Telos Companion Animal Services, LLC

11/13/2025

no speed limit here, no headlights

11/10/2025

Spending the first snowfall of the 2025 Winter season with this sweet face made it even more special!

11/09/2025

With the traditional work week on the horizon, consider doing a little planning ahead and checking on those refills you might need on your pet’s prescription medication, supplements and food for the coming weeks. With only a short time left until the Thanksgiving & Christmas holidays, time can slip by so easily. Avoid the tension of running out of those prescriptions that your pets need and make a point to contact your vet’s office today to request or pick up refills.

Families with pets who are in fragile health or are receiving hospice or palliative care, this is especially relevant. If your pet’s condition has required a vet-approved increase in their dosage of meds recently to manage pain/overall comfort, know that it can be easy to overlook how quickly each refill gets used up than before. Check with your prescribing vet to be sure things are on track for the next few weeks before you’re caught by surprise and have a beloved pet on your hands with inadequate pain and/or anxiety management.

Also—please remember if your pet’s medication regimen has changed in any way, we’ll need to update your pet’s medication sheet including dosage amount/schedule/medication name etc. with signature in advance of your scheduled reservation.

11/04/2025

This is not typical, though not unheard of. I’ve met someone who had done this—twice—using two different methods.

As a credentialed veterinary hospice interdisciplinary team member, I can say that we do not judge, ridicule or shame people for their choices in paying homage to their pets, or the human-animal bond. This is just one way that can be done.

Tom Brady's dog Junie is a clone of his dog Lua, who died in 2023, he announced Nov. 4, 2025. Colossal Biosciences, which Brady is an investor in, cloned the pit bull mix using a blood sample collected prior to her death.

11/03/2025

Always advocating for my charges, the A/C was cranked, the chill tunes on, & treats were poppin’ for one anxious, senior doggo on the way for their repeat assessment on how treatment for a serious diagnosis is going. They were relaxed for the car ride, compliant with my muzzling them & for their blood draw. There was more involved in preparing for this, of course. As a Fear Free Certified Pro, I know all of this provides an optimal, safer experience for the pet, the guardian/handler & the vet team.

Thanks to the team at Westarbor Animal Hospital for their part in setting pets & their families up for success.

🩵🐾✅

11/02/2025

Feeling puzzled about appetite changes or challenges that your pet is facing? Do you want to understand how to better sort them, hurdle them—& know when you need to connect with your vet? This brief, on-demand presentation covers that & more, including the difference between features like dysrexia, hyporexia & anorexia, & why that matters.

Normally $29, it’s being offered to all free of charge with the coupon code ‘sunday100’ entered in at checkout, now until Monday 11/3. Your pet & your vet will thank you.

Understanding appetite changes in pets who are in delicate health & how to navigate them is one of the most important skills for pet guardians. Lorrie Shaw, CAHP CHPA shows you how.

10/28/2025

getting some sunlight on our eyeballs

10/27/2025

Families who connect to work with me in any capacity are relieved to understand my pet health & vaccine history requirements. 🐾

Anti-vaccine sentiment is spilling over into veterinary medicine, making some owners hesitant to vaccinate their pets, even for fatal diseases like rabies.

10/27/2025

Exotic Care, Elevated. 🦜🐍🐇

We’ve proudly treated exotic pet emergencies 24/7 for over 13 years — and now we’re taking that commitment even further.

Introducing the Exotics Medicine Department at Emergency Veterinary Hospital and Specialty Services.
Led by Dr. Ivana Levy, this new department provides specialty care for birds, reptiles, rabbits, ferrets, and other small mammals — available Monday through Thursday, 8 AM to 6 PM starting November 3rd.

🕒 Specialty Consults: Mon–Thurs | 8 AM–6 PM
🚨 Emergency Exotic Care: Still available 24/7
📍 5245 Jackson Rd Ann Arbor, MI 48103
📞 Call us or visit www.emergencyvetannarbor.com to schedule a consult today!

Because every species deserves specialized care.

10/26/2025

10 years ago today, the hardest, & best possible decision I was faced with came to fruition. It’s hard to believe it’s been that long since the best dog ever drew her last breath. Gretchen’s legacy began well before that & has been with me ever since. Her final year or so showed what’s possible in animal hospice, & it informed & inspired my work ever since. (No comments necessary on that, thanks!)

The biggest reward of my work is hearing, ‘we had the best worst day ever, & can look back with no regrets.’

If you’ve worked with me, this is the legacy behind your experience, & I’m so grateful for the opportunity. If having the kind of experience that matches your wishes, beliefs & values is important to you, I invite your getting in touch.

https://tinyurl.com/4w6rtnuy

10/23/2025

When adopting a new dog ask for specifics, not labels.
Some shelters do personality testing but ask for details!
Labels don't tell you much, ask for specifics.
Ask who, what, when, where.

If their description says things like-

🐺Gets along with other dogs.❓ Ask: what dogs does he get along with? What dogs has he met? Where did he meet them? When did he meet them? Most dogs will not get along with "all dogs".
🐺Gets a long with kids. ❓Ask: which kids has the dog been around. When? Where? Not all dogs get along with "all kids".
🐺Good with cats. ❓What cats? Indoor? Outdoor? Did the cats run or stay still.
🐺Dog is confident/protective/fearful/shy/takes time to warm up to new people/needs to live with other dogs, etc, etc. ❓Ask- what does this look like? Why do the shelter staff say this.
🐺Dog is alpha. ❓Ask- what does this look like? What do they mean? This isn't a thing, it's a label.

10/23/2025

Yesterday, I was having a conversation about the concept of ‘systems thinking’. Systems of any kind are pretty fluid & resilient by their nature—especially if they’re designed well—which they often are if they’ve been around & functional for a long time.

And as I thought more deeply about systems thinking, I was reminded of how I often tap into this in working with families as their pet moves through their final months. Its very much a part of the framework of animal hospice.

Quoting from the post, “Decisions need to be made quickly; many people have to work together, often for the first time; high levels of uncertainty & stress; & too much or too little information (or false information) all add complexity.”

Any time of uncertainty & crisis can benefit from systems thinking. 🩵

In this blog post, we want to explain how systems thinking is an appropriate, strategic response to a crisis and share an approach with you.