Comments on Caring for Dying Pets: Natural Homeopathy Treatments

Yes....We did have Dr. Whitecoat and with our previous babies over vaccinated, drugged into more side effects than one can ever deal with in a lifetime..!
With our last babies dying from the old ways we were
painfully change and vowed our new babies will never go down that path again....We said , yes, they may die...
but will never die the way we see Dr. Whitecoat's "help"
did to them. We have now two new babies Jesse and Gena.(Cavaliar Cocker poo's) For the last 2 years they are benefiting from raw diet (Darwin's Natural Selection), they are on nosodes for heartworm protection, Also nosode on going for Parvo-Destemper.
Our entire life has been changed from the new way.
We were heartbroken, and just broken.. It changed us and we can now say...It was right, it is better!!! We can see the results and because of people like Dr. Falconer we were able to learn what we would never have known to help them live well and that means everything to ones you love, and we do so love our babies with all of our hearts....We can say Thank You Dr. Falconer...
From the gratitude of our hearts is full for what helped us give these little ones better..
Gene & Susan K

A well written article Dr. Will. Thank you. My journey of research started 14 yrs ago when our mini doxie, Precious, was euthanized in our arms at home, I had always believed that vets (conventional) KNEW what they were doing and they would never treat animals with disrespect, poisons, etc. I was wrong and learned this the hard way. I had dogs, cats, ducks, chickens and horses throughout my childhood and adult life. I had never even heard of a holistic or homeopathic vet and thought kibble and canned food was what you were suppose to feed your pets. I thought heartworm meds, flea treatments, vaccinations and everything Dr. Whitecoat said was the gospel truth. I TRUSTED these vets with my pet's lives!!! I was wrong!! When Precious died, I met a lady who came into my place of employment one day and she asked me why I was so sad. I told her and she started telling me about feeding 'raw'. We became friends and I would dog-sit her 3 dogs when she left town. My 1st experience feeding 'raw'. I'm a slow learner though. :-( In 2007, we rescued a Beagle and I started feeding her "Honest Kitchen" dehydrated. Unfortunately, there were several kinds of fats in it and she had more than one Pancreatitis episodes. Finally, at one of our "conventional" vet visits, I told him I wanted to go a more natural route and HE referred me to a local holistic vet, Dr. Pat Bradley (a colleague of yours - We live in Conway, Arkansas). I was still being bull-headed about the 'raw' and we figured out a diet "I" could live with. (Dr. Pat doesn't believe in 'pushing' people, she allows them to make up their own minds, after she gives several options - she's AWESOME) Unfortunately, I continued to feed kibble, although I thought I was feeding 'grain-free', 'natural' kibble. (I know NOW, there is NO SUCH THING).
In 2008, we rescued another dog and even though I kept buying what I thought were 'grain-free,' 'natural' kibbles, my dogs kept getting sick. After our 3rd rescue, in 2014, I changed over to Darwin's raw pet food and never looked back. My little mini, Precious, started me on this journey. For several years after she died, I felt guilty about all the poisons I had given her. After reading Dr. Pat's e-book, "More than a Pet", I quit beating myself up over all the horrible things I had allowed and started researching in earnest. That's how I found your webpage. You have helped me immensely!! I've taken a few of your courses. I stopped vaccinating 2 of our dogs in 2010 and the latest rescue has never had any vaccinations since we got him. He was apprx 4.5 mons old at the time and literally on his death bed, so it's possible he's had vaccinations prior to living with us. I also found Susan Thixton's "Truth About Pet Food" webpage and continue to learn from her as well. I am VERY fortunate to have a conventional vet who allows and encourages me to treat our dogs with holistic treatments and does NOT push vaccinations on us. He will NOT, however, sign a waiver for vaccines. :-(

This article was incredibly timely. My husband and I have been discussing our Miniature Schnauzer, Adelaide, and how to best proceed with letting her go. She was eight years old when we adopted her so we knew we might have to deal with some issues as she aged. We assumed she was most likely raised conventionally before we adopted her. She was diagnosed with primary lung cancer in April. It had metastasized to her right femur by the time we found it. We were told the only treatment was a lung lobectomy. There was no way I was putting her through that. I was already a Vital Animal Pack Member and had done a lot of other research on my own and knew there were more natural tools I could use. She had been eating raw since we adopted her a little over a year ago and I stopped the heartworm and flea meds the rescue group had her on when we adopted her. Even still, we thought we would get more than a year and a half with her. The CBD and herbs worked wonderfully until last week when she began to cough again and started limping again. This time the limping is worse, she has trouble walking at all. I palpated both legs. Both femurs are painful now. I have really been struggling with the decision to let her go. In all my worrying about taking care of her it never occurred to me that the some of the things I was preparing for her to ease her transition would also help me. Thank you for reminding me.

