Personalized
End-Of-Life Pet Care
Providing Kindness and Grace During The Hardest Phase of Pet Ownership
Dr. Laura Summers
As the owner and founder of Sacramento Valley Veterinary Services, Dr. Summers is committed to making the experience of pet loss as gentle as possible by providing compassionate, personalized care.
A California native, Dr. Summers graduated from UC Davis Veterinary School in 1998. Her professional background covers multiple disciplines within veterinary medicine, with experience in small animal private practice, large animal medicine, teaching, exotic animal medicine, and scientific research.
Throughout her career in veterinary medicine, Dr. Summers observed a deficiency in the way end-of-life care is addressed with companion animals. This fueled her desire to provide alternative options to standard clinical euthanasia, which can often be distressing for both pets and their owners. She believes that these emotional and difficult times of transition are best facilitated in a setting that is comfortable and familiar to both the family and the pet, which is what Sacramento Valley Veterinary Services aims to provide.
Dr. Caitlyn Lennon
Dr. Lennon knew she wanted to be a veterinarian since she could properly pronounce the word at 5 years old. She grew up near Palm Springs, California, riding horses and bringing many stray animals into the home including dogs, kittens, and even snakes.
Dr. Lennon completed her undergraduate degree at UC Davis with a B.S. in Animal Science and was accepted into the College of Veterinary Medicine at Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, California.
Throughout veterinary school, Dr. Lennon developed a passion for community medicine and she became president of the student chapter of the Association of Shelter Veterinarians. She even traveled to Nicaragua with World Vets and Mexico to participate in wellness and preventative clinics. She is currently a Small Animal General Practitioner. She was fortunate enough to meet Dr. Laura Summers who was instrumental in lighting her passion for helping pets cross the rainbow bridge. She feels she has a true calling for guiding pets and their people on that end of life journey.
Katrina Petty
Katrina is a graduate of California Lutheran University with a degree in communication. She has experience in the travel industry and is currently working towards a law degree.
Prior to joining Sacramento Valley Veterinary Services, Katrina was a communications coordinator at Signature Travel Network and board member for a nonprofit travel organization where she managed communications at all levels and promoted giving back to impacted tourist destinations.
Throughout her time with SVVS, she has worked diligently to provide compassionate care to every patient during one of the most difficult times in pet ownership. Katrina is passionate about helping others through this journey as the first impression for end-of-life care, and strives to make this process as simple as possible every step of the way.
Ashley Froschauer, RVT
Ashley is a graduate of Los Angeles Pierce College with a degree in animal sciences. She has over 20 years experience in veterinary medicine, and is a licensed RVT.
Prior to joining Sacramento Valley Veterinary Services, she has worked in many avenues of veterinary medicine including cardiology, emergency and critical care and general practice. She is passionate about teaching and involvement in veterinary volunteer efforts in and out of the country.
Throughout her career, she has been committed to providing compassionate medical care for pets and their owners, including a peaceful, final transition. She understands that making the decision to say goodbye though important, can be difficult. Ashley is passionate about supporting pet owners through this emotional process with dignity, empathy and respect.
Our Community
Pause For Paws
Our “Pause for Paws” fund is a way of providing financial assistance for pet owners who are struggling to provide in home, end-of-life care for their pet. If you would like to assist a pet owner in need, you are welcome to fill out the donation form below.
The Pause for Paws was created to offer needed financial assistance to pet owners in difficult circumstances, such as:
- Elderly and disabled individuals who may be on a fixed income and have difficulty affording their pet’s care.
- A sudden, unexpected pet illness and corresponding treatment, that have depleted the money available for the pet’s care, leaving nothing for end-of-life comfort.
- Disabled individuals with limited financial resources that may also have difficulty with transporting a pet for end-of-life care.
Here are some recent recipients’ profiles:
A woman in our community recently diagnosed with breast cancer. Her beloved young cat was diagnosed with an untreatable and terminal illness. Our Pause for Paws funds were used to provide her sweet kitten a loving goodbye.
An elderly gentleman could no longer physically or financially provide for his aging large dog. Unable to drive, and on a fixed retirement income, he was limited in how he could provide end-of-life care for his sweet dog. Pause for Paws funds were used to help offset costs and provide a graceful goodbye for his dear companion.
At this time donations are not tax deductible.
SVVS reserves the right to make independent decisions related to the distribution of donations made to The Pause for Paws Fund.
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