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Natural Awakenings Northwest Florida

Veterinarian Provides House Calls for Dogs And Cats in Northwest Florida

Dec 03, 2020 01:42PM ● By Allison Gorman

Dr. Phil Blumer

Anyone who’s had to wrestle a dog into a car or thread a cat into its carrier will appreciate a veterinarian who makes house calls. But home service might be most appreciated when the pet is too old or sick to fight and simply needs peaceful, permanent respite from pain.  

Dr. Phil Blumer has been treating pets in our area for more than 40 years, most of them as owner of the Friendship Veterinary Clinic in Fort Walton Beach. As a private-practice veterinarian with an interest in orthopedic surgery, and a prior career as a U.S. Air Force veterinaria, Blumer has repaired and cared for many types of animals, from owls to tigers. 

Because he loves being a vet but doesn’t love running a business, for the last 16 years he has divided his time between performing difficult surgeries for several veterinary clinics and making house calls. 

In his current practice, Home Veterinary Service and Surgery, based in Shalimar, Blumer treats only dogs and cats. He offers routine care, including examinations, vaccinations and some minor surgeries. He does not offer emergency services. He covers include Fort Walton Beach, Destin, Niceville, Crestview and South Walton County, among other areas.

“Many pets are more at ease in their home surroundings than in a veterinarian’s office,” Blumer says. “This is particularly true for cats that are afraid to ride in cars. House calls are ideal for dogs that show aggression toward other animals or are so large or debilitated that they are hard to load in a car.”

Those considerations also come into play with end-of-life care, when pet owners have to decide on the most humane way forward.

Knowing When It’s Time

Having worked with hundreds of pet owners, Blumer is compassionate with those who ask him about euthanasia. They typically want to know if they are doing the right thing—whether it’s the right time, or too early. He tells them to watch three significant signs: If the animal is no longer eating or drinking, if it can no longer play or run, or if it’s in so much discomfort it no longer interacts with its owner. 

While cats and dogs can’t express pain in words, not eating or interacting with family can be telltale signs. Others include excessive panting or pacing, growling, whining, snarling or snapping, flinching when touched, immobility, and hiding in unusual places.

Blumer notes that most animals at this stage of decline would not still be alive if they were living in the wild. So when discussing the best course of action with pet owners, he has them gauge the animal’s overall quality of life. “Is it having more bad days than good ones?” he’ll ask. “Would you want to keep going if you were in this condition?”

In some cases, euthanasia also might be advisable if a pet has a history of aggression and is therefore too dangerous to be rehomed, he says. 

If the pet owners decide to go forward with euthanasia, Blumer explains the protocols and talks to the them throughout the process. Before he starts, he gets their permission again, to make absolutely sure they’re ready; some owners change their minds at the least minute. 

Euthanasia always begins with sedation, so the animal is asleep when the IV is administered. Some owners choose to leave the room at that point, Blumer says. When the process is complete, he can remove the remains, arrange for cremation, and return the ashes along with the pet’s paw print memorial. 

Ultimately, his goal at this difficult time is to make things easier for both pet and pet owner—to enable people to say goodbye to their family pet in privacy, and to allow the pet to spend its final moments in a comfortable, familiar place instead of a scary, noisy veterinary clinic.

“I always tell the owner that they are doing the right thing and should not beat themselves up for doing the right thing,” he says.

For appointments or more information, call 850-420-6575 or visit DrBlumer.com.

Doing the Hard, Right Thing

by Scott Chase

Recently our family had to make the heart-wrenching but humane decision to euthanize both of our Labrador retrievers, littermates we rescued 13 years ago. These dogs were part of the fabric of our family; they were on the scene when many of our happiest memories were made. Labs generally don’t live long into their teens, and these sisters had been slowing down for a while. But lately both of them had begun deteriorating rapidly, with separate health conditions, and their quality of life was a shadow of what it had been. 

Our family came to its decision after many months of watching our beloved pets struggle. Once we made that decision, we went down the traditional road of finding a veterinarian to help us help them. We took the dogs with us to visit two vets, who were kind and professional but ultimately wanted to treat them and, in our minds, just prolong the inevitable, painful conclusion. 

As we loaded the old girls back into the car, I thought how much more peaceful it would be for them if they transitioned at home. No cornucopia of strange smells, no stressful exposure to other animals, no sterile medical environment, no stainless-steel table, no leashes, no strangers handling them, just a familiar environment with familiar smells, familiar people by their side, nothing rushed or hurried—plus the same soft beds they had had for 13 years.

We started asking around about in-home euthanasia but found it very difficult to find a vet in our area willing to make a house call. Then someone from a dog rescue organization referred us to Dr. Phil Blumer. He was so kind. It was clear that he understood our situation and was the right person to help us. 

When the time came, it was like a normal day at home. The dogs were calm, unsuspecting and not apprehensive at all. I can’t say the same for us: We knew what was ahead and the emotional toll we were about to endure. 

The procedure was peaceful and tranquil, and within 20 minutes the dogs were no longer in pain. We cried like babies and we’re still grieving, yet we have been comforted by the knowledge that they slipped away comfortably at home, feeling loved and safe. In the end, that was the best gift we could have given them.

Scott Chase is co-publisher of Natural Awakenings of Northwest Florida.

 

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