Jump to content
Grief Healing Discussion Groups

Animal Hospice Care & Support Helpline


Maylissa

Recommended Posts

Hi All,

I'm sure I've posted info about this before, but it's been awhile, and after just receiving notice that Dr. Ella Bittel DVM will be presenting a workshop on Animal Hospice at the "Art of Dying" conference in NYC this Oct (2017), I thought I should re-post her website [Spirits In Transition] again for anyone interested in learning about her groundbreaking work, in advance of your beloved animal's passing. She has a wonderful new intro video on the Home page that I encourage everyone to watch, where she explains the general concept.

All these years later, I still regret her work wasn't known and available to me when my own furkids (especially my boy) were in need of home hospice care and I had no one to really turn to, to educate me in all the intricacies required. My only comfort remains that it turns out, I did pretty darn well with it (although mainly for my girl), regardless.

But for those who have the luxury of time to learn beforehand, Ella offers online courses now (and in-person weekend seminars), as well as the Support Helpline for those already providing home hospice care, with medical euthanasia being viewed as a "truly last resort."

Her site: http://www.spiritsintransition.org/

 

If by chance you're also interested in attending the above conference in person (unfortunately, Ella's workshop is NOT part of the live-streamed option), you can find that information here:

https://interactivepdf.uniflip.com/2/8815/1084026/pub/html5.html

And:

https://www.artofdying.org/art-dying-conference-6-overview/

Here is what Ella will speak to:

Those sharing their lives with an animal companion dread the day they will face a seemingly inevitable decision. Euthanasia is promoted as the last gift we owe our animal loved ones and the question when is the “right time” to utilize it has occupied many brilliant minds.

But what if there was no need to make such a decision? Could the “right time” be when the animal dies in its own time after living its life in full? Could euthanasia be reserved for exceptional situations, rather than being the standard answer to normal changes and any challenges in animal end-of-life care? Could our last gift be giving comfort care? What would our animal want?

Exploring these questions may seem daunting at first, yet contemplating them well ahead of time is key to being at choice at all at a critical juncture in your animal loved one's life.

 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...