture points at a deeper level than a TENS unit. This takes more time, but is the most powerful form of acupuncture. We will pick the modality that is best for your pet, their personality and emotions, and the condition being treated. Don't worry, if your pet says "no thank you" we have other modalities to employ. We will honor your pet's wishes as emotional well-being is a part of healing. I am also trained in advanced acupuncture modalities such as implants and we can discuss these on a case by case basis as well.

Please contact Blue Pearl (formerly Veterinary Specialty Hospital) in Cary at (919) 233-4911.

(This is where I take my pets when they are ill and I want to be a “Mom” and not a doctor.) We have an excellent working relationship and you will be in good hands. All of their locations provide excellent care. For more information on their services and locations, please visit their website at https://bluepearlvet.com.

Additional Trusted Emergency Locations

Specialty and 24/7 Emergency Facilities

• VEG Cary (Veterinary Emergency Group):  (984) 345-3033
• Triangle Veterinary Referral Hospital of Holly Springs:  (919) 973-5620
• Quartet Veterinary Specialty & Emergency Hospital:  (919) 605-6300
• North Carolina State University Teaching Hospital Small Animal Emergency Service:  (919) 513-6911
• Animal Emergency Hospital & Urgent Care:  (919) 781-5145
• Quail Corners Animal Hospital:  (919) 876-0739
• Wake Veterinary Hospital & Urgent Care:  (919) 266-9852

Urgent Care Facilities

• Truss Vet:  (919) 981-9881
• Animal Emergency Hospital & Urgent Care:  (919) 781-5145
• Urgent Vet:  (984) 261-2323

Please note there is a shortage of ER doctors and support staff. Unfortunately, this means expecting long wait times and potentially at-capacity hospitals who may direct you elsewhere. Therefore, please call ahead to ensure your pet can be seen.