I was hesitant to call Dr Clark because she only had one review here, so after my positive…read moreexperience with her, under the most terrible conditions ever, I thought it was only fair to add another review to her profile.
A few days ago, my nearly 20 year old cat, who had been my child since he was a tiny kitten, hit rock bottom in his long battle with kidney failure. I knew that if I didn't make the choice that nearly all furrchild parents dread, euthanasia, that very soon pain and misery would follow, and that opinion was far worse than the other. I couldn't bear my baby to suffer any more than he already was.
But, he had always been scared of the car and hated the vet. He cried the entire time in the car every time and even tried to hide under the towel in his carrier. So, I didn't want the final hour of his life to be spent scared and stressed. I had heard of in-home euthanasia on a random website about feline kidney failure and I knew that if it was possible (meaning in my area and not cost prohibitive) that would be ideal. If my baby was not going to pass away gently at home naturally, it could at least still happen at home, on his favorite spot in our bed, with my husband and I cuddling him.
I called Dr Clark when I knew without a doubt that if something was not done soon, he would begin to suffer. We had a lovely conversation where she made me feel quite comfortable and she scheduled the dreaded appt for later that same day. As the day went on, kitty continued to get worse and worse. I began to worry that something bad might happen even before our appt, so I called her back and explained my fears, and she worked it out so that she could get to us even sooner.
I'll spare the details, but having Dr Clark perform in-home euthanasia, rather than dragging my poor sick boy to the vet, was probably the best decision I ever made. It was the most caring decision I could have made for him. He was not stressed out at all. He was peaceful and relaxed. He was the him that I knew. We were able to share quality time right up to the second he passed away, which I know would have never happened in a vet situation, because he would have been too freaked out to just be his sweet loving self. It all happened so peacefully that I couldn't even believe it really happened. I couldn't believe it could be that gentle. He just drifted off to sleep like any other time, in the same spot he always slept.
Dr Clark's bedside manner was lovely. She took time to get to know my baby and even kissed his head. He seemed completely at ease with her. Dr Clark gave my husband and I plenty of time to cuddle him before the single shot (which he didn't even seem to feel). I didn't feel rushed at all. I never felt like it was a service and it felt very personal. Even the way she spoke and her presence was soothing.
The decision to put a beloved furrchild to sleep is an awful decision to have to consider, but I strongly believe that in-home euthanasia makes it less awful, and much kinder and less traumatic for our furrkid's and us. And, it's NOT cost prohibitive. Not at all. I found another website that offered in-home services that seemed much more about the money, and it turned me off right away. Dr. Clark was not at all like that and I found her price to be quite reasonable and I found her to be an angel. If you have to make this terrible choice, I very strongly recommend her. And, if she is not available in your area, I still strongly recommend in-home care. I only wish my other kitty who passed away two years ago would have been able to pass so gently.