Promises To My Pet
After walking hundreds of clients through the devastating loss of saying goodbye to their furry family member, Claire was inspired to create something to help with the process of caring when illness or emergencies impacts the ability to care for a pet. (financial, loss of a job, divorce). Unfortunately, there never seems to be enough time with them, and the end-of-life-journey is filled with guilt, wondering if we did never or too much, adding to the overwhelming emotion of not having resources to think it all the way through. (sitting in the ER in the middle of the night, worrying if they are going to be ok)
Introducing Promises To My Pet
Promises To My Pet is a process that helps you think through and commit to how you will care for your pet throughout their life.
Not only does Promises To My Pet take you through different scenarios and questions to help you formulate and record a plan to care for your pet, it ends up being a valuable record that you can add to each year during vet visits.
Having a timeline of your pet’s health during their prime will ease the burden of making end of life decisions, and allows you to make those healthcare decisions BEFORE they approach their senior years or get sick- when you are not under emotional distress and think clearly.
The pain of losing a pet is often compounded by the fact that we have to be the ones to decide when it’s time to help our pets transition. Promises To My Pet is a way for your to prepare before it happens.
A Sneak Peek into Promises To My Pet:
Promises To My Pet is a living document to help you keep the promise you made when you brought your pet home for the first time- the commitment to care for them their entire life. They depend on us for everything, and sometimes things can get rough. Unforseeable injuries or sickness (theirs or yours) life changes (like new jobs, home, or family members) and financial limitations can make it challenging to care for a pet. That’s why it is important to establish some written promises at several vital life stages, starting NOW. Promises To My Pet also allows for continuity of care of your pet if you are absent from home (vacation, temporarily or permanently) and they are left with a family member or pet sitter.
Topics covered in Promises To My Pet:
- The basics- all the things that should be in your pet’s files –daily care, feeding, grooming, etc
- Your promises – what you are committing to doing in caring for your pet (financially, physically, emotionally)
- A living timeline of your pet’s personality, a record of their vitality and energy through age stages – this will help for those difficult end-of-life decisions.
- Your pet’s last wishes for comfort- It’s hard to think in the moment what your pet may want at the end if we can’t remember what they were like when they were young. Maybe they wouldn’t want chemotherapy even if they could
- Estate planning, financial planning resources, what happens if you are married and gets a divorce? Who gets fluffy or fido?
- Aftercare planning – just as humans plan, it is helpful to be familiar with what aftercare entails, what happens during euthanasia and what your options are.
Related resources:
Debra Vey-Voda Hamilton: https://hamiltonlawyandmediation.com (facilitating collaborative discussions and mediations in midst of disagreements over animals)
Suzanne Cannon, Co-founder Vetbilling: https://www.vetbilling.com (providing payment plans for veterinary practices and people and their pets)