This map highlights our service regions and will give you a clear idea if we visit your neighborhood.  Each color represents a different travel price.  If your community is outside this region, contact us to discuss your options.  You may want to consider traveling into our Comfort Center, located in New Brighton.  This is a comfortable, private setting within the Pets Remembered Cremation facility where you won’t be disturbed by ringing phones or other pet owners.

Please give us a call if you have any questions about service in your area.  Our counselors can be reached at 612-354-8500 Mon-Fri 8:00 AM-6:00 PM and on Sat/Sun 8:00 AM-4:00 PM.

]]> http://www.mnpets.com/blog/mn-pets-service-area/feed 0 http://www.mnpets.com/blog/individual-cremation-and-your-pets-ashes http://www.mnpets.com/blog/individual-cremation-and-your-pets-ashes#comments Fri, 08 Feb 2013 15:10:03 +0000 Rebecca McComas, DVM http://www.mnpets.com/?p=923 Continue reading →]]> It is likely very important to you how your pet’s body will be handled after death.  We feel the same way.  Even though the pet is deceased, the body remains as a significant source of connection for many people and there is peace and comfort in knowing that your beloved pet will be well cared for, even after death.

For this reason, when I started MN Pets I thoroughly researched and selected the crematories whom I would be most comfortable working with and recommending.  I selected several organizations who share my values of handling a pet’s body with gentleness and dignity.  I am very comfortable with the crematories who provide our group and individual cremation, as well as our premium cremation.  And now several years have passed and I’m pleased to say that we have a long track record of excellent and attentive service from them as well.

Individual and Premium Cremation

If you wish to have your pet’s ashes (cremains) come back to you, you will want to select either individual or premium cremation.  In each case, only your pet’s ashes will be returned to you, as there is no co-mingling of remains during the cremation process.  Premium cremation is provided by Pets Remembered, a one-at-a-time individual cremation facility.

In each case, your pet’s ashes will be returned in a wooden box, much like the one pictured here.  The boxes come in different sizes and slight color variations, but this is a good representation.  Pets Remembered returns the remains in a carved wooden box, very similar to the one pictured but a little more ornate.  Inside, the cremains are sealed in a plastic bag so there is no danger of spilling during transport or once in your home.  You are able to open the box easily and look at or remove the remains if you wish.

Cremains

I think Hollywood has done a disservice in the way they depict cremains in the movies.  I remember a scene where cremains were depicted as light enough to float away in a breeze.  Pet cremains are often quite different from this image.  At the crematories we work with, they are processed to a rough granular texture and are similar in appearance to crushed seashells.  The remains are mostly bone and are white or off-white in color.  It is normal to see flecks of many different colors, however, including orange, green and brown.  Other pet crematories may process them just a bit farther and they may become more powdery.

If you have any questions or concerns about what to expect, please don’t hesitate to ask our pet counselors or the veterinarian during your appointment.  We will be happy to fill in any missing details for you.

Pets Remembered Comfort Center, New Brighton MN

In the course of our day we talk with many people who are approaching their pet’s end of life.  We hear from pet owners occasionally who are concerned about having the euthanasia of their beloved pet take place at home.  In our experience, we know that home is a peaceful and relaxed place for the pet during their final moments, but we wanted to offer another option when a home appointment is not possible or desirable. You may find that some of these same concerns resonate with you:

• You may worry about carrying the sad memory of your pet’s passing in a certain part of your home.
• You may be concerned about soiling of the carpet or furniture.  We take every precaution to keep the home clean and dry during our appointments, but it is true that the bladder and bowels often relax when the pet has passed away.
• You may have uncertainty about what death might be like and it may feel more comforting and supportive in a safe, controlled environment.

A euthanasia appointment at the Pets Remembered Comfort Center presents a good option for your pet if these are some of your concerns. 

Our experienced doctor will be there to care for your pet, gently and peacefully.  Skip and Carol, operators of the one-at-a-time pet crematory, will also be present.  They both have many years of experience guiding people through the experience of losing a beloved companion.  The entrance is private and surrounded by trees.  The Center has been specially designed for you and your pet’s comfort with low lighting and comfortable seating in chairs and on the floor.  The crematory is in the same building (in a separate room) and there is peace of mind in knowing that your pet doesn’t need to travel or leave our care at any time.

