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The Conundrum of Feeding Your Senior Pet

September 18th, 2018 by Laurie Brush

SrPetillus_580x300Many pet parents are confounded by conflicting advice on pet food in general, whether it’s commercial, grain-free, biologically appropriate and/or raw. This confusion can be compounded as your pet ages and is faced with medical conditions that require special consideration when it comes to diet. Many diseases that are common in older dogs and cats may be nutrient-sensitive, meaning that diet can play an important role in the management of the condition. As a general rule, dogs and cats 7 years of age or older are at risk of age-related diseases, though specific breed size, genetics, and physical condition influence the aging process.

Dr. Laurie Brush, founder of Heaven at Home Pet Hospice, says senior pet nutrition can be a complicated issue but that conscientious pet parents can help their senior pets enormously by dialing in their pet’s diet to prevent obesity. Read the rest of this entry »


Tips & Tools to Count Calories for Your Senior Pet

September 18th, 2018 by Laurie Brush

TipsnTools_580x300A pet parent who wants to optimize their aging pet’s health by preventing weight-gain but maintaining a healthy weight has two avenues to success – controlling the inputs and measuring the output. In other words, “Read, Feed and Weigh.”

In this guide, we’ll help you gather some tools to figure out how much food your fur-baby needs to stay fit, from calories calculators and activity trackers to the Body Conditioning chart that helps you assess your pet’s score. Read the rest of this entry »


Canine Influenza & Senior Dogs – What You Need to Know

August 14th, 2018 by Laurie Brush

Fotolia_87230374_SMedia reports of an oubreak of Canine Influenza H3N2 in West Michigan this summer have many pet parents wondering whether they should vaccinate their senior fur babies. As of this week, 13 cases of Canine Influenza have been reported in Ottawa County and 3 in Kent, with a total of 98 cases in Michigan.

Dogs do not have a natural immunity to H3N2, a relatively new strain that infected 1,000 dogs in Illinois in 2015 and since has spread throughout North America. According to Dr. Laurie Brush, founder of Heaven at Home Pet Hospice, vaccinations should always be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Read the rest of this entry »


National Animal Hospice Day 2017: Raising Pet Hospice Awareness

November 1st, 2017 by Laurie Brush

National Pet Hospice Day on November 4th, 2017 at Heaven at Home Pet Hospice

Raising Awareness For Pet Hospice Care in Grand Rapids

For years, Dr. Laurie Brush has taken an active role in the Grand Rapids community educating pet parents about the benefits of palliative or hospice care for their aging pets. She’s appeared on local news stations, given interviews for the press, and done other forms of outreach, simply because there are too many pet parents out there who don’t know that in-home end-of-life care is even an option. All too often, people have to make difficult decisions about their pets’ final days without having enough information or time to prepare. Read the rest of this entry »


Ways to Celebrate National Pet Memorial Day 2017 in West Michigan

September 8th, 2017 by Laurie Brush

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Heaven at Home Pet Hospice would like to remind everyone that National Pet Memorial Day is coming up on Sunday, September 10th, 2017. This is a day for people to remember their deceased companions in a warm, positive light and reflect on all of the happy memories from the course of the pet’s life.

The passing of a pet can hurt just as much as the death of a person, and looking back on everything that made our pets special to us is an important part of the healing process. National Pet Memorial Day is a fine occasion for pet caregivers to progress through the grief into a healing journey. Below, we’ve included a few ideas for commemorating your beloved pet this year: Read the rest of this entry »


How to Help Houston Animals in Harvey’s Aftermath

August 31st, 2017 by Laurie Brush

Screen Shot 2017-08-31 at 1.27.54 PMOur fur friends in the Houston area need help while their humans are in emergency shelters in the wake of Hurricane Harvey. Efforts by local and national animal advocacy organizations continue with coordinated transportation and sheltering of displaced pets through the ASPCA and Wings of Rescue, while local initiatives that include funding local food, bedding and vet care for nearby shelters. If you’d like to donate to help out, we’ve listed four links to verified initiatives below. Locally, the Houston Homeless Pet Society is also issuing updates and accepting donations here. Read the rest of this entry »


Fox 17 News Segment on Heaven at Home

June 7th, 2017 by Laurie Brush

Below is a link to the segment featured on Fox 17 last month.  It has information about what we do and why it might be a good choice for your pet when they are at the end of life.  We are passionate about what we do and we want to make sure every pet parent is aware of these options for in home care.

 

Click here to see the segment!16517353098848793074


Possible Phone Issues

July 12th, 2016 by Laurie Brush

We are experiencing some phone difficulties this afternoon. If you need to contact us, and have issues getting us by phone, you can do so by email at doc@pethospicevet.com, or by filling out an email request on our website here. We are so sorry for the inconvenience, and will be closely monitoring email until we are sure the phone situation is fixed.


eightWest Segment Featuring Dr Brush

February 18th, 2016 by Laurie Brush

Dr Brush was on eightWest earlier this month to help spread awareness of the availability of Pet Hospice and in home euthanasia!  Click the link below to watch the clip where Dr Brush explains what it is that she does, and where her passion for end of life care came from.

 

Click Here to watch Dr Brush on eightWest!

 

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Grand Rapids Press Article

January 20th, 2015 by Laurie Brush

Tom Radamacher, of the Grand Rapids Press, wrote a great article about Heaven at Home Pet Hospice, titled “Veterinarian Provides Hospice Care for Your Pets,” originally published on Sunday, December 21st. We so appreciate Tom for writing the article to let people know that hospice and euthanasia at home are options for their pets. Read the rest of this entry »