Our Blog
What if my pet is in need of end-of-life care in the middle of the night?
It is always difficult seeing our pets in need. It can be particularly difficult when its late at night and sound advice is hard to find. We have put together some ideas to help you reduce the chances of a late night emergency and stay calm if one does happen.Stay...
What will my other pets do without my pet who passed?
Our compassionate team of veterinarians are asked this question many times each week. The short answer is, it varies. While pet's reactions to loss do vary, there are some common experiences which are good to know when helping your own pets.Recognizing the LossIt...
How do I overcome the grief of losing my pet?
The death of an animal companion is often an extremely difficult loss. There are no words to describe the relationship we have with them; they are our child, companion, adventure partner, therapist and family member. It is no wonder we have such a hard time when they...
Do pets feel pain when euthanized?
As a veterinarian working in end-of-life care I often hear the phrase, “I wish my pet would just pass in their sleep.” While we all hope for a quick, peaceful, painless death for our beloved dogs and cats, it is not always the case when it comes to natural death. This...
How do I know when My Senior Dog is Suffering?
Your older dog has been your buddy for a long time. Maybe since they were a pup or perhaps you were lucky enough to find your friend later in their life. You have been able to tell when they were ready for dinner or for their walk. You know when they are tired,...
AAHA Accredited End-of-Life Care in Virginia Beach
We are honored to have passed our American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) accreditation process to become one of the first AAHA accredited end-of-life care practices in the country, and the first in the Hampton Roads, VA area! Click the video below to hear from...
A Day in the Life of an End-of-Life Care Veterinarian
My name is Chas Dickens, DVM. I am a veterinarian and I specialize in at-home end-of-life care, to include hospice care for pets along Colorado’s front range. Working out of my black Subaru, I travel all over the front range from Golden to Loveland, Lyons to Parker,...
Supporting Children through the Loss of a Pet
Losing a pet is a difficult journey for anyone. Although there are some well-accepted stages of the grief process, each person is unique in how they will journey through that process. Parenting our children through that process compounds the complexity of the...
What to Expect at an In-Home Euthanasia Appointment
The following article is intended to give pet families a general idea of what to expect when scheduling in-home euthanasia appointment for your loved one. Please give our team a call or send us an email if you have any questions about this process. Before Your...
My Geriatric Cat’s Response to Solensia
Bobby's StoryOur cat Bobby was considered elderly the day we adopted him, 9 years ago. “Thank you for adopting a senior!” the Denver Dumb Friends League (DDFL) cashier said when we checked out with our newest family member. This was December of 2013. DDFL was...
2022 Memorial Tribute Video
As we head into 2023, we want to take moment to honor and reflect on those watching from the Rainbow Bridge. We hope this memorial tribute lets you share in this reflection and smile at the memories. Your beloved furry family members are alphabetically ordered in the...
They Don’t Deserve to Hurt: Animal Pain Awareness Month
September is Animal Pain Awareness month. What a special opportunity to talk about signs of pain in our pets. The biggest question pet owners want to know…. “Is my pet in pain?” Just asking this question shows how much you love your pet and want to support them. Pain...
A Playlist to Help Say Goodbye to a Beloved Pet
We know saying goodbye to your beloved furry family member is the hardest decision you will make. Our team at Caring Pathways created this playlist to help provide a calming and reflective atmosphere when that time comes 💜.A Pet Loss Grief Support PlaylistWe...
Feel Good Fridays
We understand that the nature of our work as an in-home end-of-life pet care practice can come with quite a bit of grief and sadness. It is a privilege for us to be able to help pet families during this difficult time and to honor a pet's life through Pet Tributes on...
Caring for Your Senior Cat
Do you have a beloved feline friend who is entering their senior years? At Hampton Roads Veterinary Hospice, it is our goal to help you take steps to make the final chapter of your cat's life as comfortable and memorable as possible. In this article, we will discuss...
