Dignipets Stafford

We are an independent veterinary practice with a team of mobile veterinary surgeons in the Midlands. We specialise in compassionate consultations for hospice care and dignified home euthanasia.

Our pets devote their whole lives to us. They give us love and attention, and become cherished family members. As pet parents we care for them when they are faced with disease or old age. At Dignipets we believe with the right veterinary advice and support that this care is best given in the comfort of their family home.

For many elderly or ill pets, circumstances are often too stressful to make the journey to a veterinary clinic. Together with you, our hospice vets will make a plan looking at all aspects of your pet’s needs, taking into consideration you and your pets’ goals and wishes. We will also help you and your family implementing this plan in the weeks to come and if needed guide you through the process of making decisions. Along side your family veterinary practice we will support you in caring for your pet with an individualised care plan to help you achieve the very best care for your pet at home.

Our Team

Maja is a proud Norwegian and has always enjoyed travelling and exploring new cultures. She graduated in 2005 from Szent Istvan University in Budapest, Hungary and shortly afterwards moved to England to work in small animal practice. Maja has worked in mobile practice since 2010 and was amongst the first in the country to complete a certification programme in hospice and palliative care in 2017. She has a keen interest in hospice care and pain management, and readily advises colleagues and other vets with difficult hospice cases. She is a dedicated pet owner and has developed a reputation amongst wanderers and strays for being the go-to person when lost.

Merel has worked at several practices all over the world but settled in the Black Country and Birmingham. After some time spent in the field of emergency and critical care, the idea of home visits for pets in the last phase of their life was born. She founded Dignipets in 2015 to offer an alternative approach for pets and owners at a very difficult time. In 2019 she completed a certification programme in hospice and palliative care and loves sharing all her newfound knowledge and experience with pet owners and colleagues. Her home is shared with a collie who goes to work every day and a few shy farm cats. She likes spending time with the kids, climbing, biking and travelling.

Donna qualified from the Royal Veterinary College, University of London in 1998 and started her career in small animal practice. After working in the field of emergency and critical care she moved in to the field of hospice and palliative care, and has been a mobile vet since 2014. She holds a certificate in animal hospice and palliative care, and enjoys keeping up to date in this emerging field of veterinary medicine. In her spare time she enjoys gardening and playing the piano and violin.

Is your pet slowing down? Gaining weight? Or have you noticed changes in behaviour?

Just like us, our pets change as they get older and it doesn’t necessarily mean signs of disease. After all, aging is a normal and natural process. However it can be an indication it’s time to make some changes in diet, introduce supplements or pain relief and to start adjustments in their environment.

We at Dignipets believe there is a lot of advice we can give you support your elderly pet to live a healthy, happy and comfortable life.

What does a visit involve?

Elderly pet care visits are carried out by your Dignipets vet. They normally take around an hour and we ask for all the carers of the pet to be present if possible. If your pet has been seen by your family vet we would ask you for permission to request their clinical history. The visit includes a clinical examination, disease education, pain assessment and quality of life assessment. Depending on your animal’s condition we would ask you to fill in ongoing questionnaires to assess your pet’s welfare and response to care. This is so we stay updated on your pet’s condition. You will receive a written report and, on request, we can send a copy to your family vet. Ongoing support is a vital part of our services. Our nurse plays a important role in navigating you through the advice and treatment given.

Telemedicine is increasing in demand for human and pet health. During the difficult time of the lockdown in spring 2020 it was evident that face to face meetings were far from ideal or in some instances impossible without putting yourself or staff at risk of infection. Although it comes with restrictions, we find remote consulting a helpful tool in guiding and supporting you with your pet.

These remote clinical services give our vets to opportunity to get to know you and your pet and to even see them.

We offer the following type of Dignipets consultations online:

Online vet visit hospice and palliative care 1 hour: Monday-Friday

Keep in mind that the consults are online, and they prevent us from properly examining your pet. We won’t be able to prescribe medication based on an online consult. We will be able to advise you, make a comprehensive plan with a report for you and your family practice and refer you to helpful services.

What does an online vet visit require?

We use skype, whatsapp or any other way we can get in touch with you and you can show us your pet and talk to us face to face. We are very happy if you allow us to request your pet’s history from your pet’s primary care vet. This will allow us to prepare better for the online visit in general.

Online vet visits advantages

In our current busy day and age there can be many benefits of making an online appointment with one of our vets or nurses. An online vet visit can be a good way of finding out if Dignipets is the right veterinary service for you and your pet. Because it saves our vets and nurses time driving we can offer it more affordable than a home visit.

Getting support after the initial comfort care visit or in between visits can be very helpful. Maybe you want to show us how you are giving the medication to your pet? Or how the response is to certain pain relief?