SUPPORT FOR PET FAMILIES BETWEEN VET VISITS, WHEN YOU NEED IT MOST
COMFORT CARE
COACHING
For Pet Families
A Partners to the Bridge Program — AHELP Project
From our conversation to your next step...
Family-centered care doesn’t end at discharge.
For pet families navigating a terminal diagnosis, the space between veterinary appointments is where fear builds, decisions get made under pressure, and caregiver distress finds its way back into your exam rooms.
Comfort Care Coaching — a Partners to the Bridge Program with AHELP Project — closes that gap.
From enrollment through end of life, a credentialed interdisciplinary pet hospice team supports your pet families between appointments, coordinated around your veterinary teams, and returned to your practice as signed clinical documents.
Let’s create a partnership.
THE PROBLEM YOUR VETERINARY TEAMS ALREADY FEEL
Caregiver distress has a measurable cost
— to your staff, and to your practice.
“High caregiver stress and burnout are documented precursors to veterinarian stress.”
Spitznagel et al. · Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association · 2019
When pet caregiver distress enters your veterinary practice, its effect ripples through your entire organization — predictably and at every level.
And the impact doesn’t stop with your staff.
“In our hospice work, we’ve observed consistently that when caregivers are overwhelmed and unsupported, the quality of care their pet receives at home suffers too. Distressed caregivers miss early signs of decline, delay difficult decisions, and are less likely to closely adhere to the veterinary care plan — at a cost to the one they love – and to your pet patient.”
— Michelle Nichols, Founder, AHELP Project
THE PARTNERS TO THE BRIDGE PROGRAM
Three sessions. Three specialists. One coordinated team.
Sessions are sequenced around the family’s readiness — not a fixed calendar. Each builds on the one before it. All delivered via Zoom. You will get a record of each, and we will collaborate with your veterinary team, as desired.
The program runs from enrollment through the animal’s end of life, with ongoing nursing support for the patient and caregiver support for the family between appointments.
Three signed clinical documents are returned to your practice: a Pet Hospice Assessment and Veterinary Plan of Care, a Nursing Orientation and Quality of Life Instruction record, and MyPad — My Pet’s Advance Directive.
Interested? Let’s move forward and create a partnership.
MEET OUR TEAM
The credentials behind the care.
Dr. Amir Shanan,
DVM, CHPV®
MEDICAL DIRECTOR
CHPV: Certified Hospice and Palliative Care Veterinarian (IAAHPC) · Owner, Compassionate Veterinary Hospice (Chicago) · Founder, International Association for Animal Hospice and Palliative Care (IAAHPC) · Lead author, 2016 AAHA/IAAHPC End-of-Life Care Guidelines · Lead Editor, “Hospice and Palliative Care for Companion Animals” · Co-founder, Animal Hospice Group · Animal Hospice and Palliative Care Practitioner Certification Co-author and Instructor, Animal Hospice Group
Barb St. Amant,
RVT, CHPT®, BA
ANIMAL HOSPICE VETERINARY NURSE
Certified Hospice and Palliative Care Technician (IAAHPC) · Founding Veterinary Nurse, BluePearl Pet Hospice · Charter Member, International Association for Animal Hospice and Palliative Care · 30+ years as an RVT · Bachelor’s Degree in Education
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Michelle Nichols,
MS, HonCAHP, CGRS
COMFORT CARE COACHÂ & GRIEF EDUCATOR
HonCAHP: Honorary Certified Animal Hospice Practitioner (Animal Hospice Group) · CGRS: Certified Grief Recovery Specialist (Grief Recovery Method) · Founder, AHELP Project · Past President, International Association for Animal Hospice and Palliative Care · Co-founder, Animal Hospice Group · Animal Hospice and Palliative Care Practitioner Certification Co-author and Instructor, Animal Hospice Group · 10 years of human healthcare counseling experience
We also offer a network of local AHELP Affiliates—trusted professionals providing additional pet end-of-life care, aftercare, and support where available. Some areas may have limited service availability.
HOW REFERRING WORKS
Three steps. No added complexity for your veterinary teams.
- You identify a family navigating a serious, life-limiting, or terminal diagnosis who could benefit from structured support between veterinary appointments.
- Complete our simple referral process, and we will follow up with the family within one business day.
- We coordinate with your veterinary teams throughout. Signed documents are delivered to your practice.
What your teams do not have to do: conduct emotional support conversations between appointments, follow up on caregiver distress between visits, or worry about families navigating complex decisions alone.
Our Client Referral Toolkit makes that conversation with your client straightforward — we’ll introduce you to it in our next conversation.
Let’s schedule a conversation.
Have questions or ready to talk through how referring works? We’d love to connect — no obligation, no pressure.
In our next conversation, we’ll walk through exactly what referring looks like for your team — including introducing you to our Client Referral Toolkit — and answer the questions that matter before anything moves forward.
We also want to hear your thoughts. Your feedback helps us make Comfort Care Coaching work better for veterinary practices like your own.
To reach out directly,
please contact Michelle Nichols:
• Email: [email protected]
• LinkedIn Profile: Michelle D Nichols