Videos

What: Michelle Van Harn, LVT, and hospice nurse at Heaven at Home, as she shows you the most common ways pet parents manage incontinence in a senior dog.

Why It Matters: Michelle’s tips and techniques emphasize the importance of making sure these garments are secure and leak-resistant, while still being comfortable for the senior dog to wear. It’s a balancing act, and this video will help you spot issues before they arise.

For more videos about senior dog and cat tips, subscribe to Heaven at Home on YouTube or browse our Video Category in our Resource Center!

What: Emily, an Aftercare Specialist at Heaven at Home, showcases some of the many ways you can keep your pet close after they’ve passed on.

Why It Matters: Pet loss is often “disenfranchised grief,” which can worsen feelings of loss. Heaven at Home clients often find that memorializing their pet and engaging in a ritual to celebrate what their fur friend meant in their lives helps with healing. Read the rest of this entry »

What: Michelle Van Harn, LVT and hospice nurse at Heaven at Home, walks you through how to properly fit a Help Em’ Up harness on your senior dog.

Why It Matters: Products like the Help ‘Em Up She explains what the harness is used for, as well as how to adjust all of the clips and straps. She also shares some helpful “dos and don’ts.”

Want to learn more about types of assistive devices there are available for senior pets?Visit our Devices for Senior Pets Roundup

For more videos about senior dog and cat tips, subscribe to Heaven at Home on YouTube or browse our Video Category in our Resource Center!

What: Michelle Van Harn, LVT and hospice nurse at Heaven at Home, shows you some helpful tips and techniques you can use to give medication to a senior dog or cat, especially if they’re being stubborn!

Why It Matters: As pets age, it’s likely they’ll need medication to improve their quality of life, manage pain, or fight infections. If a pet is resistant to taking this medication, it can create a stressful situation for you and the pet at least once a day, which then exacerbates their aversion to medication. Michelle’s tips can help turn the experience into no big deal, or even better, a positive one.

For more videos about senior dog and cat tips, subscribe to Heaven at Home on YouTube or browse our Video Category in our Resource Center!

What: Michelle Van Harn, LVT and hospice nurse at Heaven at Home, as she walks you through several strategies you can use to encourage a senior dog or cat with a diminished appetite to eat. Read the rest of this entry »

What: Michelle Van Harn, LVT and hospice nurse at Heaven at Home, introduces you to a few different ways of measuring your pet’s quality of life. Michelle explains how the scorecards work, contrasting them so you can see which best suits you and your pet, giving you the most accurate assessment.

Why It Matters: A Quality of Life scorecard is a snapshot in time of how your pet is doing, whether they have more good days or bad. While the Heaven at Home Pet Hospice team can assist you in assessing the quality of life of your senior pet, we can’t make the decision for you. Pet parents play a pivotal role in assessing a pet’s quality of life because they are direct observers of the day-to-day signals of their pet’s condition.

See the Pet Quality of Life Scorecard here.

For more videos about senior dog and cat tips, subscribe to Heaven at Home on YouTube or browse our Video Category in our Resource Center!

What: Michelle Van Harn, LVT and hospice nurse at Heaven at Home, explains how to recognize the subtle, often missable signs that your cat is experiencing pain. Pets generally don’t cry out when they are in pain, so as they age, we have to be vigilant and learn to spot the clues. Michelle also shares some easy, non-invasive ways to help manage pain symptoms in pets.

Why It Matters: We hear from our pet owners every day that they don’t want their cats to suffer. To have our cats live their best possible lives, we need to identify and, with the help of our vet, ameliorate their pain.

Read Our Post: “Kitty Grimace? Your Feline May Be In Pain!”.

For more videos about senior dog and cat tips, subscribe to Heaven at Home on YouTube or browse our Video Category in our Resource Center!

What: Michelle Van Harn, LVT and hospice nurse at Heaven at Home, explains how to recognize subtle signs that your dog is experiencing pain. Pets generally don’t cry out when they are in pain, so as they age, we have to be vigilant and learn to spot the clues. Michelle also shares some easy, non-invasive ways to help manage pain symptoms in pets.

Why It Matters: We hear from our pet owners every day that they don’t want their dogs to suffer. To have our dogs live their best possible lives, we need to identify and, with the help of our vet, ameliorate their pain.

You can download and print the Colorado State Acute Canine Pain Scale here.

For more videos about senior dog and cat tips, subscribe to Heaven at Home on YouTube or browse our Video Category in our Resource Center!

What: Our Hospice Nurse, Michelle Van Harn, LVT, gives you a quick primer on different styles and materials used in pet bedding, adding how each can help manage senior pet pain as well as some shortfalls to watch out for when making a selection.

Why It Matters: What kind of bed you provide for your senior pet can go a long way in managing any pain they’re experiencing. Simply selecting the right bed for your senior pet’s symptoms is a non-invasive way to increase comfort and possibly their mobility. It may also reduce the amount of pain medication needed.

For more videos about senior dog and cat tips, subscribe to Heaven at Home on YouTube or browse our Video Category in our Resource Center!