Read more here and feel free to give us a call at (612) 354-8500 to discuss your particular questions, concerns or wishes.  You can also visit Pets Remembered to find out more about the center and see pictures of the facility.

I recently spoke with a client whose family had two dogs.  Sadly, when one of their beloved dogs had to be euthanized in a clinic, the other dog seemed to experience a profound grief.  In fact this client reported that she was forever altered from the experience of losing her friend and simply was different from that point on.  The two dogs had their toys in a basket and part of their “after work” routine was to go outside, have supper, and play with their toys together.  “She didn’t play with her toys for two years after the death of (her friend)”, her person reported.  Now her friends’ ashes are buried in the yard and when she is out there she lays on his gravesite.  This is the main reason this client decided to have in-home euthanasia this time.  She felt that it was important for her dogs to know, firsthand, what had happened to their beloved friend.

Evidence shows that humans aren’t the only creatures to grieve the passing of a loved one, however, it is a challenging thing to study and there is more anecdotal evidence than there is empirical study.  That said, Mark Bekoff, former professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Colorado, Boulder and Author of The Emotional Lives of Animals,  sites examples of animals displaying grief in the wild while mourning lost companions and explains that, “categorically denying emotions to animals because they cannot be studied directly does not constitute a reasonable argument against their existence…… current interdisciplinary research provides compelling evidence that many animals experience such emotions as joy, fear, love, despair, and grief – we are not alone.”

Some animal behaviorists report working with pets in their practices whose animal companions have died, and whom appear to be grieving that loss.  Those pets sometimes manifest their grief in the following ways:  decreased appetite, changes in activity (increase or decrease), increased soliciting of attention from their family, separation anxiety, increased vocalization, and increased sensitivity to noises.

One of the positive aspects about having a pet euthanized at home is that their animal friends can be with them.  Sometimes, when a pet is euthanized in a clinic setting, it can be confusing for their animal family members, who may not understand what has happened to their loved one.  Animals have their own individual personalities and sensitivities and their people know them better than anyone else – it is up to them to determine how much to include them in those end-of-life experiences.  Sometimes it is helpful to animal companions to have a moment to visit with their friends’ body – they have their own way of sensing what has happened to their friend.  Keeping to normal routines after a loss is a good way of supporting pets – walks, playtime, meal times etc… also offering extra cuddles and one-on-one time can be helpful.

For further reading:

Do animals mourn: http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/stories/do-animals-mourn

Mark Bekoff writes a blog for psychology today called “grief in animals”: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/animal-emotions/200910/grief-in-animals-its-arrogant-think-were-the-only-animals-who-mourn?page=2

Especially at this time of year, our thoughts turn toward giving back to those organizations who we believe are doing so much to support the lives and well-being of pets in our community.  This year our recipients will be three wonderful organizations: MN Sheltie Rescue, Animal Humane Society and Retrieve a Golden of MN: RAGOM.  We’d like to recognize each organization for their unique contribution to the care of pets in Minnesota.

MN Sheltie Rescue – in recognition of the wonderful care they provide at end of life for foster dogs who’ve suffered neglect or abuse resulting in too great of life’s struggles and the need for a gentle goodbye.

RAGOM (Retrieve a Golden of MN) – in recognition of their extensive efforts to find foster and forever homes for many pets in need.

Animal Humane Society – in recognition of one of their programs which help pets avoid euthanasia, the behavior helpline to which we refer many of our callers struggling with pet behavior issues

Wishing you a peaceful, safe and happy holiday season with your furry family members.  Blessings to you!

MN Pets Team

In this case, I suggested that I could refer her to a pet cremation service we work with and she could make arrangements with them to bring her pet, herself, to be cremated.  It is a very common experience for an individual to feel uncomfortable with anyone, other than themselves, caring for their pet’s body after death.  Some people simply do not want to be away from their pet’s body during those final moments.  It is an important part of end-of-life transitions for people to be able to attend to their pets’ remains while they are “laid to rest” in the way that makes most sense for them.

