Services

Hospice / Euthanasia

At Sylacauga Veterinary Hospital, we provide care with the utmost respect and compassion, helping you to assess your companion’s quality of life and enabling you to transition from general care to end-of-life care when the time comes. Throughout the process of hospice care or euthanasia, we focus on improving the quality of life, and making the patient comfortable and pain free while giving the family time with their pet before saying goodbye.

We provide euthanasia services for pets who have been evaluated and who have been determined to be suffering, have a poor quality of life, and/or are in the end stages of life.

FAQs

What is veterinary hospice care?

Hospice care focuses on improving the quality of life and comfort of pets who are nearing the end of their lives.

When is hospice care appropriate?

Pet hospice is an option when all treatment options have been exhausted and a cure is not possible.
It is often recommended for pets who have been diagnosed with a terminal illness and have a life expectancy of 6 months or less.

What does hospice care involve?

Hospice care utilizes pain medication, dietary strategies, and human love and attention.
Hospice care concentrates on the pet’s comfort and dignity instead of pursuing medical treatments that may cause more stress

What is veterinary euthanasia?

Euthanasia provides a painless, humane, and gentle death that puts an end to your pet’s suffering.
Our clinic’s method for euthanasia is equivalent to undergoing general anesthesia for a surgical procedure and takes only a matter of seconds.
Your pet will experience no pain and will have no awareness of the end of life.

When is it time to consider euthanasia?

A good tool for determining when it is time to consider euthanasia is the Quality of Life Scale developed by Dr. Alice Villalobos,

Is a home service available for euthanasia?

Sylacauga Veterinary Hospital performs euthanasia services at the hospital only.

Do you offer cremation services?

Yes. Sylacauga Veterinary Hospital partners with Pet Angel Memorial Center.
We offer a Communal Cremation with no ashes returned.
Or, your pet’s ashes can be returned to you in a vessel of your choosing from our list.

Comprehensive Steadfast Reliable Veterinary Care

Established by Dr. Andrew Gilliland in 2021, Sylacauga Veterinary Hospital serves the needs of pet owners in Sylacauga, Oak Grove, Talladega, Alexander City, Childersburg, and everywhere in between. After spending several rewarding years practicing veterinary medicine in Texas and South Florida, Dr. Gilliland made the heartfelt decision to return to his hometown to pursue a more community-centered approach to care. Inspired by a passion for building long-term relationships with pets and their families, Dr. Gilliland founded the hospital with a focus on personalized,veterinary medicine. Sylacauga Veterinary Hospital was established with the belief that every pet deserves compassionate, individualized attention– and that veterinary care should feel like family.