Online Classes Overview
Welcome
Thank you for your interest in our online classes on animal hospice care.They present a precious and unique resource for those animal lovers who are looking for the same high level of care for their animal companion as we aim to give to human family members when it comes to the last season of life.
The online classes are designed to give access to information that can prove invaluable to have in preparation for providing end-of-life care for your animal loved one.
Supporting our animal loved ones throughout the end of their lives is likely to be one of the most challenging, yet at the same time most worthwhile endeavors we may ever undertake. Hospice care is an art that can be learned, and the best time to prepare is while your animal is still well. Besides that it takes time to prepare, time we might simply no longer have once our furred loved one has been diagnosed with a terminal illness, we also learn much easier when not under stress.
Online classes allow you to tackle this challenging yet essential topic in the pace just right for you.
The online classes are suitable for:
- any animal lover considering being involved with or providing hospice care to an animal companion, whether lay or professional
- veterinarians, veterinary technicians, veterinary assistants, veterinary social workers
- other animal care professionals including shelter staff / volunteers and pet sitters
- grief counselors, pet loss counselors
- human hospice workers with interest in animal hospice care
Our classes cover end-of-life issues of both small and large animals.
We offer the Online classes in two consecutive parts.
Every part consists of ten sessions. The last session is in form of either a live webinar or a webinar recording. In either case, every student taking the “For Credit” version can get any remaining questions answered at this point in time.
Part 1 – “Approaching Animal Hospice: Geriatric and Special Needs Care for Animals”.
While the classes are accessible to non-professionals as well, there are CEU’s for CA veterinarians and veterinary technicians available for Part 1 of the Online Class: 15 hrs. For acceptability in a different state please check with your state board or VMA (and report back to us :-).
We have received amazing feed back on this set of 10 sessions. It has given attendees the courage and ability to offer hospice to their animal companion successfully, and even helped facing the terminal illness of human family members.
Euthanasia has always been viewed as a last resort, and we are grateful it is available when for example an animal’s pain cannot be sufficiently controlled in a terminal illness. Yet currently euthanasia is commonly applied before an animal can even reach the stage when hospice care would begin, including for conditions that are not life threatening by nature nor cause an animal suffering for as long as the owner has the ability to care for its possible special needs.
The material covered in Part 1 covers those types of conditions frequently seen as reasons to euthanize. Possible holistic treatment as well as care options are discussed that if implemented can make the difference between an animal’s life or premature death.
For this reason, successful completion of Part 1 will be a pre-requisite to registering for Part 2 once it is released in full. For now it is possible for anyone to take any sessions of Part 2 separately.
Part 2 – “Foundations of Animal Hospice Care “(release continues)
Part 2 introduces the foundational principles of hospice care and also allows you to gently familiarize yourself with the stages of dying. While each individual’s process is unique, understanding existing commonalities of the phases of dying gives us knowledge about how to best provide an environment supportive to the animal in transition. Options are discussed also for those scenarios when euthanasia is elected to end an animal’s life. Special attention is given to how to ease the grieving process for a surviving animal buddy of the one that has passed.
It takes courage to face the topic of end-of-life care, yet you might be surprised to find that it has also greatly rewarding and downright uplifting aspects to it. Just as we would for a human loved one, for those of us who feel our animal is like a family member or a close friend, the desire comes natural to wanting to give them the best care possible also when the time to depart is drawing closer.
It is our privilege to offer the first online class available on the topic of hospice care for our animal companions.
For details about the class format, please click here.
To register for the online class, please click here.
The online classes contain additional details that due to time constrictions could not be covered in the live event. If you have attended a live weekend seminar and would like to take the online class for review, please contact us for the available discount.
The content of the SPIRITS in Transition Online Classes and Seminars is in no way intended to replace veterinary medical care. Each participant is fully responsible for being able to handle the contents of the presented material emotionally.