Happily, we work with pet cremation providers who willingly accommodate mourners’ individual needs and expectations.  I have personal experience with bringing my own beloved pet to be cremated.  When Winifred died I could not fathom being separate from her, I felt compelled to stay with her through what unfolded following her death .  I spoke with a local pet cremation service and made arrangements with them to bring her to the facility myself.  When my husband and I arrived we placed her body in the cremation chamber ourselves, closed the door, offered prayers, poems and thanks, and then sat in chairs right there until her cremation was complete.

After the chamber had cooled my husband opened the door and removed Winnie’s remains.  I was surprised to find that her bones were mainly intact; normally remains come in the form of “ashes”.  I learned that, typically, bones are ground into that consistency after they come out of the cremation chamber – we elected to leave them in their “natural” state.  We drove home with Winnie’s remains and kept them in the house for awhile before we decided to bury her on our property, in a place that we had arranged specifically as a memorial to her.

For us, and for many clients we work with, the option of being more involved in these processes was a healing experience.  It offered us some exceptional realizations, the opportunity to care for her in these final ways and to “witness” the close of her physical presence.

The grief that accompanies the loss of a beloved companion animal is profound and the pain of that loss can be felt emotionally, spiritually, and physically.  Grief is a grueling physical experience and shedding tears is one of the ways our body supports us in processing and healing from loss.

Sadness and grief are the emotions that help us with loss.  When a significant loss is sustained there is a buildup of emotion that, if we allow it, is expressed physically through crying.  That release often helps us “process” the experience we are facing and among other things, can help us to recover some mental balance.

Scientific research supports the belief that crying is good for our health.  Generally, it is agreed that there is a buildup of toxic stress hormones that are released into our bodies prior to crying.  Stress hormones negatively affect virtually every system in our bodies.  We know that tears contain these hormones and help to cleanse our bodies of them.  Thus, crying is a natural and essential biological function that results in the elimination of stress hormones associated with stress-related health problems. Crying relieves stress, lowers blood pressure, removes toxic stress hormones, and also helps to remove manganese, a mineral which is responsible for negative effects on mood.

Neuroscientist and tear researcher, Dr. William H. Frey explains that, “crying is not only a human response to sorrow, it’s a healthy one.  Crying is a natural way to reduce emotional stress that, left unchecked, has negative effects on the body, including increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease and other stress related disorders”.

The “water” in you…

The human body is 60% water and our blood is 83% water.  Metaphorically speaking, it may be useful to think of the water in our body as our “body of water” and in that way consider its function, the ways it flows, or is dammed.  When we experience a shock to our system, such as the death of a loved one, we become tense.  Stress hormones build up in our bodies and we may even get a lump in our throat.  All of these create a sense of blockage – damming our energy and waters.  Tears restore flow, allowing our water and energy to move freely – opening our waterways, connecting us to our healing waters…. cleansing us.

In her book, The Language of Emotions: What Your Feelings Are Trying To Tell You, Karla McLaren explains that, “many of us, because we’ve had such poor socialization around sadness, think that sadness is only about loss, it’s not.  Sadness is also about restoring flow, ease, and relaxation…. Because when you finally let go of things that just don’t work, you’ll suddenly have room for things that do.”  McLaren says that the questions to ask of sadness are, “What must be released? And what must be rejuvenated?

In the case of grief and its accompanying sadness, we do not have a choice about whether or not to let our loved one go, their life has come to a close.  Sadness and tears help us with the very difficult task of letting go of the things that can no longer be held on to, restoring the flow of our “healing waters”, and creating space for us to move into what comes next.

Photo credit: Tonglen Healing Arts

The fact is we don’t know a whole lot about how animals communicate, but we certainly know that they do. It’s possible there is a lot more communication happening between us and our animals than we are sometimes aware of, or give ourselves (or them) credit for. It’s an opportunity to develop our emotional intelligence and also to shift our attention to both the verbal and non-verbal ways that we communicate.

