My friend recommended that I use Lap of Love when I decided to have Snickers euthanized. Like me, he had experience having his pets euthanized at vet’s offices before. But when his elderly cat was struggling during its final weeks, he called Lap Of Love because they did in-home services and, like most pets, his cat hated going to the vets.
After his experience with Lap of Love, my friend said, “I’ll never use anyone else for this ever again.“
I assumed Lap of Love would be exorbitantly expensive, especially compared to in office euthanasia. Still, I liked the idea of having this done in my home for several reasons:
- Snickers had been going to the vet monthly for almost 10 years to have her anal glads expressed and her nails trimmed. She hated it. The last 3 times we went, due to her dementia, she was excessively anxious and distressed. I didn’t want to put her through that level of stress and anxiety ever again.
- I wanted Snickers to be as comfortable as she could be in her safe, familiar home environment.
- I didn’t want the vet to try to “talk me out it”. I’ve done this for several pets. I have had several vets encourage expensive tests and diagnostics that extend the pet’s suffering and in the end do not help.
- I want Wiggles to sniff the body after it was done so that she realized Snickers had died.
Another reason would be that it would be easier for me to not have to be in a clinical setting holding my dog as she died and then walk out to the front lobby to pay the bill while I was sobbing. But the truth is, this wasn’t a factor in choosing Lap of Love. This wasn’t about me, it was about Snickers.
I made the right choice.
I won’t detail the entire process here – you can read all about that on their website. But I will highlight the parts of my experience with Lap of Love that made a significant impression on me.
Initial contact
When I called to make an appointment, the woman on the phone asked me a series of questions about Snickers so she could complete the paperwork on her side. She explained exactly how the process would work. She listened attentively to me as I described Snickers’ symptoms and behaviors over the past few months. Then she told me about how she had to put her own dog down a few years ago for canine dementia. Because I was sobbing and choking up, this call took longer than I had anticipated. Never once did I feel like she was in a hurry to get off the phone.
Follow Up
I received an email a few hours later that confirmed my appointment, told me which vet to expect, when the vet would call prior to arriving, and providing some additional advice about having a towel available and my dog’s favorite treats.
The Appointment
The vet called when she was about 30 minutes away. When she arrived, she knelt down to greet Wiggles and calm her down while I talked about Snickers, who was in my bedroom, lying down.
While doing this, she discussed the entire process with me and what I could expect. She went over “worst case” scenarios (ie. the medicine didn’t work) and assured me she had everything she needed. I was quite confident in the Vet’s competence.
It was a bit of a challenge to feed Snickers her favorite treats, while keeping Wiggles at arm’s length and giving her some too as the vet was giving Snickers her initial sedative injection. The vet handled this like a pro.
As we waited for the sedative to take effect I talked to her about Snickers symptoms, the decline I was seeing and canine dementia. The vet reassured me that I was making the right decision. She explained that the treatments and medications for canine dementia don’t really slow the progression of the disease. She said the medication sedate the dog, which helps both the dog and the owner to sleep through the night. But she said eventually the disease gets so bad that the owners give up treatment and euthanize their dogs. She said it was very rare rare that a dog died naturally from CD because living with it until that happens is too awful for the dog and the owners. She said I was giving Snickers a gift of a peaceful death.
Even though I knew I was doing the right thing, I needed to hear that.
It really helped me to hear “you’re doing the right thing” from a vet who had seen many cases of CD and had put thousands of dogs to sleep.
The vet was so patient, kind and gentle with Snicker and me. Throughout the process, she offered several times to give me time alone with Snickers. After it was done, she brought a little plastic bin in that was lined with blankets and cushions. She put my little baby girl in there so gently, and then pulled the blanket up to her chin – as if Snickers was sleeping on her side under the blanket.
Then she asked if I wanted to carry her out to the car.
I did.
Then I kissed my little old lady one final time and said goodbye.
I wish I never had to do this. But, I’m a dog guy. Chances are, I’ll be putting another beloved pet to sleep someday.
I will never use anyone else ever again.
Postscript:
Lap of Love did so much more than what I wrote here. From their videos on canine dementia, to their Q&As on “is it the right time”, to offering simple choices for cremations, to contacting my own vet so that I didn’t receive holiday cards and appointment reminders for Snickers, they handled everything.
Sometimes a business just does it right. Lap of Love is one of those businesses.
(As for cost, I found it to be comparable to what I paid for in-office euthanasia and cremation. My friend said his cost was double, but mine pretty close to what I remember at a vet’s office the last time I put a pet to sleep.).
