The Mercury Pet Issue Presents... PETS IN ACTION!
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Portlandâs Most Intriguing Cat Ladies
Portland’s One of the Cat Lady Capitals of the World. Here’s What Four of Them Had to Say About Their Fuzzy Pals and Fighting the Stigma.
Pet? You Are NASTY!
Is Your Pet a Perv? Read and Find Out!
Portlandâs Pretty
The Hottest Looks from Lents’ Chicken Beauty Contest
Great Dogs of History!
Think Your Dog Is Great? Read Our List of Truly Incredible Dogs and Think Again.
Pet Rent, Explained
All About the Extra Money You Pay to Live with Your Pet
Make Your Pet Pay Rent!
Its Days of Freeloading Are OVER
High on the Nip
Heather and Jonathan Sielaff Run the Best Darn Cat Instagram in Portland
A Better Journey
How At-Home Pet Euthanasia Helps Families Grieve and Heal
On Second Thought... Maybe You Shouldnât Get a Dog
(Because, Sometimes? The Dog You Want Isn’t the Dog You Get.)
ASK ANYONE whoâs ever made the decision to put a pet to sleepâitâs incredibly difficult and heartbreaking. When I was growing up, any family pets that were scratching on deathâs door were taken to a veterinarianâs back room and never be seen again. Thankfully, times have changed. As an adult, Iâve had two pets euthanizedâboth in the comfort of our homeâand they were simultaneously peaceful and powerful experiences.
When it was time for our familyâs 19-year-old catâwhose liver was quickly failingâto be put to sleep, we enlisted the services of a local in-home pet euthanasia service called Compassionate Care. The owner and founder of the business, Dr. Lori Gibson, spoke to me recently to share some of her background and talk about the importance of a pet passing in a comfortable atmosphere, surrounded by family.
Seven years ago, dissatisfied with pet euthanasia procedures of the time, Gibson decided to go into the business herself. Unlike the perceived sterility of a vetâs office, Compassionate Care focuses on carrying out the procedure in the homeâpreferably where the pet is comfortable and surrounded by familyâand even provides eco-friendly crematory services, according to the familyâs wishes. They are also available 24 hours a day, seven days a weekâsince death doesnât always abide by business hours.
âWhen a pet passes, itâs a stressful situation,â Gibson said. âAt-home euthanasia enables families and other pets to be thereâwhich is important. Surviving pets also need closure, and to see the pet after itâs passed. We may not know how animals process death, but maybe they wonât think their companion just disappeared.â
Gibson and her staff also make themselves available to answer questions, even before action needs to be taken.
âLots of people call in advance to get information, or ask for guidance for deciding when euthanasia is necessary,â Gibson said. âOftentimes we can advise a family when to take their pet to the vet, or provide a 'quality of lifeâ scale that can help them make this decision.â
The process itself, when taking place in a home setting, can be far more peaceful than transporting the pet to the veterinarian.
âAfter signing the consent forms, we ask the family to place the pet wherever itâs most comfortable,â said Gibson. âWe start by injecting a sedative, which takes five to 10 minutes to take effect. When the animal is asleep, and the family is ready, a concentrated euthanasia solution is painlessly injected intravenously. Itâs actually very peaceful when a pet passes its last breath surrounded by family.â
The entire process takes anywhere from 30 minutes to an hourâdepending on the familyâs wishesâand as a matter of practicality most clients prefer Compassionate Care to transfer the pet, and carry out the cremation as well.
âThe most rewarding thing about this job is the feeling that weâre providing such an important service,â Gibson said. âNot a lot of people can say that. So many families are grateful to know that their petâs final moments were as good as they could possibly be. And it can be a positive, healing experience for the family as well.â
Compassionate Care is available for pre-scheduled as well as same-day appointments. Contact them at 503-880-1172, or visit drlorigibson.com.