Telos Companion Animal Services, LLC

06/17/2025

One of the best duct tape-responses that I arm pet guardians with as they’re moving through anticipatory grief & decision-making about hospice care, end-of-life, euthanasia & aftercare & they’re hearing unhelpful opinions from colleagues & loved ones is this:

“I imagine you’re relieved that you don’t need to make these decisions.”

It works well! Feel free to use it for this or any similar life situation where those around you are behaving in a way that is less than supportive or kind.

06/12/2025

I’m feeling very honored to be featured in & have my unique role in partnering with pet guardians & veterinary teams highlighted in the current issue of American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA)’s Trends Magazine.

Pet death doulas collaborate with veterinary teams to help families create more personal, peaceful, and meaningful farewells. Here's how.

06/12/2025

Meeting a new-to-me doggo in a bit. This greases the wheels. As a Fear Free Certified Professional, I know how important doing that is. 

06/10/2025

Feeling puzzled about appetite changes or challenges that your pet is facing? Do you want to understand how to better sort them, hurdle them—& know when you need to connect with your vet? This brief, on-demand presentation covers that & a lot more, including the difference between features like dysrexia, hyporexia & anorexia, & why they matter.

Normally $29, it’s being offered to all free of charge with the coupon code ‘hungry’ entered in at checkout, now until midnight Wednesday 6/11. Your pet, & your vet will thank you.

Understanding appetite changes in pets who are in delicate health & how to navigate them is one of the most important skills for pet guardians. Lorrie Shaw, CAHP CHPA shows you how.

06/09/2025

06/03/2025

It’s going to warm up considerably ihere in the Midwest, today. That can be hard on pets with life-limiting or progressive diagnoses. This actionable strategy is proven to provide a sense of comfort for them, & you have the tool in your home right now.

After many years of hands-on work in animal hospice and palliative care, keeping pets comfortable who are in their final years-to-days is my...

06/01/2025

Dropping a few of these off from my lending library, to a family enrolled in a AHPC plan. They get to try before they buy these from a retailer, to ensure they work for the pet. They often do! It’s one way I help pet guardians decide where their resources are to be focused, reducing the drain on them.

Getting those critical meds into a pet, like those for pain & nausea promptly & without stress is a priority as a Fear Free Certified Professional.

Promoting safe, easy & effective interactions between geriatric pets & humans my jam.

05/31/2025

In my work as a Certified Animal Hospice Practitioner, I draw from many disciplines that you might not expect, including pediatrics, dentistry, NICU nursing, human hospice. Child Life Therapists & Child Life Specialists are also fonts of wisdom.

For years, I have made every effort to be inclusive of children of varying ages as they also navigate the decline & eventual deaths of their beloved pets that is age-appropriate for their individual level of understanding & mental/emotional sophistication. Two ways I do that is to:

🩵 include them in onboarding details that are important to them regarding how I’ll be handling the pet’s day to day care before anytime they will spending away from their pet

🩵 in addition to the daily video updates that their adult guardians get via text, I pass along their own video updates that hone in on areas of well-being & care that are important to them, ensuring that those touchpoints we’ve discussed are included—with specificity. I speak directly to the children. They can actually *see* their beloved pet benefiting from the care that they’ve been a part of cultivating

This all gives them a sense of predictability & emotional safety, a sense of inclusion & it makes for a less stressful time away for the whole family. Little ones have a difficult time ‘connecting the dots’ when they’re not physically with the pet & these strategies help them do that.

05/31/2025

Feeling overwhelmed about how you’re going to plan & handle how your pet dies, either via euthanasia care in the vet clinic or home setting? How about a primer on animal-hospice supported natural death?

Want to plan for all that better, along with understanding how critical details with cremation, aquamation & burial can be arranged?

What about not relinquishing your pet’s body?

This presentation is free to pet guardians (& vet pros) until midnight on Sunday 6/1 using the code ‘prepare100’.

Death care & aftercare are essential parts of tending to the details that allow for the best possible experience with a pet's death. Lorrie Shaw, CAHP, CHPA walks you through options & considerations to keep in mind.