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April 2024 by Lisa S.
I can't recommend Cara highly enough. She provided excellent end-of-life care for my 19-year-old tortoiseshell cat, Frida. Cara was with us every step of the way--from regular reiki treatments and advice on navigating life with a senior cat to facilitating when Frida was ready to leave us. Frida was a VERY particular creature and Cara was a cherished part of her inner circle--high praise coming from a Torty (if you know, you know)! Most recently Cara helped me navigate the sudden loss of my 7-year-old dog. She's a compassionate, insightful, loving human being with the unique gift of helping animals and their people through the death and dying process -- whether it's a sudden loss or a longer journey with hospice care.
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March 2024 by Mary R.
When faced with the devastating news of my dog's terminal cancer diagnosis, I felt lost and alone. My dog's vet had no information on veterinary hospice and the online qualify-of-life assessments weren't very helpful, either (many questions felt subjective and confusing). I was so lucky to have been led to Cara. She arrived at my house the same day I called for an assessment and provided an honest and attentive consultation, which ultimately spared my 17-year-old dog any suffering and allowed him to die with dignity and peace. Her support also helped me to be mindful of how I used my time with my sweet boy during his final days. Cara understands grief in a way that is so grounded and intuitive, and she communicates everything clearly and gently. I am incredibly grateful that she was able to guide me through the hospice process with my dog and can now support me through my grief journey by way of her online pet loss course. She also offers one-on-one sessions and reiki healing. Disenfranchised grief is isolating and lonely, and Cara's pet loss counseling has given me validation, a sense of belonging, kindness, compassion and understanding, partnered with a structured program and practical tools to help pull me out of the abyss. I highly recommend her for animal hospice care, support with anticipatory grief, or after suffering the loss of your loved one. I don't know where I'd be without her.
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February 2024 by Deborah M.
Cara DeLaRosa is an amazing healer! Her visits and assessments are wonderful in connecting truly with your pet's quality of life and making a "going forward plan" to both improve their daily living and plan for their compassionate passing. Her relationship with us and our pets has resulted in a 2 year enhancement (and counting) to their wonderful lives. You should call her today!
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February 2024 by Jessica P.
Our sweet Rose was diagnosed with very aggressive lymphoma in 2023. It was completely devastating to our entire family. We dove into all kinds of treatment options and were overwhelmed with basically everything at the time and all the confusing and often conflicting advice we received from various vets. It was a very dark time for us, and we needed help. I was referred to Cara by a friend, and reached out to her immediately. Rose was already in the process of dying, but Cara was able to help us in more ways that I even imagined. We were finally able to accept that Rose's cancer was beyond treatment and it was her time to go. Rose was my heart dog and it was very difficult to understand her passing. I started also working with Cara 1-1, joined her 7 month course, and attended the support group. This was profound for me and my healing process. I'm so grateful of Cara's offerings, and the space that she holds for people is truly amazing.
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February 2024 by Susan K.
I highly recommend Cara's services!! Cara is incredibly kind, as well as smart and thoughtful. She's helped me with my cat (with kidney disease) -- teaching me how to make a daily quality of life evaluation, administer subcutaneous fluids, identify when my sweet kitty is in pain, as well as helping me through anticipation of my kitty's passing-- with grief counseling. Communication with her is so easy and takes my stress down a bunch. Knowing my kitty is having the most comfortable last few months means the world to my whole family; we are all so grateful for her help. And she does nail trims! She's lovely to be with, as well.
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February 2024 by C L.
Cara helped me immensely both before and after the loss of our pet. It was hard to let go of our dog as we watched her decline, but Cara gave me the confidence to make the necessary decisions as the path became clear. It was so helpful to join a pet loss group and meet with others who were grappling with the same feelings. Cara is sincerely concerned for each individual (both animal and human) and reaches out in the most supportive way. While I have known and respected Cara for many years before she started her grief coach role, I learned that there was even more depth to her caring than I had realized! I heartily recommend Care to anyone who is caring for an aging pet or has recently lost a beloved animal friend.
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February 2024 by Sonya D.
