Hospice & Palliative Care

Do you worry about how you will cope when your pet gets to the end of their days?

Now there is so much more that we can do to aid our beloved pets in their twilight years.

We at Mercury Vets have now put an end of life care plan into action . We are members of the international association for palliative and hospice care .Ŵe offer extensive palliative care in the comfort of your own home , when your pet is struggling with his or her life . When the end is getting nearer we can offer hospice care involving frequent visits to your pet , constant communication by phone or Internet , and above all, good quality pain relief. And at the very end we offer a peaceful and dignified put to sleep procedure . A hand holding service all the way and beyond .

We offer three care packages

A). Palliative care.
This will be for a pet that is approaching the end of their days but with maybe a year or two of active life left. Dogs with severe arthritis for instance or old cats with some kidney or liver problems. We will visit monthly and ensure your pet is receiving the best in terms of medication, supplements, feed and lifestyle.

B) Early hospice care.
This will be when your pet is suffering from a terminal illness or condition and the end is probably only a month or two away. We will visit weekly and ensure that pain relief is satisfactory and your pet is comfortable. This is also the time to discuss your hopes for the final days.

C) Advanced hospice care.
This will be when your pet is only days away from the inevitable. We will visit daily and make sure that your pet is as comfortable and free from pain as is possible. We will help you to decide when the time is right. We will support you and the family at this incredibly emotional time in your lives. We will hold your hand both literally and metaphorically!

The final visit

We often say this is the final gift that you can give your pet. The chance to drift off to sleep in the comfortable surroundings of his own home with the family members he loves and trusts. We will endeavour to accommodate your every wishes for this most important time. We encourage you to plan in advance for this moment and decide if you would like it to be indoors, outdoors, with music, candles etc or alternatively if you would rather not be present we understand this decision and will treat you pet with the utmost care and expertise.

The euthanasia ( awful word) process can involve a painless sedation injection that allows your pet to gently drift into a deep sleep; then after ten minutes or so we can administer the final intravenous injection of an overdose of barbiturate anaesthetic. If you would prefer the final injection without the sedation this is also possible and sometimes less stressful as the whole process is quicker. As with all our hospice care procedures we will always accommodate all your wishes wherever possible .