Our 15 year old cat, Bobo, had chronic health problems -- spondylosis and arthritis. He'd been…read moregetting regular treatment and checkups but three weeks ago, we thought we were going to have to make a Very Hard Decision. All of a sudden his back legs became paralyzed and he was very lethargic. He still ate the Temptations and Churus we offered, but he was not alright.
My husband said that if we ever had to make the Very Hard Decision, he didn't want to take Bobo to the vet, but wanted a mobile vet to come to our home. I didn't know of any mobile vets off the top of my head (I didn't even know such a service existed), but when I went out to get something from the store, a mobile vet van was stopped at a red light, so I took a photo of the van which had the business info on it. It was like fate.
That evening I emailed the mobile vet, inquiring about their services. I asked if they were available to come the next day, and that we may require euthanasia services. It was fairly late in the evening when I emailed (9pm), so I was not expecting a response until the next day, but to my surprise, I received a response half an hour later. We booked an appointment for the next day, fearing that we would have to do the Bad Thing.
By some miracle, Beau bounced back. He was able to walk the next morning (he was even jumping up onto the couch), and seemed "fine", given his health issues. He was in good spirits, and it definitely did not seem like the right time to to the Bad Thing. Beau wanted to live. We still had the vet come, but only for a checkup, not for euthanasia. The vet, Dr. Imani, was very nice and professional, and based on Beau's history (at his request, I had forwarded Dr. Imani Beau's X-rays and test results from my regular vet) and our needs, prescribed Beau some strong painkillers.
The next two weeks were a roller coaster -- one day Beau seemed alright, considering his health issues, and full of life; the next it seemed like it might be time to make the Very Hard Decision. We took him to our regular vet for a checkup and it was confirmed that he had hyperthyroidism and the onset of kidney disease. We knew Beau wouldn't be with us much longer, but we didn't know when it would be the right time to make the decision. We decided we would only do palliative care (Solensia shots for his arthritis, painkillers, and thyroid medication) and not do any more tests. We booked another mobile vet visit from Dr. Imani, and it was mostly for our peace of mind, to discuss what to do. We decided that it wasn't time to euthanize him, but in hindsight, we should have.
Another week went by, and Beau's health declined The biggest problem was that he could no longer control his bladder. He still tried to use the litter box, but his nerves were affected by his spondylosis, which affected his ability to walk, poop, and urinate. The result was that he would be soaked in pee, which just broke my heart.
We finally made the decision to euthanize him and made an appointment with Dr. Imani on the evening of August 7, 2024. Dr. Imani and his assistant (I forget her name) were professional and compassionate.
If anyone in the metro Vancouver area needs a mobile vet, I highly recommend Dr. Imani and Vancouver Central Mobile Veterinary Services. They are affiliated with North Burnaby Pet Hospital.
Thank you Dr. Imani for helping us through such a difficult time.
