# Lap of Love (At-home Euthanasia) 😭💔



## Heidigsd (Sep 4, 2004)

Saturday, I spent 6 hours with Nikki at the Urgent Care clinic, when we got the awful news that they suspect she has Hemangiosarcoma. Someone stabbing me in my heart would have been less painful than to hear that my Nikki is so sick, I can't stop crying 😭 💔

Her regular vet ordered another ultrasound, and we are still waiting for the final report, but preliminary findings are that she has a large mass on her liver, nodules on her spleen. 

I was wondering if anyone here has used "Lap of Love"? Not sure when I will have to let her go, right now she is doing ok but I want to be prepared. Home | Lap of Love 

Say a prayer for my sweet girl, she doesn't deserve this 😪


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## Sunsilver (Apr 8, 2014)

Looks like you've had 14 wonderful years together. Often hemangio can strike earlier than that.
I know, no matter when we have to say goodbye, it's always too soon... 😥 {{{HUGS}}}

Have not had any experience with Lap of Love, but at home euthanasia does sound like a nice, non-stressful alternative.


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## ksotto333 (Aug 3, 2011)

I am so sorry, peace be with you and your girl. I can't help with the other. We used to have a vet that would schedule and come to our home, that may be an op


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## bchevs (Oct 15, 2020)

I'm so sorry ❤

I don't have experience with lap of love but did an in home euthanasia with my golden. It was the best decision I could have made for her and so much less stressful for everyone involved. It was very peaceful for her.


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## GSD07 (Feb 23, 2007)

I am very sorry  Yes, I do have experience with Lap of Love. I am very thankful for their service. It was very peaceful, the vet was wonderful, supportive, caring and very skilled.


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## techinstructor (Nov 15, 2014)

I'm sorry you are having to face this difficult time. 

I used Lap of Love eight years ago for Grendel. The vet was willing to come at relatively short notice on a Saturday evening no less. She was great. Grendel was very fear aggressive and I wish I had thought of an option that someone posted (on another thread I think). The option was to give the dog enough Valium before the vet arrived so that they would already be asleep. I wish I had done this with Grendel, who really wasn't capable of being calm with a stranger nearby. We had to muzzle him and she threw lots of treats at him until medications could start to work. It would have been better if just the family could have gotten him to sleep and then she could have administered the rest. Fortunately, he still had in IV port in from the emergency vet. But all in all, I was impressed with the willingness to accommodate and compassion of the Lap of Love vet. That would be a really hard job to do!


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## Magwart (Jul 8, 2012)

Oh, I'm so sorry that you are going through this. The past year or so has just been horrendous with the number of beloved dogs crossing over.

Yes, we recently used Lap of Love over on Black Friday in November. My Casper was at least 14, suffering from uncontrolled seizures, and progressive hind end paralysis -- he was just tired and ready. A vet friend who has come to the house in the past wasn't available that holiday weekend, so we decided to use Lap of Love.

Lap of Love seems to have a contract vet in each city served that does this full time. They specialize in compassionate at-home passages -- it's a weird speciality, but it really is one that I'm glad exists. 

We made the appointment a few days ahead of time, and they gave us a 2-hour window to expect her at the house. I let them know that I had a technical question for the vet about her protocol -- I wanted to be sure they're using the "good drugs" so that the dog is totally out cold asleep, and not going to wake up in the middle of it. The vet answered my questions and talked through her personal protocol, and her steps -- I felt "heard" and comfortable with her answer.

The vet texted when she was leaving the appointment before us, so that we knew exactly when to expect her. She also texted from the driveway, so there was no doorbell to get the dogs riled up. When she arrived, she took all the time in the world to talk through why we thought it was time, to observe Casper herself, and to explain what would happen at each step. You can choose the spot and say goodbye and do it in whatever way feels right to you. You can even choose to do it outside if there's a special spot the dog loves -- or inside on their favorite bed.

When she gave him the sleepy-time drug, she went out of the room and let us just snuggle our sleeping dog for a long while to say goodbye. It wasn't rushed at all. He was snoring in a deep sleep.

When we were ready, she made a plaster paw print while he was sleeping and shaved some of his fur and put it in a little plastic keepsake container. Then she gave him the final IV drug, and that was it. He passed totally peacefully. It was a good exit.

At the end, they're _very_ respectful with the body. We of course had chosen to have him cremated with his ashes returned, as we've done for all of mine. She wrapped him up in a nice blanket and let me tuck dried sage all round him. There was a stretcher to put him in her vehicle, wrapped up. Then a few weeks later, his ashes were delivered to our regular vet, in a box inscribed with his name.

Lap of Love is very expensive (though Healthy Paws paid for part of it), but the process, respectfulness, and care was good. It's a thousand times better than being at any vet clinic, if you have the choice.


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## Rockyrockstarsmom (3 d ago)

Heidigsd said:


> Saturday, I spent 6 hours with Nikki at the Urgent Care clinic, when we got the awful news that they suspect she has Hemangiosarcoma. Someone stabbing me in my heart would have been less painful than to hear that my Nikki is so sick, I can't stop crying 😭 💔
> 
> Her regular vet ordered another ultrasound, and we are still waiting for the final report, but preliminary findings are that she has a large mass on her liver, nodules on her spleen.
> 
> ...


I’m so sorry to hear this! I used A Gentle Farewell at home euthanasia for my 14 year old girl Xena in November of 2021. They were awesome. Very peaceful and Xena was so comfortable at home on our front porch on a gorgeous fall day. I would highly recommend. It made a really hard thing just a little bit better honestly.


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## WNGD (Jan 15, 2005)

My current vet will do the home visit which I'll do when the time comes.
My last vet (now retired) was a friend who also did this for me and let me bawl in front of him. 
My girl is buried in the woods under a favorite tree where I walk by her several times per day and can say hi.

I'll never leave my dog at a vet ever again.


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## Rockyrockstarsmom (3 d ago)

WNGD said:


> My current vet will do the home visit which I'll do when the time comes.
> My last vet (now retired) was a friend who also did this for me and let me bawl in front of him.
> My girl is buried in the woods under a favorite tree where I walk by her several times per day and can say hi.
> 
> I'll never leave my dog at a vet ever again.


My girl Xena is buried behind our shed next to the woods on our property and Rocky and I play fetch there and we say hi all the time too! I planted some perennials and I like to think she’s still doing her job of protecting the property.


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## Heidigsd (Sep 4, 2004)

Thank you everyone 💕

I've been up since 2am, can't sleep. In my heart I know what the right decision is, the most important part is to prevent any suffering, I couldn't handle seeing her in pain. We're going to spend every minute doing what she loves the most, I just hope she knows how much I love her 💔

I have contacted Lap of Love 💔💔💔


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