WHY DO WE EXIST?
Our Board member Mike Henson DVM, PhD, DACVIM Associate Professor of Oncology states it best,
“There are many worthy organizations that care for abandoned animals and there is a self-sustaining pet care industry, focused on improving the health and longevity of beloved pets. However, there are very few options or resources for animals near the end of life or for the families who love and care for them. These animals are underserved, stuck in the gap between traditional intent-to-cure veterinary care and a dignified peaceful passing, whether of natural causes or via humane euthanasia. Pets and their caregivers would benefit from more knowledge and options in the critical phase of life near the end, similar in many ways to the benefits of hospice care in humans. Peaceful Passing for Pets aims to fill that need, both regionally here in Minnesota via a non-profit multidisciplinary team-based service as well via their educational tools to help animals throughout the region and the world.”
Peaceful Passing for Pets purpose is to provide hospice-related services by bringing multiple resources to pet owners rather than forcing them to search for services on their own.
We know that end-of-life care for our pets goes to the heart and spirit of the bond we have with them. We want their last days to be dignified, comfortable and enjoyed as much as possible. The range of professional services we offer reflects our goal to provide support for the pet owner, and the best quality of life for the beloved pet until ‘the last beat of their heart.’
OUR VISION, MISSION AND GOALS
Vision
Every pet with a terminal condition will have the opportunity to receive compassionate, coordinated hospice care in their home.
Mission
To ensure that pet owners, the veterinary professional team and the hospice professional team are provided the resources and practical tools to accomplish our vision.
Goals
- To create a model for pet hospice care in Minnesota that can be replicated by veterinary schools and communities across the US.
- Partner with veterinary clinics thus enabling veterinarians to offer the full scope and philosophy of home hospice care to pet owners facing end-of-life for a beloved pet.
- To lead as a resource in pet hospice care providing education, communication, and interaction among professionals and the public.
- To provide relevant information though our website, publications, and educational opportunities that pet owners and families need and want during this heartache time.
WHERE ARE WE NOW?
Our end-of-year Annual Update for 2019 reported the partnership between Peaceful Passing for Pets (PPP) and the University of Minnesota Veterinary Medical Center (VMC) to conduct a Pilot Project to offer home hospice care to their clients whose pets are facing end-of-life.
We had:
- Finalized the Core Curriculum Pet Hospice Education Course
- Recruited hospice RN’s, Chaplains, and veterinary professionals as Care Coordinators
- Conducted our Core Curriculum Course for the Care Coordinators
- Established a Referral Network for vetted professionals focused on pet end-of-life support
- Created pet-focused Plans-of-Care
- Established a software program created specifically for Peaceful Passing for Pets home hospice service by Dr Nick Lafond
We were well into our Pilot Project with the U of MN Veterinary Clinic. The veterinarians were sending referrals, the Care Coordinators and other members of the multidisciplinary team were making visits and providing pet home hospice support for both pets at end-of-life and those who love them so dearly.
Peaceful Passing for Pets home hospice software program created by Dr. Nick LaFond was successfully implemented to keep the referring veterinarian and all team members updated to the content of every visit each team member made and the plan-of-care created specifically for the pet and pet family.
Dr. Monica Frazer, Senior Researcher for Optum Health Service Company and previously a researcher at Allina Health Care System, created a comprehensive evaluation survey constructed specific to the pilot project to examine and improve our service.
Presentations of Peaceful Passing for Pets to the Primary Care and Internal Medicine Clinic at the Veterinary Medical Center were scheduled in April of this year.
It was working the way we had hoped.
And then came Covid-19 and, painfully, we had to put our home hospice service on hold.
COVID-19 didn’t stop us. Although we were forced to pause our home hospice service we immediately turned to our following goal :
- To provide relevant information though our website, publications, and educational opportunities that pet owners and families need and want during this heartbreaking end of life days and months for their pets
Covid-19 and home isolation has made this more crucial than ever.
Due to the Covid-19, access to veterinarians is limited. Most veterinary clinics are following the policy of not allowing pet owners to accompany their pet into the clinic. The pet is picked up curbside by clinic staff and brought into the clinic. The owner waits in the car to receive a phone call from the veterinarian to discuss the result of the exam and treatment options. Also, visits deemed non-essential are not being accepted to minimize exposure to staff and clients. This makes having an in-person discussion with the veterinarian regarding end-of-life decisions challenging.
Within a period of five weeks in 2020, my husband and I had to euthanize both of our beloved dogs, Stormie and Caleb). I cannot imagine how we would have supported them and made the difficult decisions without knowing and using so much of the content incorporated within the Peaceful Passing for Pets’ website and within the Peaceful Passing for Pets Caregiver’s A Caregiver’s Guide to Pet Hospice Care.