Monitoring Your Senior Pet’s Dental and Heart Health
February is a time often associated with the emotion of love, but did you know it also happens to be National Heart and Dental Health month? What better time to share an article to help support families who love a senior or ill pet and what to monitor for with regards...
Meet Our Field Service Team: What Happens When My Pet Passes Away At Home?
A few months ago I visited a couple’s home in the heart of Denver. I was welcomed into the home by a woman with tears in her eyes. She brought me to where her husband was seated on the floor in the other room, as he held his sweet Basset Hound in his arms dearly. This...
The Benefits of Tui-Na for Senior Pets
Tui-na is a manual therapy that is one of the four branches of Traditional Veterinary Chinese Medicine. From a conventional medicine perspective, Tui-na can be thought of as corresponding to a combination of acupressure, conventional massage, and chiropractic...
How to Approach the End-of-Life Decision for Your Pet After A Cancer Diagnosis
Pet cancer visited our home for the first time the summer between my second and third years of vet school. Tuna, my beloved 5-year-old cat, was diagnosed with high grade, B cell intestinal lymphoma. As a veterinary student, I knew it was “the bad one.” We were swiftly...
A Pet Loss Letter To Your Child’s Teachers
The loss of a beloved family pet is often the first loss that a child faces and it can affect them in profound ways. In addition to the tips that we give parents about talking to their children about grief, it can also be very helpful to alert the child's teachers and...
National Pet Memorial Day 2021
National Pet Memorial Day is six weeks away! Our Pets are such an important part of the family. They bring us so much joy and good memories. Each Family’s relationship with their pet looks different. So how a family honors their pet once they have crossed the rainbow...
Integrative Approaches for Hyperthyroidism
Hyperthyroidism is the most common endocrine disorder in cats. Thyroid disease (hyperthyroidism) in cats results from excessive production of hormones from the thyroid gland. In most cases, this is caused by a single mass or multiple masses on the thyroid gland. ...
7 Hospice Hacks for Pet Caregivers
Caregiving for a pet during their end-of-life stage can be exhausting- physically, emotionally, and financially. We’ve put together a few of our favorite inexpensive “hacks” that will save you time and energy when caring for a geriatric or terminally ill pet. 1) Baby...
Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation for Pets
Rehabilitation is defined as the action of restoring something that has been damaged to its former condition. This can specifically mean to improve function and comfort. Some of the big tools we use to achieve this in our pets are exercise programs, medications,...
2020 Memorial Tribute Video
We invite you to celebrate your pets in our 2020 pet memorial tribute video! Please submit up to 5 photos (or a 5-second video clip) of any pets you’d like to honor. Photos can be submitted via email or on our Facebook page! We’d also love for you to include your...
Blessing of the Animals
This time of year, Christian families all over the world celebrate St. Francis Day in honor of St. Francis of Assisi- the Patron Saint of Animals. We’ve gathered some of the 2020 ceremonies happening in Virginia Beach, Norfolk, and Portsmouth, Virginia! Please share...
National Pet Memorial Day
National Pet Memorial Day September 13th, 2020 Hampton Roads Veterinary Hospice and Integrative Medicine celebrates National Pet Memorial Day each year. Typically we hold an in-person gathering that evening and light memorial lanterns in honor of all of our dear...
The Benefits of DiaGel for Senior Pets
DiaGel is an oral gel that supports proper digestion and bowel health that we have been using for over a year now at Hampton Roads Veterinary Hospice and Integrative Medicine. Through its use of all-natural ingredients and essential oils, DiaGel helps maintain a...
The Benefits of Veterinary Chiropractic Care
Chiropractic medicine has a long history of misinterpretation. Often they are associated with “subluxations” and “putting things back into place.” To clarify, the lesions veterinary chiropractors manipulate are not necessarily out of place but are actually joints that...
The Benefits of PEMF Therapy for Pets
Pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) therapy is a non-invasive treatment modality that pulses electromagnetic fields in body tissues to speed and promote healing. In humans, PEMF devices are approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat certain bone...