BOOKS AND ARTICLES
for the veterinary team
BOOKS
In Home Pet Euthanasia Techniques, by Dr. Kathleen Cooney, for veterinarians, students, hospice providers, and technicians to help them gain comfort providing pet euthanasia in the home setting, including well described illustrations.
Blue Juice euthanasia in veterinary medicine, by Patricia Morris. Offering a behind the scene look of this unique reality
Hospice and Palliative Care for Companion Animals: Principles and Practice. The first comprehensive reference to veterinary hospice and palliative care, with practical guidance and best practices for caring for sick and dying animals.veterinary teams experience.
My Patients and Other Animals: A Veterinarian’s Stories of Love, Loss and Hope. A moving memoir of a life spent in the company of animals—a veterinarian sheds light on the universal experience of loving, healing, and losing our beloved pets, and the many ways they change our lives.
Small animal euthanasia, Veterinary Clinics of North America: Small Animal Practice, Volume 50-3 1st Edition.
Forever Friend: A children's guide and activity book for saying goodbye to a special dog (Geriatric Dog Care).
By Dr. Mary Gardner (author), Coleen Ellis (author) and Dusan Pavlic (illustrator).
Reference guide
Veterinary Euthanasia Techniques: A Practical Guide, by Kathleen Cooney and al. The textbook on euthanasia for all species.
Euthanasia reference guide, the Humane Society of the United States, 2013.
2016 AAHA/IAAHPC End-of-Life Care Guidelines. 15 pages of very relevant recommendations for practices.
Euthanasia protocol sample: to make sure no steps or details are forgotten by the team, in DMV360.
ARTICLES
Feeling better around end-of-life
Compassion Satisfaction: Finding the Right Words for Difficult Times by Celine Leheurteux, DVM. (July, 2022)
How to get to Compassion Satisfaction by Alexandra Yaksich, AHT. Making lemonade when vet med gives you lemons. (October, 2021)
Humanizing the Euthanasia Experience by Jocelyn Anne Mason, DMV, Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine magazine. (Spring, 2020)
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. (December, 2018)
Compassion fatigue
Euthanasia and the ‘Upside Down’ world it creates: Empathy is what makes us vulnerable to being profoundly affected and even possibly damaged by our work, by Jocelyn Anne Mason DVM. (October 8, 2020)
Download the CVMA suicide prevention sticker here for English or French.
dmv360: A summary of what Compassion Fatigue is, to help us understand why we sometimes feel so exhausted at the end of our workday. (May 1, 2015)
Tips
Is entrepreneurship the missing piece? by Céline Leheurteux, DVM.
A Quebec DVM shares her journey of professional fulfilment. (March 28, 2023)
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. (May 31, 2023)
The Rainbow Bridge: Putting your Aftercare Policy into Action by Alexandra Yaksich, AHT.
3 main points of the AVMA Companion Animal Aftercare Policy and examples of how they work in practice. (June 15, 2021)
AVMA Companion Animal Aftercare Policy: 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. More information in this youtube video by Dr. Cooney from CAETA.
Alternate Routes for Euthanasia by Mary Gardner, DMV. Euthanasia methods that minimize stress may not always involve an IV catheter. (March, 2018)
10 Things you Need in your Vet Practice by AHT Alexandra Yaksich. (July 30, 2021)
Pets and Cancer
Oncowaf was created by Dr. Laetitia Cicchelero, a veterinarian with a PhD in oncology, for dog owners with questions about cancer.
It offers an overview of clinical studies and reliable information in 5 languages.
Responsible pet burial
EUTHABAG and the Environment: This document will answer all of your questions regarding the composition of EUTHABAG and its environmental impact.
Pentobarbital contamination concerns: The mysterious case of 4 canine deaths.
Find more information on how to appropriately bury a pet on the handout page.
Understanding Grief
Stages of Grief made simple.