CHARLOTTE (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — Most people who have pets consider them part of the family.
Those same people will also tell you that the worst part of having a pet is when you have to say ‘goodbye.’
As heartbreaking as that day is, one Charlotte veterinarian feels like it’s her calling to help families through it, by providing in-home end-of-life visits that more and more people are starting to embrace.
They say owning a dog will bless you with the happiest days of your life and one of the worst.
Winter Castro-Porter loved her Mini Pinscher, Onyx, since he was small enough to fit in a shoe.
“Although he was little like he was just amazing, said Castro-Porter, “He was very energetic. He loved to play around and he was kind of like my little child, like he was following me everywhere I went and he just loved me so much.”
Onyx was family and forever changed Winter’s husband, Aaron Porter.
He said, “I would come home from work and he’s either waiting at the door for me and I walk in the door and he’s jumping up.”
When Onyx started having more health issues from cancer and it came time for him to, do what pet owners call “Cross the rainbow bridge,” Castro-Porter knew her best friend deserved something special.
She said “I just didn’t want him to be afraid in his last moments. I didn’t want him to be alone in this last moment, so I said, ‘I have to just make a hard decision right now and make sure he gets the best and most loving and caring transition he can get.”
That’s why after doing some research, she called Dr. Manetta LaVergne who embraces arguably the hardest part of being a veterinarian.
Dr. Lavergne said, “It’s a weird calling, but it’s my calling and I’m honored to do it.”
Dr. Lavergne started Home with You in 2020; an in-home pet euthanasia service to make sure no animal feels scared in their last moment and that families can take all the time they need.
“It is hard and it stinks,” Dr. LaVergne said, “Our pets are beloved, they’re a member of the family, and they’re such pure spirits and souls.”
She knows that’s just part of what makes saying “goodbye” so hard.
“They deserve to have a peaceful and painless end of their life, and that’s what euthanasia is, it technically, literally means ‘good death,’ and that’s what it should be,” Dr. LaVergne explained.
She said not only are her in-home services more personal, but also a more calming alternative to the regular vet’s office.
Dr. LaVergne said, “Many, many, many pets just hate it. They hate getting in the car, they may get carsick. They get to the vet and they’re full of anxiety, they come in just trembling.”
She explained that for the pets and families alike, it’s like a friend is coming over to visit.
Whether families have just days or months to plan that visit, Dr. LaVergne recommends tackling a bucket list and letting pets have the best meal of their life beforehand.
She said, “I’ve seen things from like steaks to ice cream sundaes and that acts as a nice distraction too for when I give the sedative. They usually act like they don’t even feel it, if they’ve got a big bowl of their favorite food in front of them.”
Castro-Porter took all of those things to heart with Onyx.
She said “I took him to the park, and usually I walk on the leash, but I took off the leash, I was like, ‘Just enjoy.’ Then I came home and then I just like, hugged him, you know, for a couple of hours and kissed and told him I loved him, just spending intimate moments.”
Castro-Porter made sure things were perfect and ready to go by the time they were ready for Dr. Lavergne.
“I had like soft music playing, I had a blanket that has our picture on it, and I had his bed here and then I had chocolate ice cream because he never got to have chocolate ice cream, so I made sure he got to have that before he transitioned and he loved it,” she said.
It was an appointment Dr. LaVergne hadn’t forgotten about months later.
She said “It was just really a beautiful, kind of almost like a ceremony that they had for him. It was really beautiful.”
While every family wishes Dr. LaVergne didn’t have to be in their home, they’re grateful she is.
“She came with so much care, she came with so much concern and compassion,” said Castro-Porter.
Honoring a friend and protector, who left a pawprint on so many hearts.
“I feel like dogs or just animals in general were given us by God, so we can love them just the way they love us because we could do no wrong in their eyes,” Castro-Porter said “You can’t find that type of love from people, so he meant a lot to me.”
Castro-Porter was so moved by her experience, that she started the Onyx Foundation to help families cover in-home euthanasia services.
For families who don’t wish to have Dr. LaVergne come to their homes, she also offers her services in special rooms at Pet Passages in Indian Trail that look and feel nothing like the vet’s office. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO
Those services still get the same level of attention, care, and time as in-home appointments.