How I wish I had seen this article a month ago. I am 84 years old feed and care for a commune of cats in our barn and have my own house cats. Too many! Every time I found the money to have a feral operated it finished up in the house to recover and never left so far to many house cats and no money!
But to the point. I have always had animals from a small child and have many times had vets to the house to help with the pain of going....I only remember one good experience in all that time.
The last time my husband swore never again this help sent our beloved pet out of this world in great fear and pain. The last vet who “helped” stuck a needle in my darling cats spine and Thomas left this world screaming.
Recently one of our rescue cats was going down and the day came when my husband called me to the house as I was feeding the barn cats my poor Tibby had collapsed.
We lifted him on to a comfortable place and sat with him all day till 3 pm when he died , he did suffer pain and we kept asking each other what to do but our past experiences feared us from calling the vet for “help” . all I could do was hold his paws and keep telling him I loved him how I wish I had your experience then. I will at once try and find the suggestions you have given so ready to give real help when the next time comes around ...with all these cats it surely will come
Kind wishes and thankyou for such amazing help.
Jeanette

Great article! I have learned so much over the years from each death, and in so doing those next in line had a better experience, in my opinion. It is my goal that each animal in my care have a good death. One part of a good death is to die at home, better for the animal, which is the most important consideration for me, and better for the rest of the family too. It's really not a good idea to be driving when one is so emotionally upset. It is always preferable when they can go on their own without help from the vet, but when they are suffering then I must intervene. Then I always second guess myself, did I wait too long, did I not wait long enough. I have been very fortunate to have three vets who would come to my house over the years. The first time my regular vet was on vacation, this person was new to me, but she did a lovely job. Unfortunately in my ignorance, but with the best intentions I made Henry suffer through end stage kidney failure from May to August with daily IV fluids (at home) and force feeding/watering him. All I did was prolong the situation. When he began to have seizures that was when I said enough is enough. I didn't want him to die like that. I did consult an animal communicator and was told that Henry did not want to leave his body. I felt I had broken my promise to him when we ended up doing euthanasia.
Guido was diagnosed with lynpho sarcoma, which we discovered when he became extremely lethargic and I took him to the vet. He had fluid on his lungs, which they drained. He felt much better. Two days later he was started on chemo. Ten days later he was dead. He was miserable, constantly vomiting and diarrhea from the drugs. I swore I would never do that to anyone ever again. The night he died he came home from the vet and when we lifted him out of the car and put him on the ground he did a face pant into the flowerbed. I knew in that instant that he wasn't going to make it. I stayed with him while my husband and daughter went to pick up supplies for Guido and dinner. Within a half hour after they got home, he was gone. He was waiting for them to come home. The next morning I called the vet to tell them Guido had died. She told me that she had consulted the other vet and they were going to advise euthanasia if he wasn't better in the morning. I had, had an appointment scheduled for the next day with a communicator, which I kept. She told me that Guido would have died in a few days anyway, which sounded weird to me. I asked her why he left early. She told me that he had heard the vets talking and he did not want to be euthanized. I had not mentioned to the communicator what the vet had told me.
Matisse got osteo sarcoma after Guido had passed. They wanted to amputate her leg and do chemo. With all that they were only giving her 6 months. I said no way, I wasn't going to put her through all that for just six months. We took our bed apart and put the mattress on the floor for her. They said her wrist could break just stepping off the curb, so we didn't want her jumping up and down off the bed. The plan was to keep her comfortable for as long as we could and then say good-by. One month, almost to the day, after her diagnosis my daughter was taking Matisse for a walk and she went down. We went to the emergency and her femur had broken from the cancer. We had to say good by. I was so glad we didn't do the surgery/chemo.
Matisse was the first animal that we had cremated. We have always buried everyone at home, our yard is like pet cemetery central. My husband said he just couldn't bury her, she was his favorite. The ritual of burial gives me closure. I was not real comfortable with the idea, the only way I could do it was if I went with her and got her back the same day. Luckily I was able to find a crematorium that would let me take her in, watch her go in and come out, and bring home her cremains the same day. The guy at the crematorium was great. My husband and daughter could not deal with that, so I had to go alone. We have for various reasons cremated several since then. To me the only good thing about cremation is that when you move, you can take them with you. I am now struggling, because we have bought a new house and morbid as it sounds I want to exhume everyone and have them cremated so I can bring them with me and someday have them buried with me. I cannot bear the idea of leaving them here.
