ANIMAL HOSPICE
FOR FAMILIES
ABOUT
THE WORK
Founded nearly two decades ago and rebranded in 2023, Telos Companion Animal Services, LLC is led by Lorrie Shaw. Lorrie provides experienced, in-home animal palliative and hospice care support to families throughout the greater Ann Arbor area. She serves as an ancillary Certified Animal Hospice Practitioner (CAHP) and Certified Hospice and Palliative Care Advocate (CHPA), as part of a veterinary interdisciplinary team. Services are contracted and compensated directly by the pet guardian.
Every facet of this work is grounded in one guiding principle: supporting the human-animal bond.
In addition to her hospice credentials, Lorrie has trained as an end-of-life doula for humans and holds the following certifications:
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Certified Fear Free Professional
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Certified Pet Loss and Grief Companion
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Certified Professional Pet Sitter
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Certified in Pet First Aid/CPR
Telos Companion Animal Services has supported more than 100 families through their beloved pet's final months, weeks, and days—and beyond. A countless number of others have turned to Lorrie for expert guidance with senior and geriatric pets.
Chronic, progressive conditions most commonly supported include, but are not limited to: osteoarthritis/DJD, IVDD, chronic renal disease, laryngeal paralysis/GOLPP, GI disorders, congestive heart failure, degenerative myelopathy, and terminal diagnoses such as cancer. Lorrie is also highly experienced in supporting pets assessed with generalized anxiety, fear aggression, and separation anxiety.
All care is grounded in the veterinarian's ongoing direction. Read what families are saying by visiting the 'What People Are Saying' section of this site.
WHAT IS
ANIMAL HOSPICE?
There is a great deal of confusion around what animal hospice actually means. Simply put, it is a philosophy—and program—of care that addresses the emotional, social, and physical needs of a pet in the advanced stages of a progressive, life-limiting diagnosis, disability, or age-related decline. The focus is not curative; it is comfort.
Animal hospice also means tending to the psychosocial, emotional, and spiritual needs of pet guardians as they prepare for the death of their beloved companion, and the grief that accompanies that process.
As in human hospice, care is carried out by a veterinary interdisciplinary team (IDT), with all medical care supervised by a licensed veterinarian. An IDT ideally includes veterinary professionals—with the veterinarian serving as medical director—alongside vet techs and assistants, complementary and rehabilitation therapy professionals, Certified Animal Hospice Practitioners, pet sitters, pharmacists, spiritual counselors, and others.
At its heart, veterinary hospice care is centered on supporting the human-animal bond.
WHO ARE
CAHPs & CHPAs? AND WHAT ROLE DO THEY PLAY?
HOW LORRIE SERVES
ON THE VETERINARY INTERDISCIPLINARY TEAM
Certified Animal Hospice Practitioners (CAHPs) and Certified Hospice and Palliative Care Advocates (CHPAs) play a vital role in the animal hospice program of care.
They are trained to support families and pets from the time of diagnosis, through the period when caregiving demands increase, and into end-of-life. Their scope of practice includes hands-on care and attention to a pet's emotional, social, and physical needs (always under veterinary supervision), as well as psychosocial, emotional, and spiritual support and grief companioning for the pet's circle of loved ones.
CAHPs and CHPAs are not licensed veterinary professionals by definition—though it is worth noting that veterinary professionals can earn these credentials. They are not authorized to diagnose illness, treat disease, alter or create medical or comfort care plans, prescribe medications, or perform euthanasia care. While not licensed therapists or social workers, they are certified to provide ongoing grief support specifically related to the death of a companion animal.
Both credentials require completion of a comprehensive certification program covering: the history and framework of hospice and palliative care, managing animal well-being through decline and end of life, terminal diagnoses and basic nursing care, quality of life for the dying patient, understanding the animal dying experience, end-of-life options and after-death care, caregiver support, grief and honoring the life, disease trajectories, and more.
Lorrie graduated with honors—achieving 90% or higher on both the exam and essay—earning her CAHP credential in April 2023. In July 2024, she earned her CHPA credential. This layered education overlays 25+ years of experience in pet care, with the last 12 years focused specifically on senior, geriatric, and hospice patients.
The specifics depend on each family's needs, the pet's condition, and the degree to which the veterinary team is able to be involved.
Many veterinary practices—whether brick-and-mortar or mobile—find it difficult to dedicate the time, staff, and energy that families need as their pet moves through the final months, weeks, days, and hours of life. Careful veterinary supervision remains critical; but so does the day-to-day support that practices often cannot sustain on their own.
Lorrie bridges that gap. With 12 years of hands-on experience, extensive training, advanced communication skills, deep knowledge of disease trajectories and animal behavior, and a genuine commitment of time, she provides what families need and what veterinary teams often cannot offer at full capacity. This includes facilitating communication between families and their veterinary teams, and liaising with primary and/or hospice veterinarians as needed.
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Guardians feel more empowered, seen, heard, and well-resourced—even when navigating uncertainty, fear, and doubt—because of the emotional and hands-on support available to them.
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Day-to-day family stress is meaningfully reduced.
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Worry about time away from home is lessened.
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In-home support isn't always possible for veterinary practices with limited schedules and staffing. Some pets cannot travel due to limited mobility, size, or a guardian's physical limitations. Having a CAHP with Lorrie's level of experience connect with families in their home creates opportunities for meaningful communication, basic professional assessments, and practical help adhering to comfort care plans.
