Death with Dignity
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An online learning platform for Veterinary Rehabilitation professionals
One of the hardest things we need to deal with as Vetrehabbers is the death of our patients — especially patients who have been a part of our lives for a long time. As we prepare for the Vet Rehab Summit 2024 where we will be diving into many of the ethical challenges we face as Vetrehabbers, we decided to have a conversation with Celeste Lazaris on death with dignity. Some of the themes of our conversation were:
I would love to share some of the highlights of our conversation here with you.
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What our own beliefs are around euthanasia
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“What it comes down to is quality of life, and future quality of life.” Celeste Lazaris.
There are many cases where we know that recovery trajectory or future quality of life will not be positive. In these cases, we want to at least consider euthanasia, and possibly set a date for it.
End-of-life decisions can be a gift for both ourselves and our animals. We can spare them from future pain or suffering, which is the biggest gift that we can give them. We can also give them and ourselves the gift of time before the end – time to be fully present together, to enjoy all of their favourite things, to say goodbye, and to give them all our love in their remaining weeks or days.
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Leading our clients by our own example
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“As a 16 year old, I remember so clearly getting a puppy. My brother sat me down and asked me if I was going to be able to put this dog down. I was devastated and confused – it’s a little puppy, why would he ask me that? He said that one day, I would have to do that, and if I wasn’t going to be able to, I shouldn’t get the puppy. That thought has stuck with me. That is a responsibility that we take on.” Celeste Lazaris
As rehabilitation professionals, we are also owners and guardians of our own animals. This provides us with the opportunity to lead the way for others, and to showcase how decisions around euthanasia and end-of-life care can be made to honour and celebrate the life of our animals and the many ways they have affected our lives.
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Grieving
In today’s world and in many cultures, grief and sadness are not handled especially well. We don’t know how to feel grief and sadness, how to travel through them to the other side and emerge still tender, but stronger. It is easier for us to ignore our feelings, to push them aside and not allow ourselves to feel, or express, the deep sadness that is so disturbing. So we carry on almost as if nothing has happened. Certainly for me, that has been true.
Grief can be a really powerful call to presence and to reflection. For many of us, grieving an animal we have lost is also a grieving of past versions of ourselves. Our dogs are our closest partners through the growth and changes of our lives. Our horses are teachers and partners that have helped us achieve goals, grow, and become entirely new versions of ourselves. When we say goodbye to them, we are also saying goodbye to those parts of ourselves, or those stages of our journey. We may also be mourning for the many future changes that our beloved animal will no longer be a part of.
We really need to accept what an enormity the death of a faithful companion is, and be present to the grief. We cannot just brush it aside. We should allow ourselves and our clients the time and the opportunity to walk through the grieving period, however long it may last.