Euthanasia appointment
Few veterinary receptionists are fortunate enough to be trained to support a client during a euthanasia appointment. For the person you are speaking to, this may be the most difficult decision of their life. They are overwhelmed by feelings of shame, guilt, and a great emotional burden, to the point that they may forget that their cat is a cat, their dog is a dog or how much they weigh. These feelings are confusing. The euthanasia appointment therefore requires a different approach than regular appointments.
Consult our document here to support them properly. Watch the 4-minute scenario video.
End-of-life Care For Pets FAQ’s
This article helps veterinary teams provide a thorough explanation to their clients on what they can expect and the options they have to choose from, after their pet has passed.
Detecting pain in your pet
Pets do not cry or complain. Although they do not speak, their body langage talks. Here are some amazing tools developed by veterinary teams.
BEAP pain scale. Nicely illustrated and detailed from Dr Shea Cox from CAETA.
The cat’s facial expression says a lot on how he feels. A tool developed by a team of University of Montreal.
Chill Protocol to Manage Aggressive & Fearful Dogs
Quality of life questionnaires
Some tools to help families assess both the pet's AND the family's quality of life.
How do I know when it’s time? - A great tool for families so they can talk about it with their family. From University of Ohio state.
Quality of Life Scale / Pet Family Concerns - By Dr. Dani McVety, simple and taking the family and the pet in account.
The Quality Of Life Assessment for the family - By Dr. Mary Gardner.
Pet Quality of Life Calendar - By Dr. Mary Gardner, very simple and easy to understand.
Grey Muzzle App : The Quality of Life Calendar app to log your pet's days on your iPhone/iPad.
The Quality of Life Question we all should be asking: An article by Dr. Buisson on the questions to ask ourselves when we have to take the decision.
A guide to end-of-life pet care: What to consider when making end-of-life decisions for your pet. - By E. Johnson & B. Norris - Medical reviewed by Dr. E. Irish & Dr. J. Schott.
Euthanasia consent form
Euthanasia Consent Form to download and complete with your clinic’s information.
How to bury a pet
Although in many regions, it’s not permitted to bury a pet at home (except on farms in some instances), some pet owners decide to do it anyway. Therefore, the documents below are useful to inform them on how to do it properly. In Quebec, it is prohibited to bury an animal in an unauthorized place. In the rest of Canada, the regulations vary, so check with the municipality.
Burying your pet (“Enterrer son animal” in Quebec, in French)
Children and grief
It is essential to prepare children for pet grief in order to facilitate the transition.
Children and Grief: Tips for discussing the loss of a pet with children and helping them cope with their grief. We have a document to help parents prepare their child(ren) for this ordeal. It is available exclusively for EUTHABAG users. Request it here.
Helping Children Cope with the Serious Illness or Death of a Companion Animal: a handout for families by the Honoring the bond program from University of Ohio.
Colouring pages: Our series of colouring pages can help children prepare a ritual. They are available exclusively for EUTHABAG users. Offer this prior to the discussion with the owners, to help distract children and give them an opportunity to say good-bye to their best friend. Request them here.
10 Tips on coping with pet loss
Anyone who considers a pet a beloved friend, companion, or family member knows the intense pain that accompanies the loss of that friend. Following are some tips on coping with that grief, and with the difficult decisions one faces upon the loss of a pet by Moira Anderson Allen, M.Ed.
Poems
If it should be: We've highlighted this poem, as it was wonderfully designed to help clients and the veterinary team deal with any guilt they may be experiencing. It can also be given before euthanasia to help clients with their grief or to help them make the right decision at the right time.
Beautiful poem by Christine Davis, click on the image to download.
