Pet owners have spoken about how that difficult final goodbye with a much-loved dog or cat has been made easier by one compassionate Cumbrian vet practice.
Paragon Veterinary Group has created a dedicated Farewell Room decorated like a home from home, where pets can be put to sleep with their owners present, without any rush and away from the consult rooms and the busy waiting area.
“It’s as compassionate and comfortable as you can get,” said Joanne Park, from Carlisle, who recently said goodbye to two of her elderly cats there.
The room, which is at Paragon’s Dalston surgery, is separate from the main areas and has a different entrance. It is decorated like a house rather than a medical setting, with a carpeted floor, a sofa and table, treats and flowers.
Head vet nurse Karen Macdonald led the project.
“I feel this is the one last kind thing we can do andit is so important that we do our best to ensure it as stress free and peaceful as possible” she said. “It’s the client’s last memory of that animal who has been a member of their family.
“We have often found that clients who have had a previous pet euthanised in a consult room, come back with a new pet and don’t want to go back into that consult room.
“We wanted to make it as much a home from home as possible and non-clinical. We don’t use it for anything else.
“Pets don’t have the same apprehension and stress as they can when going to a consult room. It’s a different entrance, a different corridor and it’s really nice inside. The client will not be coming out into the waiting room full of people afterwards.
“When you book in there are no other appointments before or after. You can have a conversation with the vet and the nurse, have a coffee and take as much time as you want.”
Joanne Park had to have her cats Figgy, 17, and Jellycat, 10, put to sleep and they used the Farewell Room.
She said that previously she had to sit on the floor of a consultation room while her cat, who was afraid to be on the examination table, was euthanised.
“I was really impressed with the effort they have gone to with the Farewell Room,” said Joanne. “There is a couch like the one I have at home. I was able to hold Figgy in a way he felt completely safe, he was so calm he actually started to fall asleep.
“It’s a space that is so comfortable and feels safe. They have taken the medical feeling out of it. It felt like we were in our living room and I was more relaxed because I knew I could get Figgy more relaxed. For him it was a gentle comfortable passing.
“Jellycat developed congestive heart failure. They left me with her for half an hour after the procedure so I could just spend some time with her.
“This is a part of having an animal that people don’t like to talk about, but Paragon has decided to tackle it practically and make the situation totally different. It’s a devastating experience and they have made it as compassionate as it can be.”
Gillian Holt from Thursby had the heartbreaking experience of having to put her young boxer Layla to sleep when she developed chronic kidney disease.
She says the Paragon team and the Farewell Room helped them through it.
“We thought we had Layla for life, but she didn’t even make it to two,” said Gillian. “I have had a lot of experience with vets in different parts of the country, and I have had some bad experiences, but Paragon were outstanding.
“When you are in such a state of upset you don’t really notice everything about the room, it’s just the care that was put into it that came across. They give you so much time with your dog and you are allowed to take time after the dog is put to sleep. You aren’t in the surgery with other patients waiting to come in, and you are in a room that is comfortable.
“You aren’t crying in the waiting room like I have done at different vets many times in the past.
“Karen met me in the car park, so I didn’t have that process of going in and saying I’m here. It’s a real specialised personal care and I can’t speak highly enough of it. It helped us get through the worst bit.
“You want the vets and veterinary nurses to treat your dog like you do, and that’s what Paragon does.”
Karen said there are a number of options for where euthanasia can take place including at the client’s home, in the car or in Paragon’s wellbeing garden at the Dalston practice if the weather is appropriate.
“This is very much an individual decision and personal preference. We wanted to give our clients as many options as we could,” she said.
Karen said not many veterinary surgeries have a dedicated Farewell Room. “It’s just something that I believe is very important.”
Paragon Veterinary Group treats small animals at its centres at Dalston and Newbiggin near Penrith. It also has equine, farm and advanced breeding divisions and a farm centre at Shap.
