Golden Years Veterinary Services

Providing compassionate end-of-life care for pets at home

Dr. Freed was born and raised in southeastern Pennsylvania. From a young age, animals were a central part to her life. She was involved in 4-H and grew up surrounded by cats, dogs, sheep, and goats. During completion of her undergraduate degree at Northeastern University in Boston, she worked in wildlife rehab and at a veterinary specialty hospital. After which, she went on to pursue her veterinary degree at UC Davis. Upon finishing veterinary school, Dr. Freed relocated to Colorado. There she started her career at a bustling general practice. She quickly realized the gap in care for aged pets. Appointments would be filled with young active animals, animals early in disease, or the debilitated pet ready for euthanasia. Knowing there were pets at home with chronic diseases and unmanaged pain she decided to bring the care to them. To better help this vulnerable population she became one of only a few hundred certified hospice and palliative care veterinarians in the world. Additionally, she expanded her tool-box for disease and pain management through extensive training and certification in the art of acupuncture. Today, Dr. Freed has returned home to her roots to share with the community her passion for senior pets and quality ‘whole-pet’ healthcare

Mission — Dr. Freed started Golden Years Vet to fill the gap in care that senior pets experience as they age. All too often families are given terminal diagnoses and given the option between complicated treatments or human euthanasia. If the advanced treatment is declined, families are sent home with the instructions to 'call us when you’re ready'. Questions of how to know when it’s time are met with platitudes like 'you’ll know when you know' or 'when they stop eating'. The journey to the end of life is far more complicated and rarely that clear. With Golden Years Veterinary Services Dr. Freed provides comfort care for pets addressing symptoms of disease as they arise, while companioning families on the journey from diagnosis to death. She feels no family should ever feel alone in the care of their pet, especially at the end