I learned about the effectiveness of silence from my first boss. I’ll be honest with you – he scared me to death. It took me the better part of a year to call him by his first name. Part of the intimidation factor was his silence. He would ask me a question, I would answer… Read More
Why I Sedate Every Pet for Euthanasia – and You Should Too
Sedation is one of the major controversies in end-of-life care medicine. I’m grateful that it isn’t as rare as it once was. When I talk to veterinarians about sedation, this is what I hear from those who don’t use sedation: 1. I don’t need sedation to hit a vein 2. Sedation takes too long 3…. Read More
Why I Don’t Cry at Euthanasias
“I don’t know how you do this. It must be so hard.” Inevitably, a client will say this to me when I come to their home to euthanize their pet. My stock answer (which is completely true) is that I’m a basket case when it comes to losing my own pets, so if I can… Read More
After Pets Pass: 10 Tips For Those Left Behind
Being a caretaker is difficult. Managing a pet with multiple illnesses and multiple medications or treatments is difficult. If you have been doing this, there’s something you should know: once your pet is gone, it will be difficult NOT doing those things. Be kind to yourself while you mourn the loss of your pet. Here are… Read More
Cause and Effect: The Problem With Blame
Human beings are very intelligent, but we can also be stubborn as mules. One of the hardest things we face is not jumping to conclusions in the face of certain events, and even trained scientists find they have to struggle against their own biases to rely on logic when examining cause and effect. With the… Read More
Coping With Vet Shaming
One of the hardest things about being a doctor is constantly being told you are wrong. Our clients tell us that Dr. Google, the breeder or their mother says so. Our colleagues debate online as to whether allowing clients to decline presurgical bloodwork makes you a bad doctor. If you do shelter or spay/neuter clinic… Read More