Palliative Care and End-of-Life Telehealth Support
Receiving an unexpected medical diagnosis for your pet, or being faced with having to consider saying goodbye, can be overwhelming. It is normal to feel unsure about what to do and how to best support everyone; your pet, yourself, and any other family members who are involved in care decisions.
At Sunset Vets, we understand how difficult this process can be and are experts at guiding families through this journey.
If you are unable to access an in-home veterinary visit, we are available Australia wide to support you through our telehealth program.
These support consultations, led by our experienced Palliative Care veterinarians, are designed to help work through your pet’s individual situation, discuss your care concerns, and help you feel more prepared for the decisions you may need to face as your pet’s condition changes.
We aim to provide you peace of mind and answer your critical questions including:
- Is my pet experiencing pain?
- What is quality of life and how will I know when this is reducing?
- What else can be done to support my pet’s care right now?
- When is the right time to think about saying goodbye?
- What does euthanasia look like and how do I prepare myself and my family?
- How do I best support my grief or that of another family member?
How does a telehealth consultation work?
Our aim in the telehealth consultation is to deliver expert advice, emotional support and guidance for the journey ahead.
To do this we undertake a detailed review of your pet’s case, spend time talking with you about your concerns and specific goals of care, and provide tailored recommendations based on the alignment of everyone’s needs.
As a guideline, our telehealth consultation sessions include:
- Undertaking a review of your pet’s medical history;
- Discussing your pet’s diagnosis and working through any recommendations you may have been given by your primary care veterinarian;
- Discussing and providing guidance on your pet’s current state of comfort;
- Sharing resources to help you monitor pain and quality of life measures;
- Providing advice and support on the timing of euthanasia;
- Providing guidance on the euthanasia process including options;
- Providing support, resources, coping strategies and direct to free counselling services (if applicable)
Disclaimer: Due to veterinary licencing regulations, please be aware that our telehealth consultations are advisory in nature. Our Vets are able to provide support and expert guidance during the end-of-life journey, however we are unable to prescribe or commence your pet on new medications through this service, without a prior patient examination sufficient to the establishment of a VCPR (veterinary client patient relationship).
Pricing
Our telehealth consultations are facilitated by our experienced Palliative Care Veterinarians and tailored to your individual needs.
Initial Consultation: $150 (30-40mins duration).
Follow Up Care: $85 – $150
Consultations can be conducted by video call or via phone depending on your needs and preference.
Telehealth Consultations FAQs
Every family and pet is different so while sometimes a single support consultation can be suffient, repeat support calls can be booked. Our team is here to assist you for as long as you need during this journey.
This service is available Australia wide. Bookings can be made via the contact form on this page, or by calling 1800 368 763.
This type of consultation is helpful in many circumstances, and it can be used to talk about any of your concerns about your pet and their care. Common things we are able to support with include: better understanding your pet’s condition and prognosis, how to monitor for pain, ways to improve your pet’s comfort, home care tips, understanding your own or another family members caregiver burden, exploring beliefs around quality of life and considering questions around the timing of euthanasia or natural death.
Sunset Vets currently have a team of mobile Vets in Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra, Brisbane, Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast. If you are located outside of these areas, please still reach out and we will endeavour to support you through one of our trusted partners in your location.
