Lap of Love Veterinary Hospice is a family-centered

veterinary Veterinary medicine is the branch of medicine that deals with the prevention, management, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, disorder, and injury in non-human animals. The scope of veterinary medicine is wide, covering all animal species, both ...

hospice and in-home

animal euthanasia Animal euthanasia (euthanasia from ; "good death") is the act of killing an animal humanely, most commonly with injectable drugs. Reasons for euthanasia include incurable (and especially painful) conditions or diseases, lack of resources to con ...

service, recognized as the first organized group of its kind in America. The company is a member of the International Association for Animal Hospice and Palliative Care, and it operates in 37 states.

History

In 2009 Lap of Love was founded by Dr. Dani McVety, a graduate of

University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Univ ...

, after spending several months working in a traditional veterinary emergency room and recognizing the growing demand for end-of-life services to be performed at home. Shortly thereafter, McVety teamed up with Dr. Mary Gardner, a fellow UF grad, with the hope of developing a model for pet hospice and at-home

services that could be taught to other veterinarians. Lap of Love was incorporated in 2011, and began offering franchises in 2012. In 2015, the company was awarded the University of Florida Entrepreneurship Award, given by the Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation.

Services

Animals seen by Lap of Love veterinarians are either

geriatric Geriatrics, or geriatric medicine, is a medical specialty focused on addressing the unique health needs of older adults. The term ''geriatrics'' originates from the Greek γέρων ''geron'' meaning "old man", and ιατρός ''iatros'' mean ...

terminally ill Terminal illness or end-stage disease is a disease that cannot be cured or adequately treated and is expected to result in the death of the patient. This term is more commonly used for progressive diseases such as cancer, rather than fatal injur ...

patients. Hospice and

palliative care Palliative care (from Latin root "to cloak") is an interdisciplinary medical care-giving approach aimed at optimizing quality of life and mitigating or reducing suffering among people with serious, complex, and often terminal illnesses. Man ...

includes phone and in-home consultations on a pet's appetite, hydration, mobility, wound care, and pain management. The company also offers an online Pet Hospice Journal which includes a

quality of life Quality of life (QOL) is defined by the World Health Organization as "an individual's perception of their position in life in the context of the culture and value systems in which they live and in relation to their goals, expectations, standards ...

scale, and a diary to help the pet owner track daily health issues. Should natural death not appear to be imminent when an animal is suffering or exhibiting signs of a degraded quality of life, pet owners may elect for at-home euthanasia services by Lap of Love veterinarians, and burial or cremation arranged through the company. McVety and Gardner have authored several seminars and videos relating to the human-animal bond and compassionate medicine, and both have appeared nationally at public speaking engagements, including the 2012 North American Veterinary Conference.

References

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External links

Pet Hospice Journal
American companies established in 2009 Companies based in Florida Euthanasia in the United States Hospices in the United States Veterinary hospitals Veterinary medicine in the United States