‘We want their passing to be dignified’ | More veterinarians offering pet hospice – WFMYNews2.com

Families now have the option in some places to have pet hospice and in-home euthanasia for their dogs and cats.

GREENSBORO, N.C. The way pets are cared for is continuously changing. We now have things like pet insurance, doggy daycare, pupcakes and even pet hospice.

Blue Pearl Specialty + Emergency Hospital has expanded this type of palliative care across the nation and hopes to transform the way we say goodbye to our furry loved ones.

Most families that chose to do pet hospice have a dog or cat that is given a terminal diagnosis or a disease that can significantly impact their quality of life.

Here's how it works... A veterinarian is assigned to you. They come to your home and put a plan in place to help your pet live out their final days or months in the most comfortable and peaceful way possible.

As those days continue on, you have access to a nurse 7 days a week. On their final day, you have the option to do in-home euthanasia.

Audra Pompeani, veterinarian, said more people are shifting away from the 'old way' of saying goodbye to their pets. She said less pet owners want to drop of their dogs or cats at the vet and let them take care of it.

"They sleep in the bed with us at night and some people's pets eat at the table with them at dinner like that's not our relationship anymore :49 and we have pets because they enrich our lives and we want to give that back to them right," Pompeani said.

Pet hospice also puts an emphasis on supporting the families during this time. If you're a pet owner, you now how difficult losing a pet can be.

"We want their passing to be dignified. We want the end of their life to be as peaceful and as happy for them for the rest of their life was," Pompeani said.

Pet hospice is happening in part due to Congress passing the Veterinary Medicine Mobility Act of 2014 which allows vets to take controlled substances out of their offices and provide services at people's homes.

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'We want their passing to be dignified' | More veterinarians offering pet hospice - WFMYNews2.com