The Animal Hospice Care Diploma is a joint venture between E-training for Dogs and SPIRITS in Transition™.
Supporting a dying animal is an art that can be learned, and benefits greatly from preparing ahead of time, before the actual hospice situation arises. Being there for our animal as it completes this life cycle can be one of the most challenging, and at the same time most rewarding undertakings we may ever experience. While we are not opposed to euthanasia, we feel there is great value inherent to the natural dying process. However, many are not familiar with that process and how to best support an animal going through it.
The Diploma requires the completion of
Introduction to Animal Hospice: Geriatric and Special Needs Care for Animals
Students must also have successfully complete all required homework assignments in this course.
The Faculty member overseeing the diploma and teaching both courses is Ella Bittel.
Ella is a Holistic Veterinarian Born in Germany. Ella followed her childhood desire to “help animals” by becoming a veterinarian. Now living and working in Arizona and California, Ella has specialized in holistic modalities for over 20 years, among them veterinary acupuncture and chiropractic, cranio-sacral work, homeopathy, TTOUCH and energy medicine techniques adapted from Donna Eden, including work on the animals aura and chakras.
When Ella’s dog companion of 17 years, Momo, reached the end of her life, it became clear to Ella that none of her expansive training in traditional nor complementary veterinary care had included any information on how to support an animal dying naturally.
This reflects how strongly the trend in modern societies is to keep the topic of death and dying out of our awareness, leaving us helpless and unprepared once the situation occurs that one of our loved ones concludes their physical existence. For an animal family member, this very commonly results in euthanasia being employed to end its life.
Her experiences with Momo passing naturally, and feeling that just like birth, the dying process is of inherent value and an important part of an individual’s journey, led Ella to engage in animal hospice and create a live weekend seminar as well as online classes for anyone interested in options in end-of life care for our animal companions.
Ella has been a speaker at various professional conferences and published articles on the topic of animal hospice care. She graduated from veterinary school in Hanover, Germany in 1994. Ella is on the board of directors of the IAAHPC (International Association for Animal Hospice and Palliative Care) and on the advisory board for the NHFP (Nikki Hospice Foundation for Pets). Certified with AVCA (American Veterinary Chiropractic Association) 1998, with IVAS (International Veterinary Acupuncture Society) 1999. Member of AVMA (American Veterinary Medical Association), AHVMA (American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association), AAVA (American Academy of Veterinary Acupuncture). VBMA (Veterinary Botanical Medical Association), IVAPM (International Veterinary Academy of Pain Management).
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