CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Storey Sears knew the day would come. She promised her 14-year-old “baby” Huckleberry she would never let her suffer, so when she watched the dog stagger and then collapse Sunday, she knew it was time.
“Until the last minute, she had a good life,” Sears, of Hickory, said.
Sears can say that knowing the animal hospital she visited allowed her to be with Huckleberry as she took her last breath.
“I don’t know what we would have done if they told us we couldn’t be with her,” she said.
Not all patients have that option.
With coronavirus fears limiting access to animal hospitals, some veterinarians have stopped allowing people inside, while others are finding creative ways to make sure pet owners can be with their pets in their final moments.
It’s a delicate balance clinics like South Point Pet Hospital are trying to strike. Dr. Sarah Jenkins said the Belmont clinic recently allowed one person inside with limited access, euthanized another dog outside and made a house call for a third. In every case, she said the staff wears proper protection.
“I guess it’s [to] try to minimize risk, but be there for people,” Dr. Jenkins said. “It’s one of the toughest decisions people have to make and they know they’re giving them that final gift. They want to hold them and touch them and pet them and talk to them and I feel like it’s just the right thing to do to still let people be present. The family, they need to be there and we want them to be there.”
While Sears had to stay in the car and communicate by phone for most of Huckleberry’s visit, the clinic allowed inside when it was time to say ”Goodbye.”
She said the staff wore masks and used an IV extender to keep a safe distance, while at the same time doing everything they could to be sensitive. She said a technician even gave her dog some of her own ice cream.
“That really, really touched my heart,” she said. “They can’t hug you. They can’t get close to you. You can see it on their face. You can see the tears in their eyes. They didn’t know us, but I felt they had great empathy for us.”
At this point, vets across North Caroline are able to make their own decisions about how they handle euthanasia and general office visits, according to the president of the state board.
“The standards of care and the practice of Veterinary medicine remain the same in NC,” North Carolina Veterinary Medical Board Dr. Tod Schadler said.
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