TeleAdvice Appointments
Let us visit your home through video conferencing to discuss your pet’s quality of life.
A TeleAdvice Appointment May Work For You
A TeleAdvice Appointment with one of our veterinary hospice and palliative care professionals facilitates in-depth conversations using video conferencing to help you better understand the quality of your pet’s life. We’ll also explain options for comfort and end-of-life care. Our TeleAdvice Appointments last 30 minutes.
*Note: While we are happy to schedule a TeleAdvice appointment with any family for any situation, there are limitations that prevent a thorough physical exam, diagnostics, and certain prescribing abilities due to state law, so if you are at the beginning of your pet’s end of life journey, a visit to your family veterinarian may be recommended to be sure your pet has the best quality of life possible during their journey.
How Does A TeleAdvice Appointment Work?
- Please fill out the TeleAdvice Request Form in its entirety.
- Please expect a phone call from our team within 24 hours. If you have not received a response within 24 hours, please call the Caring Pathways Client Care Team.
- Choose a time that works for your family that you and your pet will be available, without distractions, to have a face-to-face virtual meeting. Your veterinary hospice and palliative care professional may want to see your pet during the consult to evaluate their breathing, attitude, comfort, ability/lack of ability to stand and walk, physical ailments, etc…
- At your scheduled time, you may visit with your veterinary hospice and palliative care professional on your phone, laptop, tablet, etc…
- Click on the link provided in your email to open the virtual platform. No apps are typically needed.
- The appointment will generally follow these steps and will be recorded (with your permission):
- A visual introduction to your pet.
- Discussion about how to objectively measure quality of life long term.
- Your pet’s specific concerns and what to expect as you move forward in this journey.
- Our veterinary hospice and palliative care professional will give you an objective opinion about your pet’s current status, and how a humane euthanasia looks like in the home, when the time comes.
- Regardless of whether you elect palliative care or humane euthanasia during your appointment, your veterinary hospice and palliative care professional will email you the appointment summary, Quality of Life information, handouts pertinent to your pet’s condition(s), and grief support resources.
- Your Caring Pathways veterinary hospice and palliative care professional will contact your family veterinarian via email and share your pet’s Care Plan so that your pet’s care team is on the same page moving forward.
What Type of End-of-Life Assessment is Best for My Pet?
TeleAdvice Appointment
A TeleAdvice Appointment is a great opportunity to discuss your pet’s current condition, any diagnoses your pet has been given, for you to learn how to objectively evaluate and measure quality of life, and to develop a palliative care and/or end of life plan for your pet. This option is best for pets that are being monitored and cared for by your family veterinarian as an added resource to your pet’s care team.
While we are happy to schedule a TeleAdvice appointment with any family for any situation, there are limitations that prevent a thorough physical exam, diagnostics, and certain prescribing abilities due to state law, so if you are at the beginning of your pet’s end of life journey, a visit to your family veterinarian may be recommended to be sure your pet has the best quality of life possible during their journey.
In-Home Hospice Assessment
An In-Home Pet Hospice Assessment is also a great opportunity to discuss all of the above as well as have a hands-on exam for your pet. This can help determine underlying concerns that should be addressed and if humane euthanasia is elected, your pet’s peaceful passing can occur at the same appointment. This option is best for pets that may or may not be monitored and cared for by your family veterinarian, pets who cannot safely or easily be transported to your family veterinarian anymore, or your pet that you believe may be at the end of their journey but you’d like an objective hands-on evaluation before making the decision to provide humane euthanasia. Your pet must be tolerant of strangers for this appointment to be successful. The limitations of this type of appointment are that diagnostics (radiographs/bloodwork) cannot be performed so diagnoses cannot be made but some prescriptions can be scripted/refilled at the veterinarian’s discretion.
Veterinary Visit
A Veterinary Visit at your family veterinarian is recommended for any pets that need diagnostics (blood work, radiographs, etc…) to diagnose their ailments or for routine monitoring for certain long term medications or conditions. It is in your pet’s best interest to have a diversified care team as you enter into their end of life journey and we are happy to communicate with your veterinarian to be sure your pet’s care team is on the same page every step of the way.
We look forward to meeting you and your pet in-person and/or virtually; please let us know how we can best support your family during this time.
If you are unsure of what the best next step is for your pet right now, visit our Pathway to Care Assessment Page.
Client Testimonials
“Erin was my vet tech nurse. I experienced her as warm, caring, and knowledgeable. Talking with her was like getting a long distance hug. She was very helpful as we transverse this path. Erin was a good introduction conversation to Caring Pathways. I would also say that every contact so far has been positive in a most difficult time. Thank you.”
From Maureen, A TeleAdvice Client