Expressing Sympathy

This is Part 3 of our Support Protocols for 14 Common Situations series. The cases described in this series are drawn from everyday scenarios found in general veterinary practice or emergency and specialty practices. Below you’ll find an example of a type of case you’re likely to encounter in practice. This blog’s subject is a case involving euthanasia decision making. Situation: Euthanasia Decision Making Dawn is sitting beside you in an exam room after a follow up visit with her Cairn Terrier, Candy, who is terminally ill. You’ve told her that the prognosis is bad and it may be time… Continue Reading

This is Part 2 of our Support Protocols for 14 Common Situations series. The cases described in this series are drawn from everyday scenarios found in general veterinary practice or emergency and specialty practices. Below you’ll find an example of a type of case you’re likely to encounter in practice. This blog’s subject is a case about delivering bad news Situation: Delivering Bad News A client named Joanna rushes into your hospital holding her cat, Boots, in her arms. She is crying and distraught, and it’s obvious that Boots is in respiratory distress. You immediately take the cat to an… Continue Reading

Most grief support is conveyed through the use of a specific set of emotional support protocols and techniques. These basic clinical communication skills include verbal and nonverbal behaviors like direct eye contact, touch, facial expressions, and body language. If you want to connect with and provide support for your grieving clients, it helps to be a skilled communicator. But skilled communication does not just happen. Basic verbal and non-verbal skills and techniques can be learned, often through trial and error, but more effectively through education and practice. Practice, Practice, Practice In coming blog posts, we will review the verbal and… Continue Reading

Veterinary team members who provide skilled client support often develop an extremely loving and loyal clientele. Many of  your clients will think of you as a friend. This is why it is important to understand the concept of setting boundaries for support. Once your clients have experienced the quality of your comfort and care, they may naturally turn to you for assistance with the other problems in their lives. This may be especially common when those problems involve a medical issue or death. For example, they may come to you with questions about an illness they are coping with, their… Continue Reading

According to one study in human medicine, the leading reason for seeking medical care is relief of distress. The effort to minimize distress is often described in the medical literature as the act of providing comfort. Comfort means “to strengthen” and is most often described as a physical, mental, and/or emotional state of ease or well-being. Offering comfort is the most important part of supporting your clients’ grief after pet loss. In a 1998 commentary in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, Dr. Franklin McMillan suggested that comfort, not health, is the “primary and central objective of medical practice.” Dr. McMillan… Continue Reading

Your clients facing pet loss will be affected not only by the normal grief that follows loss but also by anticipatory grief. Anticipatory grief occurs prior to an actual death. It often begins with the diagnosis of a terminal illness or injury. A client may begin to exhibit any or all of the manifestations of normal grief as soon as they sense that a beloved pet may die. How Anticipatory Grief May Manifest As the pet’s condition deteriorates, the client must adjust to the changes. The pet’s appearance, personality, and physical capabilities may change as a result of treatments or… Continue Reading

Please note that the following blog is copyright protected and may not be altered, sold, reprinted (republished), or reproduced without the author’s permission. Veterinary grief support has come a long way since the field emerged in the mid-1980’s. Then, grieving clients were often thought of as “overly sensitive,” and providing pet loss support was considered extreme. Today, providing end-of-life care via Client Comfort Rooms, veterinary hospice programs, and client-present euthanasia is  standard practice. The commitment to providing grief support for clients is due, in large part, to a growing recognition of the role the human-animal bond plays in people’s lives…. Continue Reading