“There are no goodbyes for us. Wherever you are, you will always be in my heart”, Mahatma Gandhi.  The word euthanasia is a Greek word meaning good death; and in my experience it was. 

Did you know if you are ever faced with this difficult decision you could opt for an in-home euthanasia appointment?  There are many benefits to an in-home appointment.  An in-home procedure means there will be no additional stress for your ailing pet with a visit to the vet’s office, no uncomfortable waiting room situations or an overwhelming feeling to hold back tears in front of strangers, and perhaps most importantly, an ability to include your other pets to be part of the goodbye.

Quality of Life

For most, knowing when its time is the hardest, most impossible question to answer. And so, Dr Alice Villalobos created the HHHHHMM Quality of Life Scale to serve as reference guide for pet guardians. The 5 H’s refer to hurt, hunger, hydration, hygiene and happiness, and the 2 M’s represent mobility and more good days than bad days. Each category is scored from 0-10, then the total score is taken.  A maximum score is 70; a score of 35 or more indicates an acceptable quality of life.

And while I appreciate data, I continued to hope for a sign or better yet a natural passing.  And as I wrestled with my emotions, I stumbled across these words on TLC’s In Home Vet page. “It’s important to understand that a natural death is not necessarily one without suffering. A natural death is better defined as a biological death and it is often not as peaceful as we would hope, and rarely quick.” And with those words my head and my heart were aligned. 

Rainbow Dogs

The option for in-home euthanasia made the unbearable task of saying goodbye, bearable. My beautiful girls’ quality of life was no longer acceptable, and the in-home euthanasia procedure was a most humane blessing. As they passed over the rainbow bridge calmly we were able to lay our hands on their bodies, comforting them as we always had.

✌🏽❤️🐶