Lap of Love Veterinary Hospice & In-Home Euthanasia

I was born and raised in Sao Paulo, Brazil as part of an animal loving family. Growing up we always had dogs and I was the kid that would bring home strays and beg my parents to let me keep them. My brother and sister got purebred dogs for their birthdays, a Siberian Husky and a miniature Poodle. Not me; my first dog was a cute mutt called Tieta that I brought home after finding her roaming the streets. We did not know at the time, but Tieta was pregnant and we ended up having a litter of puppies shortly after. I vividly remember the smell of newborn puppies and to this day it remains one of my favorite smells. My love for animals was always a constant in my life and my family knew very early on that I would pursue a career that involved animals. As soon as I could understand that a job as a Veterinarian existed I strived to become one.

I was accepted into one of the best Veterinary schools in Brazil starting my journey in this wonderful career. My favorite mentor in University had done his PhD at Virginia Tech and he always encouraged me to pursue a career in the United States. I did not shy away from the challenge and worked very hard to move to a new country and be accepted into an internship at an equine clinic in Texas. That was 16 years ago and I never looked back. My love for horses drove me to pursue a residency in large animal internal medicine and a Masters degree in veterinary science at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine. I have been blessed to work with horses for a good part of my career and for the past few years I have been helping dog and cat owners at a General Practice clinic.

Throughout my career I’ve dealt with countless critical and incurable cases and witnessed suffering that I felt privileged to be able to alleviate in the most respectful manner. I always felt honored to be able to offer families the option to say goodbye to their beloved pets in a peaceful and respectful way. Animal welfare is paramount to me, be that at the clinic dealing with a healthy appointment or providing end-of-life care. I feel privileged to have the opportunity to utilize my experience and knowledge to alleviate suffering and give pets the most dignified and peaceful goodbye possible, in the comfort of their own home.