I was referred to Cara when my cat was aging and had been diagnosed with several illnesses. It was clear she was declining, but what did that mean? And how long did she have? It was my first cat and I didn't know what signs to look out for. I didn't want my girl to suffer. But what is suffering and what is part of aging? And how will I know when it's time to let her go? Or is it time, now? These are the kinds of questions that Cara helped navigate for me. She assessed my cat as she was. She gave me options to improve her well-being. She told me the signs to look for when she might be ready to transition. And she offered her support when and if there were any future needs. This was such a comfort. Cara is gentle, kind, informative, and affordable. It was so nice to have this help available. I highly recommend her services.
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February 2024 by Dawn B.
We lost our little guy in November. He was my heart. He was 17 and, all in all, pretty good health except for dementia. We called Cara about a year before. She came and did an evaluation. She was wonderful. She was caring and kind for both our little Seamus and ourselves. It was a hard meeting for me, and I felt so much better afterward. She gave us tools to help us make the decisions that we used for the next year. I texted her often, and she would text to check-in. I don't know how I would have done it without her. She also recommended vets that would come to our home. With the knowledge she gave us, we were all able to be with Seamus at home, in his most comfortable space, when the time came. She checked in after a few times to make sure we were ok. If my work schedule wasn't so difficult, I would have taken her up on her grief counseling.
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February 2024 by Patricia B.
Cara's approach to pet grief and loss is solid and gives the tools necessary to deal with any type of loss. She is intelligent, intuitive, and compassionate, as well as easily available when you need her most! I highly recommend her.
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February 2024 by Patricia H.
We lost our twelve year old dog Pudding to mitro value disease. Cara helped us help Pudding through the year and half of the disease. Her knowledge, compassion and counsel made the journey bearable for us and Pudding. We continue to meet with her to process our grief.
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June 2022 by Malena Ernani
I love the care that they provide for my pets. I've leaned on them to take good care of my cat for regular nail trimmings. They are sooo sweet, considerate, confident, and knowledgeable.
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July 2020 by Guy D.
I have a dog I have that has not been out of my sight for 6 years. Last week I had to have a CT/PET scan at the hospital. The hospital was fine with my dog but said I would not be able to handle him while being tested. I called Healing Hands Animal Care to see if they would watch my dog. Cara answered. She came right over and met Einstein. After we talked, she offered to go with me to the Hospital with Einstein. She did. Twice. I could not be happier with Cara & Healing Hands Animal Care.
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July 2019 by Jennifer S.
Cara and Frank are incredible. We had them watch our senior cat--Coney--who required several medications each day. Their experience and knowledge is very appreciated. Not only did we feel extremely comfortable traveling knowing that Coney was in good hands but we loved getting the daily photos and videos. It really put our minds at ease. When it came time for us to say goodbye to Coney, we brought in a home-visit vet to assist with her passing. Cara was there as well and she was the most compassionate person imaginable. She helped to make an otherwise incredibly sad, heart-breaking experience--beautiful. Her thoughtfulness and presence was such a godsend. The sympathy card and memento was so touching. We will be forever grateful. Although we haven't needed Healing Hands Animal Care services since Coney, I guarantee that we recommend them to all our friends and anyone who asks.
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May 2019 by Tamera T.
Cara is an angel sent from heaven! My 14 year old Weimaraner has chronic kidney disease and Cara comes to my house 2x a week to administer fluids. It has made a world of difference and I feel so lucky to have someone who cares about my animal. She's compassionate and deeply spiritual and brings amazing energy into my life.
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May 2019 by Scott M.
We have been using Healing Hands Animal care for our pets for several years now. Cara and Frank have been great. We always feel very comfortable leaving our furry family in their good hands. They are responsible, consistent, and spend lots of time with our pets when they visit. They are also very astute - and have noticed when our animals are not feeling well and promptly brought it to our attention and taken appropriate action. Be it a short trip, or a longer trip out of the country - we have always felt that Healing Hands have provided nothing but the best care for our animals - I heartily recommend their service if you are in/around the Santa Rosa area, and looking for a petsitter.
