Rusty’s Rainbow Hospice and End of Life Care
Bringing Compassionate Care to Your Home
We understand that one of the most difficult decisions pet owners may face is saying goodbye to a beloved companion and family member. Your pet’s final days and moments on this earth are some of the most important and memorable for the family.
Dr. Connolly and her team have a deep passion for hospice and end of life care, and feel a responsibility to limit a pet’s suffering as much as humanly possible. Dr. Connolly herself has experienced the loss of multiple beloved pets in her lifetime and has a deep appreciation for how important it is for this process to be as peaceful and comforting as possible.
At Home Hospice Services
Hospice Care is provided when you and your veterinary team have decided that your pet's condition is not something that they will recover from and you transition from diagnosing and treating your pet to keeping them comfortable for as long as that is possible. It is important to remember that our goals have changed.
Once this happens, it can be easier on the pet and family to conduct hospice consults at home, with someone who can help with pain management and monitoring quality of life. During hospice care, the family needs to prepare for end of life decisions and Ranchside is here to help make that process as low stress as possible.
Caring Hospice in Your Home
Hospice Phone Consultations with Dr Connolly
We are not able to diagnose or treat your pet over the phone, but Dr Connolly can go over general quality of life issues and give you insight on the process.
In Home Hospice Consults
One of our veterinarians can come to your home and perform an evaluation of your pet and help you make decisions on how to manage their care and discuss end of life options.
In-Home Euthanasia
We also offer in-home euthanasia based on your family’s preference. Once you submit your Google form and a team member will contact you to schedule.
Helpful Links
We understand that there can be anxiety related to not knowing what to expect with the process of In Home End of Life Care, so we hope this video helps.
Pet Pilgrimage
Rusty's Rainbow @ Ranchside is very proud to partner with Pet Pilgrimage. Their after care services for your pet match the compassion that we do our best to provide. Our euthanasia services (in clinic and in home) include direct transportation to Pet Pilgrimage.
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Tribute to Rusty
FB Post Dr Connolly posted after having to make decision to euthanize Rusty:
March 2010
March 2010
I spent last night dealing with the same thing that I deal with every day. But last night was a harsh reminder of what it is like to be on the other side of that exam room. It was a reminder that the decisions that we think are so obvious are not obvious when you are the one that loves the dog on the operating table. I am reminded of the appreciation that we should have for how difficult that decision is and the appreciation that we should have for the grieving of the life lost.
I let Rusty go last night because I always promised that he was too good to me for me to allow him to suffer the way I have seen some animals suffer, but it was one of the hardest things I have ever done.
Rusty was the most well behaved, most loving, most devoted creature that I have ever known and he enjoyed a good life because of that. He spent his first 2 years riding back and forth with me to Raleigh and he spent his last 9 years going back and forth with me to work.
I will miss my co-pilot.