This is Part 4, Step 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 client-present euthanasia. Due to the complexity of this situation, this topic has been divided into three separate blogs: Step 1, Step 2, and Step 3. If you haven’t read the previous two blogs, go back and read them first.
Stay Connected through Follow-up Care (Step 3)
The Day After Euthanasia
Contact clients the next day to see if they have questions or concerns about the way the pet died. The best indicator that you have been effective and sensitive is a satisfied and relieved client. Many clients who have been present at a pet’s euthanasia make comments like, “I feel sad that he’s dead, but happy that we could give him such a gentle death,” and, “I never knew that witnessing death could be so helpful. I feel like I can let go of him now, knowing he died so peacefully.”
Offering Continued Support After Euthanasia
Supporting grieving clients after their pet dies is just as important as supporting them before and during the euthanasia procedure. Reaching out to clients via the mail, telephone, or in person is not only a sign of compassion but also a wise business practice.
Grateful clients often want to give something back to the veterinary professionals who helped them and their pet at such a crucial time. Thus, they send thank-you notes, gifts of appreciation, and donations to the practice. They also tell their friends about you. A noticeable boost in your business, due to a reputation for being sensitive and compassionate, is the ultimate success.
The Matter of Payment
It is always best to ask for and process payment for a euthanasia at the same time that you schedule the appointment. Do this even if it is several days ahead of the event. It can become difficult to ask for payment later on when the client is grieving the loss of the pet. If you do need to ask for payment on the day of the euthanasia itself, take care of the charges before the procedure begins. This way, your client is free to handle the emotional issues of the day.
The Day After
The day after the euthanasia, a team member should call the client to express the team’s condolences and to ask the client how they are doing. The team may also send a note expressing sympathy, signed in a personal way by any team members who know the client. But do not send an invoice with this note or mention the payment issue in this initial phone call. Just show the client that you care. The step of making a phone call or sending a note of sympathy should be taken regardless of whether payment has been received. Once this step has been taken, wait at least five business days before sending the euthanasia invoice.
Following Up
After you have sent the invoice, if payment is not received after a week or two has passed, call the client again or send a follow-up invoice. The team member who makes this type of phone call should still begin with words of sympathy. For example, “Mrs. Johnson, all of us here at the pet hospital have been thinking about you during this difficult time. How are you doing?”
After listening to her answer the team member should first respond to Mrs. Johnson in an empathetic way. After which, the team member could say, “It’s not easy to ask you about this. But, it has come to our attention that payment has not been received for your appointment. Will you be able to send payment? You can also stop by to make the payment in person. Everyone here would like to see you again. If you have any further questions for Dr. Richards, you could talk with her then. If it’s more convenient for you, you can send the payment in, of course.”
Once arrangements have been made, be sure to say, “Thank you for your understanding. We are all looking forward to seeing you.” Or, if she prefers to mail the payment, “Thank you for understanding. We would still love to see you sometime if you are in the neighborhood and have time to stop by.”
Pet Memorials
Sometimes clients invite the veterinary practice team to their pet’s funeral. Some funerals are simple, private ceremonies. Others are elaborate, public goodbye rituals, complete with casket and graveside service. You may want to attend some of these as a way for you to say goodbye to a special patient. This may be especially true if you conduct home euthanasias. Whether or not you choose to attend them is up to you, however.
If you must decline a client’s invitation, you might say something like, “Sarah, while I would like nothing more than to be able to attend the memorials of all my patients, I’ve found that attending these ceremonies simply takes me away from the clinic too much. I won’t be able to join you and your family in person, but I will be with you in my heart. Buddy was very special to me, too, and all of us here will miss him.”
Client-Present Euthanasia Role-Play Ideas
- For hospital managers and client care specialists: Role-play a scenario in which you “check in” a client who has come to euthanize their pet. Practice supporting the client, taking the client and pet to a private room, talking about paperwork, and discussing body care issues. Make sure that the client knows what to expect. Note: In many pet hospitals and clinics, the euthanasia protocol is such that the client care specialists and hospital managers are rarely present at the actual time of euthanasia. While they may not be involved in the actual procedure, it is still critical for the to understand and be familiar with all the things the client can expect. It’s also important for them to make time to say their own goodbye to the patient and perhaps the client when it is time for the client to leave the hospital. If you work at a practice with more than one veterinarian, make sure you are familiar with each doctor’s euthanasia procedure.
- For veterinary technicians: Practice being relatively quiet with a client while they say goodbye to a pet following euthanasia. Although it may feel silly to do so, practice your support skills by using appropriate touch and tone of voice. Practice answering any questions that may have arisen in the client’s mind about how the euthanasia unfolded. If your clinic makes clay pawprints or other keepsakes for clients, practice making these and presenting them to a client.
- For veterinarians: Practice performing a euthanasia where something goes wrong medically (the catheter slips out, the dose of barbiturate is inadequate, etc.). Practice responding to these problems and talking the client through them.
Keep up the good work,
Laurel Lagoni
Co-Founder
World by the Tail, Inc.