Interspecies communication is mysterious at best, and yet we know that we communicate with our animals every day and that they communicate with us. But how do we do it? And how much is understood? Communication takes on profound importance when we are companioning our beloved animal through illness and death. They can’t tell us where it hurts, what makes them most comfortable, or what their wishes are as they make their way through this final transition.

We wish to honor our pet’s dying process while wanting also to alleviate their suffering. We understand our obligation to them as guardians and the responsibility of taking care of them in their final days and moments, and yet we also know them as unique individuals with desires and thoughts of their own. People often say that they are “waiting for a sign” from their dear one, something that lets them know that the time has come.

Remembering that the two of you have been communicating throughout your relationship and that you are the ultimate authority on how that has occurred is a place to begin. Take a moment to reflect on the specific ways you and your pet “talk” with one another. In your minds’ eye take yourself through a typical day – it often begins with waking up, going “potty” and having some breakfast. Even in those brief moments it is easy to determine that there are so very many examples of communication and it is helpful to take a mental note of all of the ways that occurs. Yawns and “kisses”, a look, attentive posture, wags, purrs, going to the door. We look at them questioning and they look at us confirming. We ask them if they have to go potty and they confirm… they do!

We learn to understand a great deal about what our pet is communicating to us and we develop a sense of “knowing” them in an intuitive way. When things are going fine and there is little at stake, we have no trouble trusting that intuition. We have this ability with people, too, and we don’t question it much, but with humans we can verify its accuracy verbally.  However, when we are faced with the seriousness of illness and death and the fear that often accompanies such a situation, we sometimes find that end-of-life discussion just too painful to talk about and too heartbreaking to “listen” to.  In those very difficult moments when so much is at stake, we sometimes forget or lose track of our intuition and our ability to communicate the way we normally do. It is just much more difficult to center ourselves and connect with our dear animal in times of crisis and pain.

Plan to take some private, reflective time to talk with your pet. In preparation, try to make sure that you will not be disturbed. Find a comfortable place to sit with your pet and take a few deep, centering breaths. As you begin to talk, be open to the ways you are experiencing the communication and attentive to the ways you are “hearing” from your pet. These may be thoughts, emotions, body sensations, images, and intuitions. Take note of what you are hearing, remembering also to let there be silence or gaps in what you are saying in order to make room for “hearing”.  You can say as much or as little as makes sense to you.

Things to talk about:

-what they have done for you / what they have meant to you

-what you are grateful for

-what you would like to apologize for

-what you know about their condition and that it is not going to get better

-that euthanasia is an option for them

-what you are struggling with

-what you have questions about

-that you are waiting for them to give you a sign

-that even though you will be very sad when they are gone, that you will be OK, and that it is OK for them to go.

We don’t necessarily know that our pets understand all of the words that we say, but is it not possible that they “hear” some part of what we are expressing to them from our hearts?  When we gather ourselves to give expression to our thoughts and feelings there is power in it.

You will find that home euthanasia is very different from a clinical experience. We have had the honor of helping many people and their beloved pets by supporting them through a pet’s euthanasia in the comforting familiarity of their own home. That first-hand experience has made us uniquely capable of creating a relaxed and meaningful experience for you and your beloved pet. Our goal is to help create positive memories for you and other family members as well as to help provide the most peaceful final moments together for you and your beloved companion.

How are we different?

Local
Our veterinarians have helped thousands of pets right here in Minnesota.  We personally know many of the veterinarians who are your pet’s “regular veterinarian” and have close relationships with many clinics in the Twin Cities.

Focus
We focus exclusively on home euthanasia services and do not provide other services.  Our day is scheduled to provide ample time with each pet.  We have unique experience with euthanasia in the home setting and have developed special protocols to ensure comfort and support for pets and family members.

Relaxing Sedative
This medication helps your pet ease slowly into a pain-free, completely relaxed rest. We find that it comforts family members to slow down the process and observe their pet transition from an awake to a sleeping state.

