Mary Gardner, DVM, discusses approaching quality of life conversations by bringing together the veterinary medicine expert and the client who is the expert on the pet. The end-of-life decision should be better informed and the outcome hopefully less burdensome to everyone involved she says.
Source: DVM 360, February 25, 2020. Link. Gardner advocates for breaking the conversation down into thoughtful categories that will allow for a more equal distribution of the decision-making load:
- The pet’s disease, injury or illness
- The pet’s personality
- The pet owner’s personality
- The pet owner’s budget
INSIGHTS: This article provides an outline for a team meeting discussion. There is potential value having the entire team in agreement on how euthanasia and quality of life discussions are to be handled. This discussion needs to also include considerations for staff emotions, as well.