Jeremiah was three months shy of 18 years, the oldest of our dogs. She came to us at two days old with her mom and litter as fosters. I truly believe she lived so long because she had only one vaccination in her entire life and that was administered by the shelter before she officially became ours. She was on homemade food until age four when she got a very bad case of bladder stones. The vet scared me into putting her on prescription food, but I only did that for six months or less. I figured she may not get bladder stones again on that crap, but she was sure to get some other health issue because of it. That was when I discovered raw food. The Jerm never got bladder stones again, but she did get dementia in her old age and have bad kidneys. The dementia was what finally did her in, because for months she would keep me awake walking into walls and getting stuck and crying. I would get up multiple times and take her out to potty because I never knew for sure if she had to pee or if it was the dementia. I finally could no longer deal with the lack of sleep and had her euthanized. That is something I will feel guilty about for the rest of my life.
Nigel had the best leave taking of anyone. He did not have any diseases that we know of, his little body just wore out. He was not in pain or distressed in anyway. He just quit eating and slowly shut down over a period of about two weeks. I never force fed him or forced anything on him like with Henry. At first I hand fed him and that worked for a while. When he got to weak to drink from a bowl I offered him water by syringe, that worked for a while. When he would turn his face away that meant no and I would stop. I offered him all kinds of food and liquids many times a day. Sometimes he would take some, others not. Somehow he would always let me know when he needed to potty and I would carry him out and hold him up so he could do his business. He never soiled himself. I came across an article that said sometimes they would eat if you offered their favorite food. At this point Nigel had not eaten a bite of solid food in about four days. I gave him a meaty bone. I was shocked he had the strength left to deal with it, but he chewed on that for about two hours. He cleaned every speck off that bone. That was the last thing he ever ate and he really enjoyed it. He was having none of it the next time I offered one. I would carry his bed from room to room with me, so he would never feel alone or abandoned. Nigel had very little or no hearing or eyesight left, but I know he could sense our presence. One morning when I woke up, he was laying beside me, but he was gone. On reflection I believe I heard him take his last breath in my sleep. A friend of mine who knew Nigel was dying, said I should put him to sleep. It really angered me. Why should I do that, he wasn't suffering. Nigel had a good death and that was and is a great comfort to me.
Decades ago when Tiffany was 14 and started her process I did not know any better. I took her to the vet, they said they could give her drugs to keep her hanging on for longer, but that she was going. I said no, put her to sleep. I can't stand to watch her stave to death. I did not know or understand then that when the body is shutting down it has no need for food, that just interferes with the process and prolongs it. The body is not starving, it's a whole different thing. One must always offer food and water, but not force it if it is not wanted.
Around the same time period Rhiannon went down and we took her to the vet. She apparently had internal bleeding from a tumor that had ruptured that was unknown to that point. The vet recommended euthanasia and I went along. I asked if I could be present. The vet seemed horrified and said you mean you want to watch. I in turn was horrified and said no I don't want to watch. I want to be with my dog when she dies. I don't want her to die alone with strangers. So we were all there with her.
Some may find this creepy, but when anyone dies we do what I guess is a wake, and part of our process of closure. The body prepared for burial and placed with flowers in a box my husband makes for them and is always available to the rest of the household to smell, look at, pet, etc for a couple of days before burial or cremation. The other animals are done after their initial once over. I on the other hand need this time to say good by, because once they are buried/cremated they are gone forever and I will never again be able to touch or look at them again. There is also the fact even though I know rationally that they really are dead, emotionally I cannot bury them the same day they die because I am afraid they might not really be dead and how awful it would be to bury someone alive. So I have to wait and be really, really sure.
I have shared probably far too much, but these are only the stories that stand out the most in my memory. We have always had multiple animals and so have had a large number over the years.

