• First, consult your personal veterinarian, who may perform this service on a case-by-case basis if it isn’t part of their regular practice. Or, they may be able to make a referral.

• Call local veterinary organizations for referrals.

• Contact the American Association of Housecall Veterinarians. Because their practice is devoted to house calls, at-home euthanasia is among their services. For more information, including their Vet Locator service, visit their web site at www.athomevet.org. Or, you can e-mail the current association president at drjonathan@hotmail.com.

• Contact the American Animal Hospital Association for referrals to AAHA-accredited hospitals. The AAHA adopted new hospital accreditation standards for house call and mobile practices, and referrals to AAHA-accredited housecall/mobile practices will be forthcoming. For additional information, click on http://www.healthypet.com or call 800-883-6301.

• Refer to the “Veterinarian” listing in your local yellow pages and see if
at-home euthanasia is among the specified services. Or go on-line to
www.yellowpages.com.

SIDEBAR: Pet Loss Support

In addition to your own support group of family, friends and counselors, pet loss support materials are available from several sources. Here are three:

• Pet Loss Support Hotline, 630-603-3994, made possible by Chicago Veterinary Medical Association and Chicagoland Network of the Delta Society®.

• The Association for Pet Loss & Bereavement, Inc., P.O. Box 106, Brooklyn, NY 11230, 718-382-0690, www.aplb.org.

• http://www.pet-loss.net

• How to Survive the Loss of a Love, Peter McWilliams, Harold H. Bloomfield, MD, and Melba Colgrove, Ph.D., 1993, ISBN 0931580439.

Copyright © 2001 by Susan Bard Hall. All rights reserved.

This article first appeared on petsetcetera.com© in May 2001.

Copyright © 2008 by petsetcetera.com
All rights reserved.