How can Peaceful Passing for Pets help? By increasing awareness to the pet owner community that our website exists and that it can directly assist families with support, information, links to credible sites for pet end-of-life care, answers to questions so desperately needed, tools to measure quality-of-life and pain management, and access to grief support and counseling. When we held our Pet Owner Focus Group at the start of establishing Peaceful Passing for Pets this was one of their fervent requests to have this information readily available.
We are seeking every way possible to get the word out.
· We were fortunate to receive a call from Christa Meland from The End-in-Mind Project which is a “leading a movement to change how our culture engages with loss, dying and death” founded by Cathy Wurzer, co-host of TPT Almanac. Christa said she had been hearing about Peaceful Passing for Pets and asked if she could interview me for a blog on the End-in-Mind web site. https://www.endinmindproject.org/saying-goodbye-to-pets/
What a remarkable opportunity to let people know that there is help and support through our web site and guidebook.
- We are also looking forward to a blog on The Catnip Times that reaches over one million social media contacts in 132 countries.
- We will be working with a Social Media Manager to provide a consistent presence in social media so that our services can have a larger reach and provide donor awareness.
WE NEED YOUR HELP.
Attached is a flyer that you can:
- Send to individuals and organizations via any means of social media that you use
- Forward to your veterinarian (or request hard copies to bring to your veterinarian and clinic staff)
- Request hard copies of the flyer to hand out.
We are open to any suggestions you might have and would be thrilled to follow up with contacts you want us to make. If you have ideas of how to make the public aware of our web site send an email to Mary Corlett, our Administrative Assistant: mcorlett@comcast.net,
FUNDRAISING
We are breaking new ground and it is challenging, just as it was when human hospice was established.
We must find visionary donors who want to:
- Change the way we think about caring for pets at end-of-life and providing support for those who love them.
- Enable veterinarians to offer the full scope and philosophy of home hospice care to pet owners facing end-of-life of a beloved pet.
- Be a part of creating the model to be replicated for pet home hospice care.
“Honor Their Love” Capacity Campaign
Our “Honor Their Love” Capacity Campaign with the goal of raising $250,000 continues to seek gifts from donors, foundations, pharmaceutical companies, pet-focused corporations, and community presentations.
By securing contributions that reach our goal we will be able to move full speed ahead in partnering with veterinarians and clinics as soon as our Pilot Project is complete.
WE NEED YOUR HELP
- DONATE at : peacefulpassingforpets.org
- Ask on Facebook that your birthday/your pets’ birthday/anniversary be honored by giving donations to Peaceful Passing for Pets
- AmazonSmile is a simple way for you to support Peaceful Passing for Pets every time you shop, at no cost to you. AmazonSmile is available at amazon.com on your web browser and can be activated in the Amazon Shopping app for iOS and Android phones. When you shop at AmazonSmile, you will find the exact same shopping experience as Amazon.com with the benefit of automatically supporting Peaceful Passing for Pets
- Contact us with names of individuals who are passionate about their pets and might be potential donors
We are open to any suggestions you might have and would be thrilled to follow up with contacts you want us to make. If you know of anyone who might be interested in hearing about Peaceful Passing for Pets send an email to Mary Corlett, our Administrative Assistant: mcorlett@comcast.net and we will get on it right away.
DONOR SPOTLIGHT
In Honor of
Bopper, Bosco, & Beau
Dr. Margaret MacRae, M.D.
Dr. Margaret MacRae is a Diplomat of the American Board of Internal Medicine and a Diplomat of the American Board of Internal Medicine, Oncology. She is a former president of the Minnesota Medical Alumni Society and is an American Cancer Scholar.
One of Dr. MacRae’s primary areas of expertise and focus has been in the care and treatment of breast cancer patients. She has played a primary role in care of cancer patients at the Piper Breast Center of Abbott Northwestern Hospital. She has been listed in the Minnesota Monthly magazine as one of the state’s best doctors for women for the treatment of breast cancer.
Dr. MacRae received the Distinguished Alumni Humanitarian Award from Minnesota State University, Mankato, in two different categories: humans and animals. Humanitarian awards go to graduates whose lives exemplify service to humankind, and who have demonstrated exceptional dedication to humanitarian causes.
Many years ago, Dr. MacRae had a patient who was dying. The major concern of the patient was “who is going to take care of my dog”.
Dr. MacRae told her patient that she would adopt her dog and, so began, the first of many adoptions that were referred to her by oncologists, social workers, nurses, and others who found patients in similar situations. As the population of adopted pets grew, Dr. MacCrae started a nonprofit, “Angels’ Pet Sanctuary” in Eagan that has been the home for over 300 dogs, 150 cats. She has also several trained therapy dogs, which she has brought to clinics and various events to provide comfort to her patients ‘and patients’ family.
Dr. MacRae has served as a volunteer on our Board of Directors and currently serves as an Advisor.