Thank you for this great article!

It's always been such a comforting thought for me - knowing we can help our helpless animals with euthanasia when their time comes. I'm so glad to hear that there are things we can also help our pets with to ease their anxiety and make it easier for them too. Thanks for all your articles.

Thank you Dr. Falconer.
Our last cat, Tiggers, lived to 25 years and died in my arms. It was so peaceful, was comfortable and, I believe, happy to be in my arms. She loved the outdoors, except in winter, and loved soft food, not the hard stuff (grateful for that). We worked around her as her hearing and eye sight deteriorated and she slowed down. We brought her kitty litter upstairs so she didn't have to do the stairs. I remember when she went to use it one time and put her front paws in, leaving her back end out. So adorable and precious. I miss her and now have 2 wonderful new angels. We were lucky that she aged well and we never had the need of a vet. If we did, Dr. Falconer, you'd be the man...other than you are in another country my friend.

Winnie was my turning point, I did everything the vet said. She died at just 9 1/2 of hemangiosarcoma. That was 11 years ago. I went down the google rabbit hole, so now we are raw, titer, mostly organic etc. I’ve helped switch others to raw and I’ve learned a lot from Dr Will. My dogs and I thank you!

Another alternative to burial or cremation is Alkaline hydrolysis (body disposal) where the body is disposed of through a water process. It has many environmental advantages but it is not available in every state yet and not our state (Texas). Sigh.

My sister just lost her dog a month ago. He was 14 years old and Bichon Poodle. I stayed with her for several months last year and saw what was happening to him. He had numerous major health problems but she fed him kibble, gave him vaccines and shots for his ailments, worm and flea medicine as well as seven Rx meds each month (not to mention five Rx eye drops). She went on vacation for two weeks and left him in my care (hee hee). I mixed in raw food w/his food (without telling her) and he started to thrive. Diarrhea went away, no vomiting, appetite was back, he was playful again.

When she returned from vacation, she was livid and went off on me like I just killed her first born. She went right back to all of her old bad habits of kibble feeding and all of the meds and he reverted back to where he was...daily vomiting, diarrhea, refused to eat and slept all day. He died four months later because his organs started failing. It didn't have to be like this. He could have been here today, a happy thriving dog.

For anyone reading this, please, please please for the sake of your pet, research, investigate, read, listen, learn and ask questions. Feed raw, stop the vaccines and stop the meds. Your dog will live longer, your medical bills will be almost non-existent and you and your pet will be happier.

Thank you Dr. Will for saving our pets. Thank you, thank you, thank you and Cassie (my dog) thanks you too!

Thank you, Will Falconer! Your guidance inspired me to rear a wheaten terrier completely naturally! Raw fed- never vaccinated- shown and finished to her AKC championship!
Her entire life was a complete joy-
And so was her death at 17 years and five months!
Ate a hearty dinner- next day could not get up- peaceful!
Her clock simply wore out!
I had a caring veterinarian come to my house- to lovingly let Lucy go- The Service is Last Wishes in Houston- Remains go to an honorable pet creamatorioum- & are delivered back with the most caring peaceful message on how Lucy was dignified!
Perfect Closure!

Dr. Falconer,
My 17 y.o. Miniature Pinscher, Kiwi, is experiencing ever-worsening symptoms from Chronic Heart Failure. Fluid in her lungs seems to be causing her the most problems. Is there a homeopathic approach to dealing with CHF symptoms? The thing that has kept her alive 3 years longer than the vet thought she would live has been Canna Pet---it was truly a miracle for her. But now I just want to make her as comfortable as possible. Thanks, in advance, for your kind response.

