Erin Gorney may be the last person owners of aging pets want to see, at first.

Dr. Gorney, 36, is a hospice veterinarian concentrating on providing end of life care to aging and infirm animals.

“It’s a different kind of specialty,” Gorney said. “I try to make aging pets comfortable, happy and provide a good quality of life.”

She said that could mean providing an arthritic dog with pain medication or a cat with an orthopedic pet bed. It can also mean euthanizing an animal to end its suffering and that of its owner, she said.

“I would say at least 50 to 60 percent of my calls end in euthanasia,” Gorney said.

Working from her home in Plum, Gorney travels to appointments in Butler County and throughout Western Pennsylvania set up by Lap of Love, a nationwide company with veterinarians in specific cities.

Lap of Love was founded in 2009 by Dani McVety, a graduate of University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine, after spending several months working in a traditional veterinary emergency room and recognizing the growing demand for end-of-life services to be performed for pets at home, said Lap of Love’s Cindy Dirksen.

Shortly after, Dirksen said, “McVety teamed up with Dr. Mary Gardner, a fellow UF grad who shares a love for our older pets, with the hope of developing a model for home-based end of life care and euthanasia services.

“Lap of Love has quickly grown since 2009 from one veterinarian in Tampa, Fla., to more than 80 veterinarians around the United States,” Dirksen said.

“Lap of Love exclusively focuses on home-based end-of-life care; we are not looking to diagnose and heal, but about maintaining comfort and quality of life,” said Dirksen.

“It’s definitely a new niche for veterinary medicine. It is something that has been severely lacking for many years. I think it is going to be more commonplace,” said Gorney, who signed up with Lap of Love in January after four years of private practice.

The Erie native earned her undergraduate degree at Edinboro University and her veterinary degree from Scotland’s University of Glasgow.

Taking assignments from Lap of Love has her traveling 150 miles a day meeting with pet owners.

She gets referrals from other veterinarians, from friends and relatives of previous clients and from people visiting the Lap of Love website.

Her house calls aren’t widespread, but they need to be in her opinion.

“In a clinic setting, it is more fast paced. There are appointments every 15 to 20 minutes. It can get very hectic,” Gorney said. “I go to clients’ houses and my appointments can take an hour.”

“It gives the pets relief from the stress of a visit to a veterinarian’s office,” she said. “That’s definitely a benefit for them. For an elderly animal, any stress is bad.”

And she said, it seems pets are living longer. Cats live an average 14 to 16 years, but she’s seen cats as old as 18 to 20 years.

Dog life spans vary by breed with smaller breeds living longer, she said.

After a house call, she can recommend pain meds and joint supplements for arthritic dogs and cats, changes in diet to slim animals down and take unneeded stress off aging joints and orthopedic pet beds.

So far, Gorney said she has only treated dogs and cats, but she’s ready to treat snakes, pigs and ferrets.

“Old age is not a disease in and of itself. It’s the things that come with it. Arthritis is very common in pets as they get older,” she said. “The main thing is to give them good quality of life.

“But that’s not easily defined,” said Gorney. “Is the pet in pain? Can the pain be managed with medicine? Is it eating normally, staying hydrated?”

Gorney said the sad truth is it is uncommon for pets to die of natural causes.

She said, “We try not to let them pass on their own. It is a long, painful, stressful process for the animal and the pet owner.”

Euthanization at home is easier on the animal, if not the owner, she said.

“In veterinarian school you take a communication class to prepare for these types of situations,” Gorney said.

“But it’s really just a matter of being empathetic. People are looking for reassurances they are doing the right thing.”

The euthanasia process consists of two injections.

First, a sedative/pain reliever/anti-anxiety drug is injected.

Then, after 10 minutes to allow the first shot to take effect, a anesthetic is injected to euthanize the animal.

“Definitely each day is something different. Some are more emotional than others.

“It’s an honor that they chose me to be in their home,” Gorney said.