BENEFITS
TO FAMILIES
SERVICES
OFFERED
Lorrie works collaboratively with each family to create a supportive plan—one centered around their veterinarian's hospice and comfort care guidance—that evolves alongside their pet's changing needs.
OVERNIGHT STAYS
Families frequently share that the thought of leaving a medically fragile pet feels impossible given the level of care required. With Lorrie, they have one experienced, confident caregiver who can manage any diagnosis and however complex the daily regimen—including medications. Families can rest assured that their pet's medical, physical, mental, and emotional needs are being met, along with meaningful companionship through the night and day.
RESPITE CARE
Caring for a pet in hospice is emotionally, mentally, and physically demanding—and life doesn't pause. Respite care provides families the relief they need for part of a day, over several days, or for extended periods.
MEDICATION ADMINISTRATION
Consistent, timely medication administration is essential to a pet's comfort and well-being. All care interactions are grounded in Fear Free principles and carried out with thoughtfulness.
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENTS
For senior, geriatric, and hospice pets, changes in mobility or mentation can feel daunting. Lorrie provides practical, personalized advice on products, strategies, and tools that can help families adapt their home environment with confidence.
THE TELOS LENDING LIBRARY
Established clients may borrow from a curated collection of products to aid in their pet's safety, comfort, and mobility—including assistive harnesses, pee pads, lambswool bed pads, and cooling mats—for as long as needed.
HYGIENE CARE
Tending to a pet's hygiene needs with gentleness and expertise, as part of overall comfort care.
CONNECTING FAMILIES WITH RESOURCES
Guidance and referrals to relevant tools, organizations, and specialists.
REGULAR CHECK INS
Regular, structured check-ins to assess the changing needs of both the pet and the family.
CAREGIVER COACHING + THE LEARNING HUB
"The new normal" can feel overwhelming. Lorrie brings both deep expertise and a knack for anticipating what families will need next. Coaching may include recumbency care (to prevent pressure sores and promote comfort), recognizing and assessing a pet's comfort level, mental enrichment, hygiene management, encouraging flagging appetites within dietary guidelines, and ensuring medications are administered correctly and safely. The learning hub offers enrolled families free, online access to valuable education that they won't find anywhere else.
END OF LIFE & DEATH CARE
Whether a family chooses hospice-supported palliated natural death or humane euthanasia, Lorrie is present to hold space, offer support, and assist with all that needs tending—including being present during euthanasia care appointments and assisting with body care after death.
PET LOSS SUPPORT
Having trained under Colleen Ellis as a Pet Loss & Grief Companioning Professional—using the model developed by grief expert Alan Wolfelt—and holding both CAHP and CHPA credentials, Lorrie offers skilled, individualized support for anticipatory grief, fresh grief, and long-held grief.
This support is private and one-on-one; there are no group sessions. It is a space where a grieving person can be heard without judgment, influence, or shame—because what they are experiencing is a normal, human response to profound loss. Many pet guardians prefer this deeply personal approach over group settings or referrals to general mental health practitioners. It also supports better decision-making as the pet's end of life approaches.
For veterinary teams that lack the time or training to offer grief support, referring clients to Lorrie means those families are well cared for—without the practice feeling as if they've fallen short.
WHEN
Given the nature of this work, Lorrie provides structured support and services seven days a week for families enrolled in a concierge animal hospice palliative care plan, and is available on call 24/7 for crisis support for hospice families at a higher level of care. All plans are tailored to each family's individual needs.
WHERE
All services are provided in the family's home—including being present for housecall veterinarians, rehabilitation specialists, or complementary and alternative care providers. Virtual appointments are also available. For families who need it, Lorrie can accompany them to brick-and-mortar veterinary appointments or arrange transport for the pet when a guardian is unable to attend.
Primary and extended service areas in the greater Ann Arbor region include: Ypsilanti, Saline, Dexter, Chelsea, Pinckney, and more. Families outside these areas can access an equally valuable virtual option.
WHY
Because hope isn't a strategy. Solid support, expert skill, trusted advocacy, and access to the right resources are.
Families have made it clear: they want a better experience when it comes to their pet's final months, weeks, days, and hours—and what comes after. Pets deserve that, too. And when families feel supported, they are more empowered and more fully present throughout the process.
"My work is about supporting families and their choices—choices that are in line with their wishes, beliefs, and values. There are a lot of decisions to be made, and honoring that ensures caregivers feel seen, heard, and acknowledged. It maintains the human-animal bond, which is the ultimate goal."
—Lorrie Shaw, Founder, CAHP, CHPA
WHEN, WHERE
& WHY
PLANS
& ACCESS
All services and support are inclusive of both hospice-supported, palliated natural death and humane euthanasia, in partnership with a licensed veterinarian.
Families can access support in a number of ways. Those who enroll in one of four concierge hospice plans receive the highest level of support—whether they are in the greater Ann Arbor area or anywhere in the United States.
Telos holds a firm belief that pet guardians should be able to move through their pet's age-related decline or terminal diagnosis in a way that is accessible and equitable. For pet guardians with limited finances, or those who simply prefer to manage independently, free resources are available: articles provided without paywalls and affordable virtual presentations that offer guidance on understanding a diagnosis and its trajectory, assessing symptoms, navigating common challenges, planning for end-of-life, making informed decisions, and having meaningful conversations with their veterinarian.