I lost my Sidney kitty two Christmas's ago to heart disease. Didn't know he had it until they did the echo cardiogram. Then the cardiologist put him on heart meds. Sidney died two days later. His brother Oliver was diagnosed 4 months later with the beginnings of heart disease. Found that out because after Sidney, we took Oliver to an integrative vet and a different cardiologist. Oliver is on Chinese herbs and acupuncture every 6 weeks. His second echo cardiogram shows the heart muscle more relaxed. The cardiologist is thrilled. I refuse to send Oliver down the same rabbit hole as his brother went. We learned a very hard lesson at Sidney's expense.

This was a beautiful article that brought tears to my eyes. I have an 11 year old giant WGSD and his body is in decline. His tail hangs limp and he’s incontinent. We told him we’d take care of this beloved rescue his entire life and we’re working with supplements and homeopathy but he may not get the use of his tail back or pee in a normal way. So we have to prepare for his transition which could occur in the next year or two. That’s why I’m so grateful for this tender and loving article by Dr Falconer. I would add another remedy to this situation which works so beautifully to help ease the grief of loss. And that’s Ignatia. What a wonderful and effective remedy it is. Thanks!

Dr.Will Falconer-you my friend are a blessing.Such common sense in everything you do & say,even on death & dying.Bless your heart.I'm even teary eyed writing this after reading this 10 ways to ease into a peaceful death.I thank you:)

This is lovely, thanks Will. I am watching my 15 yo Cairn Terrier get closer and closer. He's mostly blind, deaf, seems somewhat demented, can't get up sometimes, tips over on occasion, sleeps all the time except about a half hour around breakfast and dinner. The only meds he is getting right now is CBD. If we mention euthanizing him, he rallies. Not joking this has happened several times. I think the Rescue Remedy or Arsenicum could be helpful. Have also scheduled a session with an Animal Communicator for tomorrow night.

One of my dearest dogs,Joshua was a dog that I bred and decided to never vaccinate,ever. He was fed a raw diet his enter life up until his last 4 months when he started to be fussy. He was fed "Fresh Pet" which he loved. I would have fed him anything he liked at the end.
Joshua suffered from CHF and Lymphoma at the end and was maintained on several herbs. He died very peacefully in my arms and lived 17 years,10 months.
He was individually cremated and I witnessed him being put in the crematory and I stayed the whole time and watched as his ashes was prepared for me.
Joshua was one of my racedogs (basenji) and was a great ambassador of the breed.
I will miss him forever.
Sleep well until we meet again.

I strongly feel there's no harder decision to make in life than to end the life of a beloved pet. No matter what you will always question your decision. I have had many pets thru my door as I did fostering and often took in the sick and/or old ones who usually spent their last years or even months with me. You are so right about learning from each pet's demise. My very much loved little Pekingese boy pretty much spend his last 18 months being miserable. I was trying to be holistic but still listening to conventional Vets also. His back was bad and he could barely walk and I probably spent way too much with Vets trying to fix it instead of just making him comfortable. I did have a stroller for him so he could go on walks with the rest of the dogs. Then they said he needed to see an eye specialist who decided he needed surgery. Surgery did not go well, his heart stopped during the surgery, got him going again but his recovery was very difficult and he was still blind. During all of this my holistic Vet decided his thyroid was on the low side of normal and he should be on thyroid medication, which, according to her was pretty harmless. They filled the prescription incorrectly giving him 1 mg. instead of .1 milligram which he took for 3 weeks before they discovered their mistake. About a month later he suffered a "thyroid storm" where his readings were off the chart. We almost lost him then, but I managed to nurse him back to health. Every few months he would have a 3-4 day bout of not eating or drinking and I would give him bone broth by syringe and he would start eating again. The last time I had to force the bone broth down and he just looked so absolutely totally miserable, that I decided it was his time. I cried for 3 days because I felt I had failed him. But my lesson learned was the less Veterinary intervention, the better. Had I refused the eye surgery and the thyroid pills, I don't know if he would have lived longer, but I think it would have been much easier on him.

Thank you for this. We live in a city and just have cats at present, but they are aging and it is helpful.

I grew up in a rural area and became early-acquainted with death, human and non-human. The "modern" ways are barbaric. Thanks for your reminders of more natural eases into the transition to the other side.