Compassionate Heart

Many people underestimate the tremendous strength of the bond between people and their pets, and what a devastating impact the loss of that pet can be when the time comes to say goodbye.

The most common options for body care are cremation or burial. In contrast to human cremations, companion animals can not only be cremated 100% alone but also with other animals partitioned by space, bricks or small divider, or in a communal group. 100% Private cremation is just that — one animal in the cremation unit at a time.

OUR GUEST BLOGGER is Joy Davy a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor in Hinsdale, Illinois. Her life’s work is to help people gain balance, achieve emotional healing, improve self-esteem, resolve childhood issues, and enrich relationships. Areas of special interest include “new mother issues” such as postpartum depression, pet bereavement, challenges for the family members of the […]

Everybody wonders if the surviving members of the furry clan will be traumatized by witnessing the euthanasia of their buddy. Animals are incredibly sensitive and intuitive. They are very in touch with how they are feeling and how others around them are feeling. When they are strongly bonded with their human family, they pick up […]

Compassionate Heart is dedicated to the provision of gentle and peaceful euthanasia at home. Performing our services within the comforts of a family’s home often means more friends, pets and family members, including children, will be present for the euthanasia. So, this begs the questions: Should children be present? How can knowing about euthanasia be helpful for them? Should children be present during a euthanasia? […]

Yikes! I have an Emergency! We’ve all had them. The emergency in the middle of the night with our new silly puppy or the one on Christmas Day with our elderly sweet cat. Having had the opportunity to train and work in many veterinary emergency clinics across the country, I’ve noticed a few things that […]

Pet First Aid Kit Checklist You can easily put together a well-stocked pet first aid kit using a waterproof container that opens and closes easily. Remember to always have numbers for both your family veterinarian and an after-hours emergency veterinarian readily available! When faced with an emergency, call them first! Bandage Material 1” or 2” […]

Animals are amazing at hiding what ails them. This is an instinctual drive that they have mastered in order to survive in the wild. We all know that weak and ill animals are preyed upon. Furthermore, our cats and dogs really want to “show up” for us. Given their deep connection with us, they want […]

There are two main groups of veterinarians. The first group is composed of “general practitioners”. These veterinarians have graduated from vet school and some have even completed an internship (an additional year post vet school of intensive training). These are the ones we are most familiar with. They provide much needed preventative care such as […]

Commonly, grief has been described as a journey that one has to travel through in stages. The five distinct stages being Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and Acceptance. I recently read this wonderful book entitled “Grieving Mindfully: A Compassionate and Spiritual Guide to Coping with Loss”  by Sameet Kumar, PH.D that presented the grieving process as […]