Telos Companion Animal Services, LLC

12/16/2024

Are you a non-veterinary professional, like a CMT, groomer, boarder, dog walker or pet sitter, & have an interest in having a better handle on supporting pet guardians & their pets who are moving through aging, or a progressive or life limiting diagnosis?

You have a place on the vet interdisciplinary team!

This presentation is a roadmap on how to take yours. Link is below, though here’s an excerpt:

https://hellotelosanimal.thinkific.com/courses/skillingupanimalhospiceidt

12/16/2024

Have a dog in fourth life-stage whose appetite isn’t always reliable, needs a jumpstart or you need a backup plan for hiding meds in food? Two words: White Castle.

These little gems are highly palatable and high value. Tear off a hunk and hide those pills and capsules inside a yummy mouthful. Available from your local location, or a better grocer’s freezer case.

(Also, McDonald’s double cheeseburgers are a good stand-in.)

12/15/2024

Each morning—yes, even on Sundays!—I check in on the handful of families who are enrolled in one of my higher-level animal hospice & palliative care concierge support plans via text. Having that next-level, real-time access provides a deep well of support to pet guardians, but just one is being able to implement ‘right now’ suggestions & strategies to improve a pet’s comfort from a non-medical standpoint.

This is one that I passed along earlier this morning. And it appears to have helped—certainly a great thing on a weekend.

After many years of hands-on work in animal hospice and palliative care, keeping pets comfortable who are in their final years-to-days is my...

12/13/2024

Not expected this morning, but very grateful that emergency vet care is available & accessible. As it turns out, some basic labs and supportive care were in order to get things back on track.

Also thankful for smartphones, & a plan for excellent communication between Team Blue Pearl Veterinary Hospital and a pet guardian.

12/13/2024

12/12/2024

One of my families-of-record enrolled in a top-tier concierge animal hospice palliative support plan will glean the benefit of having some items and tools for their pet’s safety and comfort care delivered at their door this afternoon. After hearing the family’s challenges and evaluating the needs of the pet, I can see that the areas of mobility support and medication administration are ‘right now’ needs.

A Help Em Up Harness, and grippy floor mats will enhance safety and the caregiving experience. And a big
thank you to past families who’ve donated MediCrunch pill pockets and a GingerLead. You are making a difference in the lives of other families. ❤️

You can get this support, too:

https://www.lorrieshaw.com/hospice-for-families/conciergeanimalhospicesupportplans

12/12/2024

Having difficulty tracking your pets multiple medications? Many family and ancillary caregivers are more visual and benefit from physically checking off meds on a log to stay on track. Here’s one that one of my families really loves. You can see why.

This Calendars & Planners item by OvCreativeStudio has 99 favorites from Etsy shoppers. Ships from United States. Listed on Jul 12, 2023

12/10/2024

‘Mondays’ can be any day, of course. And if they’ve had a little too much activity, being out of routine and not enough rest, this isn’t unusual.

For a pet who has a life-limiting diagnosis, or is in fragile health due to chronic illness or age-related decline, I find that the trend is...

12/06/2024

GOLPP & laryngeal paralysis are progressive diagnoses that need careful management to help the dog maintain optimal comfort & safety. In later stages, more nursing care is needed as well as comfort care & assistive devices mostly due to gradual hind limb weakness. One of the most important considerations: controlling air quality. In the winter, a humidifier is a must when the furnace is running. A/C is necessary in the summer.

This is a good resource on managing the diagnosis.👇🏼

https://www.allaboutgolpp.com/

12/05/2024

Not limited to animal hospice, this free directory of products, tools & articles can enhance your life with your pet. From safety, fun, comfort & accessibility, it’s all covered. (Good ideas for gift giving, too!)

Families with pets that have age-related decline, life-limiting diagnoses or chronic illness can find it hard to keep up with caregiving and meeting the pet's needs. With the information, ideas, strategies and practical tools curated here, that can be hurdled.

12/05/2024

Americans are encouraged to use encrypted texting services following the attack, especially if texting between iPhone and Android devices.

12/02/2024

Ahead of a scheduled virtual appointment as part of one family’s concierge animal palliative care support plan enrollment, I’ve completed their dog’s quality-of-well being assessment using a tool designed for that. This tool really helps with communication during these touchpoints—assessing meaningful aspects of how I observe they are managing, as well as what the pet is communicating to me with their behavior.

I’m able to take a firsthand perspective since I see them frequently, and they were in my care just days ago. Things continue to look good, unchanged in my observations. The family will have completed their own as well. 🐾

Get your assessment tool here 👇

https://hellotelosanimal.thinkific.com/products/digital_downloads/telosQWBtool

12/01/2024

From this past week. It was a sweet one. Enjoy this little slice of happiness of an old dog having fun. 🥰

12/01/2024

Cancer in companion animals is a very common thread that unites area families, their pets, and I in doing the work we do together. Being able to support them at home, on vet appointments and as families need to spend time away from home is an honor.

Very grateful to share the announcement that the greater Ann Arbor area has another option for veterinary oncology with this department being added to the team at Emergency Veterinary Hospital of Ann Arbor. Welcome, Dr. McDaniel!

Veterinary oncology is the branch of veterinary medicine that focuses on the diagnosis, treatment, and management of cancer in animals.