Hampton Roads Veterinary Hospice and Integrative Medicine offers virtual consultations with their veterinarians. Telehealth consultations provide powerful resources for families struggling with questions about their pets’ end of life care plan and quality of life. This technology has been especially useful for military families, families with children in college, and those family members separated a distance from their pet. We are now utilizing this technology even more with social distancing efforts to help contain the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19).
Being able to include family members in conversations about their pet’s care and the decision-making process can be extremely helpful for all involved. Being able to speak directly with hospice and palliative care veterinarians when confronted with the difficult decisions that surround their pet’s end-of-life care allows families to explore all of their options in more affordable and convenient ways.
For new patients and families, our doctors can provide a wealth of information about diagnostic and treatment options, disease trajectories, and routes of care. Quality of Life consultations can also take place via video conferencing and allow families to discuss palliative care options and end of life decisions. Due to regulations from the Virginia Board of Veterinary Medicine and the American Veterinary Medical Association, veterinarians cannot diagnose or prescribe medications for pets that they have not physically examined within the last 12 months, but we can share other recommendations and explain options.
For existing patients of the practice, virtual services can be used to follow up with families, adjust medications or treatment plans, and work through new symptoms as they arise. The veterinarians at Hampton Roads Veterinary Hospice and Integrative Medicine focus on a holistic approach to comfort care and can discuss a variety of modalities, including acupuncture, physical rehabilitation and physiotherapy, Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine herbal treatments, and nutraceutical options in addition to traditional Western medications.
Hampton Roads Veterinary Hospice and Integrative Medicine also offers free monthly pet loss support group meetings in the virtual space. These meetings, led by a grief counselor, are held on the third Tuesday of the month at 6 pm. These virtual pet loss support group meetings are in addition to the group’s in-person meetings, which are held on the first Tuesday of the month. The support group has been meeting monthly in Virginia Beach and Hampton since 2012.
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If you have a pet you think would benefit from a veterinary telehealth consultation or in-home palliative care, home euthanasia or integrative medicine consultation, please contact Hampton Roads Veterinary Hospice, In-Home Euthanasia, and Integrative Medicine at 757-474-5968.