Simplicity
When your pet is sleeping, we administer the medication to painlessly end your pet’s life. It takes effect within a minute or so and quietly slows body functions. There is no conscious awareness of this for your pet. We believe simplicity brings peacefulness and so we don’t bring an assistant or go through placing an IV.

Experience
Our compassionate veterinarians have many years of experience in the field of veterinary medicine.  We have all practiced in small animal clinics.  Each of us has chosen to focus our career on helping pets at the end of life. We are able to guide families through the process of euthanasia, answer questions and include family members, including children and other pets in a way that is meaningful for them.

Support
We also employ a licensed family therapist with specific training as a grief counselor and end-of-life issues related to the human-animal bond. She is available to our clients who would like support with end-of-life decision making, grief support, and for families who would like information about how to talk with children about death and dying. She also supports the education of our doctor staff on grief support skills and other topics.

Availability
Because Minnesota Pets has four licensed veterinarians we are broadly available to our clients. We have appointments available every day of the week, on weekends, and in the evening, for example. We understand that timing at end-of-life is unpredictable and to that end we do our very best to schedule ‘day of’ appointments when the need is imminent.

Compassion and Comfort
Home is a naturally comfortable, stress-free environment for you and your pet. No travel in the car is necessary and there are no stainless steel tables. There is no trembling, no fear, and no anxiety. We work at a relaxed pace and plan to spend up to an hour at your home. Your pet is comfortably bundled in a cozy blanket for transportation.

Sedation

We believe your pet should be as relaxed and pain-free as possible during our visit.  We administer a sedative and wait until they are comfortable before proceeding.  The sedative is a simple under-the-skin injection.

Cats receive a sedative which is a cocktail of three medications: a tranquilizer, an anti-anxiety medication and a narcotic pain reliever.  We use a tiny needle for comfort and the medication is usually given over the shoulders but anywhere is fine.  It takes about 5-10 minutes to see the full effect of the medication and it produces a very relaxed, sleepy state.

Dogs receive a sedative cocktail, too.  They receive a tranquilizer and narcotic pain reliever that work well together to produce a sleepy, relaxed state in about 10-15 minutes.  This medication is also delivered with a tiny needle to facilitate comfort for the pet and is usually given over the shoulders, though anywhere will work just fine.

The sedative is not full anesthesia, but it is close.  Your pet will be relaxed and comfortable, will want to lie down, and will be almost completely unaware of what is happening in the room.  Their reflexes will still be present and a very loud noise or stimulating movement would be able to slightly awaken them.  It is common to see leg movements as if dreaming.  Breathing usually slows down but some pets pant for a moment or two.  Our doctor’s presence and touch will not be something that bothers your pet and they likely will not be aware of anything our doctor is doing.  The narcotic is a powerful pain reliever and it is unlikely that they feel any sensation of discomfort from their condition.

Euthanasia medication

The euthanasia medication we use is the gold standard of care in veterinary medicine.  In other words, this medication is the best available.  It quickly and smoothly stops the heart and breathing, within about a minute or so.  People sometimes wonder if this medication works by paralyzing the body and this is not so.   It is an anesthetic combined with another medication (a medication sometimes used to prevent seizures) and together they constitute an overdose of anesthesia.  This is not a painful or scary process for a pet, especially one who is deeply relaxed.  In fact, a pet will lose consciousness completely within just a moment or two of receiving the medication.  Body processes take just a bit longer to slow down and finally stop.

We don’t usually see many outward signs of the medication’s effects.  We may see a slight lift of the tail or stretch of the body.  There are no vocalizations, for example, and we believe this is due to the very relaxed state they are in when they receive the medication.  There is no evidence that the pet feels any discomfort or distress while this medication is being administered.  Our clients report their impressions that this experience appears to be a very peaceful and gentle process for their pet.

We welcome you to share your specific questions or concerns with us at 612-354-8500 as we discuss the plan for your pet.  We want you to feel comfortable and informed about what will happen during the appointment.

Special note: For safety’s sake we won’t list any drug names or doses here but you are more than welcome to ask when we speak with you about your pet.