Dr. Lugo takes the time to be available for you at most hours of the day and night for urgent end of life situations.  We want the best for your pet and if Dr. Lugo happens to be on leave during any period of time we refer you to other compassionate mobile practices: Peaceful Vet Visit, Lap of Love, Premier Vet Care Mobile Animal Hospital.

When your pet is dealing with a chronic or terminal disease that has impacted the quality of his/her life, the decisions at this point are a little daunting. You may not know what to do and making a final decision is often overwhelming. This is the time to consider hospice care for your pet. Dr. Lugo can do a comprehensive evaluation and give recommendations on what can be done to keep your family member comfortable. 

For instance some pets may experience weakness, trouble walking, vomiting, diarrhea, discomfort, excessive coughing, etc. Medications or homeopathic alternatives can be provided for the benefit of your pet until more definitive signs of suffering are detected. You don't have to go through this alone and unguided. We aim to provide a compassionate help for you and your pet. 

It is hard to resist giving your pet a lick of ice cream or some table scraps. How harmful is it really? The main problem I have is that you probably aren't brushing your dog's teeth twice daily. And if you are brushing, how effectively are you getting under the gumline and removing plaque buildup before it becomes tartar? 70-80% of all dogs have periodontal disease. The mouth is a hidden world in dogs. Few people venture in to take a look.

A lot of teeth end up rotting out or can cause chronic pain if not identified. It is the nature of dogs to hide signs of pain and often a lot of them suffer in silence. There can be disease that hides below the gumline that we cannot see from the outside. Dental xrays are important to completely identify the extent of the disease.

The other problem with table scraps is gastrointestinal distress. If your pet is not used to a food it may cause some intestinal issues.

Avoid high fat foods since it can cause pancreatitis, which can sometimes be severe and require hospitalization. Miniature schnauzers and other small breed dogs are predisposed to this disease. Pancreatitis is inflammation of the pancreas. When the pancreas gets angy it causes abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, and lethargy. It sometimes can randomly occur but the common trigger is a high fat meal.

I won't discuss weight control, but  that is another problem.

I hate to be a downer but if you ask me, I have to tell you not to give table scraps or buy your pet ice cream.

Moral of the story is to brush your dog's teeth twice daily and avoid candy.

Dogs definitely experience loss just like people do. Dogs are social animals and when their companion suddenly is not with them anymore they feel the void.

Dogs do not go through the exact same stages of grief as humans such as denial, anger, depression, bargaining, and finally acceptance. But they do experience denial, depression and acceptance. 

If you had an at home euthanasia or if your other companion was present during the passing of your pet then the denial stage for dogs passes a litte quicker than if your other pet just leaves one day and does not return. It is difficult for dogs to comprehend if their companion just left temporarily or not. If they get to identify the deceased body I believe it hastens the denial phase. 

Either way your dog may feel hopeful as though their companion will return, but after a couple days they start to realize the permanent loss and becomes depressed. This period of depression can vary. There are many factors that influence the length of grieving for dogs such as if there are other companions in the house, the depth of the bond, how long they were paired, etc. A period of depression is normal. It is fairly common for your grieving dog to stop eating, not participate in the things he/she usually enjoys doing, and pacing around the house. Sometimes you will wonder if your dog is grieving or if he is sick, since mental anguish can often mimick signs of physical illness in pets. If the reduced appetite persists more than a few days it is best to have your companion checked out by a veterinarian just to be on the safe side.
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How long the grieving will take is unique to each individual. At some point, you and your pet will come to peace with the loss of your beloved companion. The memories will always be there. People or dogs never really move on, but we finally accept.

When walking through wooded areas it is important to keep your dog on good quality monthly tick prevention. Ticks wait patiently on the ends of vegetation and when an unsuspecting animal (or person) walks by the tick attaches itself. Baby ticks, nymphs, are very small, less than 2mm, and difficult to see.  They are more likely to spread disease than other larger stages of ticks. You won't even be able to detect the bite because they sneakily use a local numbing agent.

There are several diseases that can be spread by ticks such as Lyme disease, Ehrlichia, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, and more. Lyme disease is the fastest spreading tick borne disease. It can infect dogs but illness is usually worse in people. 

Make sure to do a thorough tick check on your pet and yourself after walking through a wooded area. Prevention is key.

There is a large overpopulation of cats in our world.  Unfortunatly many are susceptible to disease and trauma. It is common for stray cats to get attacked by other animals or get hit by a car. 

Targeted spay/neuter can reduced the population of a geographic area. At least 75% of the cats within a certain location must be sterilized to have an impact on reducing cat numbers. There are many dedicated trappers that have a mission to help stray cats in the TNR programs (Feline Trap Neuter and Return).  This program is the best method to ensure cats are treated well and returned to a safe location. 

Pet Doctor at Home, has a mobile surgery unit that can go to the areas in need. Dr. Lugo is equipped to do 30 cat surgeries per day. We want to help reduce the overpopulation.

The loss of a pet is unexpectedly difficult to cope with. The bond we share with our companion animals is so strong that the emotions of loss rival that of human loss. Not everyone sees it that way and may say to you, it is just a dog or cat, get over it. But no, they are a family member and you should be sad and take your time to grieve. Grieving goes on for a long time. Only time will heal.

There are different stages and emotions that you will experience: denial, sadness, anger. At some point acceptance but this will not occur overnight. 

People may say, just get a new pet.  There is not replacement though. Trying to coverup your emotions of loss with the excitement of a new pet will give your brain mixed signals. I do not recommend that. You have to be ready emotionally to get a new pet.

Memorializing your pet can preserve your memories and can help with closure. Some do it by a with a funeral, a gravestone, an urn with ashes, a photo album, paw prints. You are welcome to post your memorial to our facebook site  so your pet can live on and be shared with our community of pet lovers.

If your friends or family are not understanding and supportive of your grief, there are several resources to reach out to.

​For bereavement resources you can visit: 
http://www.petlosshelp.org/bereavementresources.html

We will be thinking of your pet.

It is never easy to make the decision to put your loving pet to sleep. Is now the right time? Dr. Lugo can help you through the decision making process. It is a unique situation for each pet and family. 

When the time does come, it is much more peaceful and calming in your home instead of in a vet office with strange smells and lots of other animals around. The last thing you want is for your pet to be stressed in his/her final moments. 

If you need counseling on your decision please reach out to Dr. Lugo at 954-372-5536 or email her at petdoctorathome@gmail.com

For more information about our home pet euthanasia services click on the following link
www.alovingend.com