Bear Bear

Dear  Dr. Forslund,

It’s taken a few weeks to digest the change in our house but  I wanted to share a bit of our experience of selecting Home Pet Euthanasia of Southern California with you.

Over a year ago, Bear Bear, our 13 year old Yorkie, showed signs of poor health.  I remember calling you as a trusted veterinarian to come see him and help diagnose what was happening.  You wrote up a list of conditions you saw happening and told me to go see our veterinarian of record.  We did as you said and he validated all you wrote up.  That was a tough day for us since it was not such a great prognosis.  Bear Bear had congestive heart failure, an enlarged heart and high blood pressure.  We put him on  3 meds 2x a day and followed that routine for a little over a year.

In January, he started to lose weight and showed no interest in his food.  He started to sleep most of the day even during his normal time for “begging” for food.  His begging consisting of looking at you with those big eyes saying…hey, don’t you have something for me?  At that time, we called you back and discussed the change in his behavior.  You directed me to the section on your webpage “ Quality of Life”.
I took him to his normal vet “to be sure” it wasn’t something else.  Dr. Lyle at the Newport Beach Animal Hospital confirmed my thoughts.  He could do it in the office or we could do it at home.  We both agreed being at home was the most peaceful, sane thing to do.

Bear Bear had lost his will to live and was just waiting for me to say good bye.  I made the appointment with much sadness in my heart.  As you know, we have two young girls that were part of the picture.  I explained what was happening with Bear Bear and that his body was not working any more.  He needed to be in a better place and that you would help him get there.

That day was a sad day at our house.  Bear Bear has had congestive heart failure for a year and unfortunately , the  medicine that helped him also hurt  his kidneys. Over the past few weeks, he declined to a point of no return.  We made the choice to do  home pet euthanasia for him.  It was very peaceful and special.  The girls chose not to be present but said their good byes and gave him their love.  Bear Bear would have been 14 in June.  He had a wonderful life. He loved sleeping on  the bed, licking your legs dry after a shower, chasing the gulls on the beach, sneaking away with Peanut for a run on the beach, sleeping and looking for your scraps.  He rarely barked and had a special relationship with Peanut.  Peanut had her first day alone today. She was definitely up for lots of love when we got home even with Ray coming home at lunch to check up on her.  Ray has actually been part of their life for close to 10 years, boy time does fly.

Enjoy your pets if you have them, they really have a special place in all of our lives.  We are all doing well, we were prepared and he was ready. He was my special little fella with his big eyes.  He will be missed.

On that day, you arrived with a demeanor of kindness and calm.  The girls said their good byes and were remarkably stable with the whole situation.  They left and you just waited.  You granted us so much patience and calm, when I was ready, you just handled the situation.  I never felt rushed with you Annie.  You sat at the end of the bed and were just there.  When I decided it was time, there were a few tears but I knew it was time.  Bear Bear also knew.  My husband was there and Bear Bear acknowledged him and then said good bye.  The shot to have him relax was totally pain free.  You set up for the IV, I held my hand over his heart with my eyes looking at him and said good bye.  He was so a peace, as was I.
I have to say, the entire process left me feeling calm.  I expected to cry and feel so much emotion.  I was surprised that it was such a beautiful experience.  Part of it is your calm demeanor.   There was never a rush to handle it, you just waited until we were ready.

Your staff is so professional, all the formalities are done in advance.  There is no rushing to sign paperwork, just peace.  The follow up calls were fantastic, they were so personal and real.  There was no rush to get off the phone, just a genuine kindness and caring that I and my family were alright.

I recommend anyone who is considering this action to use Dr. Forslund.  This is a very special time for you and your pet, do it right, achieve a peace of mind that is never questioned.  I chose to have his paw print done, what a spectacular gift to treasure all those moments of a fantastic friend.

Colleen Bunch
Newport Beach