ARTICLES FOR YOUR PRACTICE
Veterinary Practice News: The euthanasia appointment calls for empathy by Céline Leheurteux, DVM. Rituals allow us to honour the memory and regain some control over a situation we have no control over. Discover some guidelines for a gentle and empathetic discussion.(May 31, 2023)
AVMA Companion Animal Aftercare Guidelines: the sensitive handling of pet remains is an important aspect of veterinary practice. Veterinarians should provide adequate containment of the remains.Veterinarians must understand they may be responsible and may be held accountable, for the aftercare provider they recommend.
2016 AAHA/IAAHPC End-of-Life Care Guidelines: 15 pages of very relevant recommandations for practices.
Compassion fatigue: by Debbie Stoewen DVM, MSW, PhD. A great positive summary of what CF is and is not and how to prevent it.
Humanizing the Euthanasia Experience: by Jocelyn Anne Mason, DMV, Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine magazine.
Why I sedate every pet for Euthanasia and you should do too: by Cherie Buisson, DMV. The perfect euthanasia for a vet is not necessarily viewed the same by the family. I you are not convinced to sedate, you will be!
Practice Building Handling Euthanasia: by Mary Gardner, DVM and Dani McVety, DVM in TVP. Tips on how we can do better and make euthanasia an opportunity to strengthen our relationship with our clients.
The Art of Euthanasia and the Science of Death: a funny printable summary of the recommendations of this article.
Helping clients cope with the death of a pet: quality of life assessment, how to approach it with kids from VetFolio.
Why clients leave: a negative or neutral euthanasia experience can result in a client leaving even if they like the veterinary team. The plastic bag set a negative tone for the practice, in DVM360.
EUTHABAG and the Environment: This document will answer all of your questions regarding the composition of EUTHABAG and its environmental impact.
Why we should stop trying for a perfect euthanasia: by Dr. Andy Roark.
Compassion Fatigue: Compassion Fatigue is a state experienced by those helping people or animals in distress; it is an extreme state of tension and preoccupation with the suffering of those being helped to the degree that it can create a secondary traumatic stress for the helper.
dmv360: A summary of what Compassion Fatigue is, to help us understand why we sometimes feel so exhausted at the end of our work day.
Veterinary Wisdom: Resources for clients and vet team for everything related to euthanasia.
6 Euthanasia Trends You Didn't know Existed: by Dani McVety, DMV.
Alternate Routes for Euthanasia: by Mary Gardner, DMV. Euthanasia methods that minimize stress may not always involve an IV catheter (must be Clinician’s Brief member).
Pets and Cancer
Oncowaf.com is a website for dog owners with questions about cancer. It was created by Laetitia Cicchelero, a veterinarian with a PhD in oncology. When she was performing clinical studies in dogs with cancer, she noticed that their owners had recurring questions. They often found half truths or contradictory information on the internet. The website Oncowaf offers an overview of clinical studies and reliable information so dog owners can inform themselves when they feel like it.
The content is usually based on textbooks on veterinary oncology and scientific articles (you can find the references at the bottom of the web page). This website is free of charge, available in 5 langages, independent and supported by the Belgian Cancer Fund for Animals.
Checklists
Euthanasia Materials checklist: To reduce the stress before euthanasia, here is a memory aid to remind you of the important topics to discuss with the family and the list of materials to bring.
Preparing families for Euthanasia checklist: To ensure families are prepared for what is to come, we have compiled a list of topics that be discussed prior to the procedure. This can help reduce stress for both the clients and the veterinary team.
Understanding Grief
Stages of Grief made simple: This chart may help you as well as families understand the emotions they are experiencing.
Other Topic and Media
Euthabag: Dr. Celine Leheurteux designs eco-friendly way to say goodbye to pets. EcoLuxLifestyle, 2022.
Is entrepreneurship the missing piece? A Québec DVM shares her journey of professional fulfilment by Dr. Celine Leheurteux in the Veterinary Practice News Canada
