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Gifts of Remembrance

November 1st, 2022 by Ima Admin

Pet Loss grief can be as difficult as traditional grief – if not more so – for two reasons: It’s not universally acknowledged, and at the same time, our loyal companions are an unparalleled source of unconditional love and acceptance.

“We opened our Aftercare Center to help our home euthanasia clients honor their bond and memorialize their companion animals. We realized through our work with the West Michigan Pet Loss Grief Support Group that healthy healing is promoted through memorialization,” said Dr. Laurie Brush, founder of Heaven at Home Pet Hospice and Aftercare Center.

While the primary service available at the new Aftercare Center is water-based cremation (Aquamation) – an environmentally-friendly alternative to flame-based cremation – resources for grief support and memorialization are also available for pet families. Read the rest of this entry »

Dealing with Vision Loss in Senior Dogs

October 1st, 2022 by Ima Admin

Has your aging dog seemed less playful? Does he or she startle more easily than normal? Are your dog’s eyes cloudy? These are common signs of vision loss.

In some cases, early intervention can slow or repair eye conditions through medical treatment or surgery. In other cases, vision loss is an inevitable fact of aging. Read the rest of this entry »

Hemangiosarcoma – New Hope for The Word No One Wants Pronounced

September 1st, 2022 by Ima Admin

Swift, silent and deadly: Hemangiosarcoma (HSA) is an aggressive cancer of the blood vessels that pet parents don’t hear much about until it’s too late. In its deadliest form, it causes the spleen or heart to enlarge and ultimately rupture, causing sudden death by internal bleeding.

This devastating cancer is overrepresented among Golden Retrievers, Boxers, German Shepherds, Labrador Retrievers, and Portuguese Water Dogs, to name a few. It’s difficult to detect until it’s too late – pale gums and lethargy are signs of internal bleeding; an enlarged spleen that you can feel means the tumors are advanced. Read the rest of this entry »

The Ingredients For a “Good Death” in Pet Euthanasia

August 1st, 2022 by Ima Admin

No one wants to think about saying goodbye to a beloved animal companion. Yet thinking about it in advance can make the difference in whether or not a pet has a “good death” – passing peacefully, in the loving presence of his or her family, without fear, restraint, or unnecessary pain.

Dr. Kathleen Cooney, DVM, CHPV, CCFP has led the ‘good death revolution’ within the veterinary community throughout her 18-year-career. As founder of the Companion Animal Euthanasia Training Academy (CAETA), she has authored numerous publications on euthanasia-related topics, and is an internationally recognized expert in animal euthanasia. Read the rest of this entry »

Long Live Dog: Food for Thought

July 1st, 2022 by Ima Admin

While there’s no fountain of youth for your beloved Fido or Fida, there is a growing body of research that suggests what you feed (or don’t feed!) your pet has an enormous impact on his or her ability to age gracefully. Read the rest of this entry »

The Cat Came Back: New Hope for Feline Arthritis Pain

June 1st, 2022 by Ima Admin

Does Miss Kitty not get around like she used to? Does she “miss” the litter box for reasons that elude you? Have the days of joyous wind sprints long passed? It’s easy for pet parents to attribute uncharacteristic calmness to “old age” or laziness, but the truth is Miss Kitty might be suffering from Osteoarthritis. In fact, the odds that she is are staggering.

Veterinary researchers estimate that 45% of all cats, 60% of cats over age 6, and 90% of cats over age 10 are affected by arthritis in some way, according to the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery. Read the rest of this entry »

Update: Tick-Risk and Lyme Disease on the Rise

May 1st, 2022 by Ima Admin

Michigan summers boast beautiful grassy, wooded, and sandy scenes but that’s exactly where danger lies for pet parents.

Tick trackers at the Companion Animal Parasite Council (CAPC) are forecasting an increased risk of Lyme disease throughout hotspots in West Michigan and the Upper Peninsula. Nationally, infections in both humans and pets peak between June and September. Read the rest of this entry »

Keep Your Pet Moving!

April 1st, 2022 by Ima Admin

Time flies for pet parents. Suddenly, your fur baby is “middle-aged.” Arthritis, surgery, and life-limiting disease can all change your pet’s mobility-ability. Fortunately, there are assistive devices that pet hospice workers LOVE for their clients to use. Read the rest of this entry »

The Benefits of Water Cremation

March 1st, 2022 by Ima Admin

According to Rev. Desmond Tutu, Anglican archbishop and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, the peril of climate change is one of the “greatest moral challenges of our time.”

That’s why Rev. Tutu left instructions requesting a water cremation instead of flame cremation after his death on Dec. 26, 2021, drawing attention to this emerging green alternative.

While water cremation – known as Aquamation – is not available to humans in Michigan at this time, it is now available for your loyal companion animal, thanks to Heaven at Home Pet Hospice and Aftercare Center. Read the rest of this entry »

Survival of the Friendliest: How Dogs Make Us Love Them

February 1st, 2022 by Ima Admin

Does your dog “grin” when he or she pulls a fast one, like trotting out a pair of your dirty underwear? Do you wonder what they’re thinking when they gaze into your soul, rub their head on you or bring you the sock they destroyed?

Dog cognition research paints an emerging picture of something more complex than a manipulative and conditioned quest for food. But is it love?

In his latest book, “Survival of the Friendliest – from Dogs to Democracy,” Dr. Brian Hare suggests that not only are dogs the closest to humans in their capacity for what he calls “cooperative communication,” but that they’ve become wired that way through natural selection, not human intervention. Read the rest of this entry »