Meet the vet transforming end of life care for our pets

Dr Anita Bhanja

Whilst working as an end of life vet, running her own crematorium, Anita has developed plans to build a treatment centre for elderly pet patients where their owners can stay with them throughout procedures and they can both fall asleep and wake up in their owners arms and in a home from home environment.

Anita’s commitment to making elderly pets comfortable and content is unwavering.

She describes her practice, Eternal Paws, as being along the lines of the home hospice and holistic care provided the Macmillan way, vitally valuing the lifeline that so many of our pets provide for their owners in terms of company and a reason keeping going when they are also facing other challenges.

General Vets practices may be perfect for an upset tummy or a broken leg but for palliative and end of life, Anita believes there has to be a different way.

I want to disrupt the way end of life care is delivered and the widely held view that somehow if a pet dies peacefully at home then the vet has failed because they weren’t euthanized. 

Anita aims to create the first practice to fully incorporate spiritual, holistic and allopathic medicine giving owners access to the full tool box of healing. Her mission is to be the centre of excellence for palliative and end of life care and create a new wave of veterinary care focused on the highest standers of end of life provision and making all pet owners aware of their choices at this time.

 

Holistic care also includes the ability to cater for all needs and beliefs and she has held both Sikh and Shamanic funerals as well as respecting the Buddhist belief of leaving the body untouched for 24 hours.

 

Anita is unashamedly spiritual without attachment to religion and this provides her clients with a space to feel safe and heard and consequently, she has had families travel to Cheshire from all over Britain.

As a nation of animal lovers, we can see the potential in this business with a heart and wish Anita well in making her vision a reality.

Anita will be sharing her story at the 2024 Inspiring Women Awards Lunch.