Forget Me Not Farewells

10/10/2023

Lovely article from The Guardian about the author’s experience when her sweet dog passed at home. (Disclaimer: I was not the vet in this case, and the diarrhoea she mentions isn’t typical!)

Saying farewell at home was the right thing to do for a dog who hated the vet. Goodbye, sweet gent, and thank you for politely putting up with us for so long, writes E...

06/09/2023

“Why don’t vets come out on home visits anymore? They used to.”

Well, most vets will still come out on home visits, if they can. However there are now more pets than ever before, and, for a multitude of reasons, fewer vets remaining in practice to go round. This means vets are often just too busy with consults, surgery and inpatients in the clinic to be able to travel to people’s houses to see pets outside the clinic.

And in fact it’s usually better to take your pet into the clinic when they are poorly, as clinics have the facilities to run tests, perform diagnostics and dispense medications.

It is different when we are talking about end of life care. I think we can all agree is that the end of an animal’s life is most important time for the vet to be able to come out to you. Your pet is unwell, they are tired, they may be in pain - you have made that awful decision that it is their time to pass and we want to make this as peaceful and stress-free as possible. This is when we want the vet to come to us.

Coming to your home for this final vet visit is a service that I am proud to be able to offer. It is an honour and a privilege for me to help our beloved animals cross the rainbow bridge in their own home surrounded by their loving family.

Please contact me on 07895 769181 or [email protected] if you would like more information, or to discuss if it is coming to your pet’s time x

27/08/2023

This is Beauty, and she was a gorgeous little girl who I think we can all agree definitely lived up to her name! She'd been battling with tumours for almost a year, and defied the odds to be able to enjoy this last summer with her family. She's with her sister Smudge in the last picture (Beauty is on the left), who, along with her human family, stayed with her right up until the end and sat with her as long as she could after she passed. Sleep well, Beauty, you will be sorely missed x

22/08/2023

This is Jack, and he was a legend of a Boxer who very sadly crossed the Rainbow Bridge three weeks ago. He went to sleep slowly and peacefully in the garden as the sun was setting, showered in the love of his family. It is so hard to lose our beloved animals, and Jack will be missed by all who knew him. He's left behind a legacy of love, and also complete craziness as you can see from these photos his owner kindly shared! Sleep tight, Jack x

19/08/2023

This is Stripy, and she was a lovely Border Collie who sadly passed a couple of weeks ago. Even feeling poorly, she was still looking after her humans as best she could! She was totally at ease as she fell asleep surrounded her family, it was an honour to help her cross the Rainbow Bridge peacefully. Her owners were kind enough to share this brilliant picture of her living her best life! Rest in peace, beautiful girl

07/08/2023

This is Elsie. Elsie was my cat, and she passed away exactly 8 weeks ago today.

She was at least 15 years old (and probably closer to 19 - she was an adult stray when she came to live with me so I didn’t know her actual age).

When she got sick I knew she wasn’t going to get better, not just as her vet, but also as her owner who loved her. As owners, we know.

I didn’t want her to stop having good days, or for the bad days to outnumber the good, so when her bad days were getting more frequent I knew it was time.

I put her to sleep in the garden on a sunny day. It was a massive comfort to me that she could cross the rainbow bridge at home surrounded by love, a sobbing owner and a cheeky bowl of tuna before the sedative kicked in.

It is a comfort that I wish could be afforded to every pet owner who needs it. This is why I started Forget Me Not Farewells; to try to give more people the option of saying goodbye to their beloved friend the same way I could with Elsie.

http://www.forgetmetnotfarewells.co.uk

Sleep tight, Elsie x

15/07/2023

Welcome to Forget Me Not Farewells, a dedicated home euthanasia service in west Essex.

I’m Katharine, and I am a vet who’s been working in Essex the past 15 years. I am very proud to be able to offer a dedicated home euthanasia service for the local area.

I’m often asked if putting pets to sleep is the hardest part of my job, and my response has always been the same - it’s never an easy thing, but it is genuinely an honour and a privilege to be able to help a beloved animal pass smoothly and peacefully. Being able to come to your home can make a difficult time a little easier, so your pet can go to sleep in the comfort and familiarity of their own home.

Please get in touch if you have any questions, or if you would like to make an appointment.