New business helps guide families ‘through the process of saying goodbye to their pet’

Lap of Love has opened in the Wichita market to offer what mobile hospice veterinarian Emma Werth called peaceful and painless transitions for pets in their homes.

The Florida-based company is now in almost 40 states.

“There’s just a huge and growing demand,” Werth said.

She said that’s due to a shift in mindset with “pets being a family member.”

“Folks are starting to want more for their pets,” she said. “For some people they’re . . . maybe the only creature that lives with them.”

Werth said traditional euthanasia services tend to be in office settings, and she added that a lot of veterinarian practices do go above and beyond in creating calming atmospheres to make people and their pets more comfortable.

“That is still outside the comfort of their home,” she said.

Actually being at home has “a significant appeal to people.”

Also, she said some animals can’t get around well or don’t do well in clinical settings anyway.

She said it’s a more personal experience being able to say goodbye in a familiar environment. Werth said that may mean families have extra time with their pets or can wait longer for other family members to arrive home, perhaps from out of town, thanks to in-home hospice appointments and online ones as well.

Lap of Love offers end-of-life care only, with no preventative medicine.

Werth said the idea is “not to extend the life but to improve the quality of life that is left.”

Some families want a natural passing instead of euthanasia, so Lap of Love offers pain and nausea treatments and helps guide families to prevent suffering.

Werth said sometimes her role is to help families assess proper timing.

“That is a huge part of every appointment.”

She said she helps set benchmarks of what to look for with quality-of-life calendars and checklists.

Euthanasia costs $395, though there can be extra fees if pets have anxiety issues or don’t do well with strangers.

Lap of Love also provides families with after-care options through Pet Traditions Memorial Center for private and communal cremation options, which vary in price by weight.

Werth said she’s also spent time in general veterinary practice.

“There definitely is something that comes with being able to fix a pet and send it back home,” she said.

However, she said she found she was drawn to families whose pets were past the point of mending.

Werth said she’s honored to be able to provide compassionate care.

“These families really just need someone to guide them through the process of saying goodbye to their pet.”