Ask any veterinarian when they euthanize the most pets, and they will tell you “during the Winter holidays.” In fact, Lap of Love Veterinary Hospice, the nation’s largest provider of in-home end...
Yesterday, I sent my childhood friend of 18 years over the rainbow bridge. I’ve lost pets before, but none since I started my career in veterinary medicine. I’ve come away from this experience as a...
The worst feeling in the world is euthanizing a patient. It is heartbreaking to listen to the owner cry. It is hard to watch the tears fall and see them at their most vulnerable. Before they walk out the...
An article caught my eye the other day. It told the story of a vet, Jian Zhicheng, who worked at an animal shelter in Taiwan. She had euthanized 700 animals in two years – many of whom were healthy...
When people hear I’m a veterinarian, they usually say, “Oh, I love animals. I would love to do that. But I could never put them to sleep.” In truth, I never had any real trouble performing...
Euthanasia. The word itself makes all our stomachs drop. It is a gift to pets and a curse to owners – having the power to decide is something we are not comfortable with. However, when going through...
Welcome to Vetfessions, a new column on Dr. Andy Roark where we give you, the reader, a chance to get something off your chest in an anonymous fashion. Be it embarrassing, frustrating,...
Although I’ve been a veterinarian for over ten years now and feel confident in my abilities, a few years ago I made an obvious mistake that I believe cost a young dog his life, and it left me devastated.
An...
Ali was a beautiful golden retriever with a large liver mass in her abdomen. She had seen both her regular veterinarian and the local specialists prior to my visit with her. Her owner wanted her to be...
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...
