Hospice Care for Pets: Interview with Dr. Robin Elms

Saturday afternoon, I interviewed Dr. Robin Elms, a veterinarian transplanted from New Jersey to the wilds of Camden, Maine. An amazing woman, and an hour-and-a-half well-spent! She and her sons Lars and Cody now inhabit a two-story "upside-down" house (kitchen and living room on the top level, bedrooms on the bottom) on a dead-end road close to downtown Camden. They share their home with an aging iguana, two boxers, and two pampered pussycats - one of which is a senior, while the other is a much-loved tripod. All of the animals are rescues Dr. Elms has taken in over the years.


Elms is in the process of setting up a practice that specializes in end-of-life hospice care and in-home euthanasia for terminally ill or senior pets. It was genuinely enlightening speaking with Elms on the subject of end-of-life care - something none of us really want to think about, but that unfortunately most of us will face at one time or another. Everyone gets old - even our beloved pets.

While we talked, Elms sons milled around the kitchen, adding to the conversation, making their lunches, and generally adding a more grounded feel to the afternoon. At one point, Elms was discussing how deeply some of her clinets have been impacted by their pets' deaths - one of them going so far as to have a coffin custom-made for the animal. I was moved by the conversation and saddened by memories of the pups I have lost over the years, but was happily brought back to Earth by Lars, who interjected skeptically with, "I'm sorry, but that's just creepy." It broke the tension and the house was soon filled with laughter. Both boys are definitely animal lovers, but it's good to have that reliably cynical teenage-boy voice to remind you of the real world when things start to feel a little too dire.

This month's feature story for Downeast Dog is on in-home, end-of-life care for pets, and will covera wide array of topics on the subject of extending a pet's life - and how (and when) to let go when that sad time has come. Look for the story in the October issue of Downeast Dog News.