Interview with a vet
on Tuesday 20 September 2011 @ 09:34
Many pets suffer from old age or chronic illnesses which led to their death. Most pet owners will bring their pets for a consultation with a vet when that happens. Some will arrange for euthanasia while others choose to let the pet live on until their dying days. Either way, a vet is an important provider of information to pet owners, and to me. I had a nice short interview with a lovely (looks and character) female vet to find out more about what happens when a pet owner has a pet which is suffering and needs euthanasia (Answers below not in exact words)
Q: How many euthanasia cases, on average, does the clinic take each year?
A: Around 30-50 per year.
Q: Which type of animals does the clinic receive the most request for euthanasia?
A: Mostly hamsters, but sometimes cats and dogs.
Q: Euthanasia is done under what conditions and what advice would you give pet owners?
A: We will give the owner a choice if they want their pet to undergo it. We will ask them to think about the situation - why euthanasia? will simply proper care help the situation? Is the medical condition very bad? etc we do not perform euthanasia if it is simply a case of irresponsibility.
Q: What advice for preparation would you give pet owners whose pet is already confirmed for euthanasia?
A: Nothing major. It is mostly about being prepared mentally.
Q: How do owners react when they bring in their pet for euthanasia?
A: They are usually quite upset, but mostly resigned to that fact.
Q: How does the clinic deal with euthanized pets?
A: The clinic will call and book appointment with a pet transporter ( usually clinics/ hospitals have tie ups with pet mobile cremation services) a few days before the euthanasia date. They will give the pet owners option of common or single cremation.
Q: Which service do owners opt more for - common or single cremation?
A: Equal numbers for common and single. Might be also based on animal types as owners usually opt for common cremation for hamsters but there are also some who opt for single cremation for their hamster. Dogs and cats are usually single cremation.
Q: What advice would the clinic give owners whose pets died suddenly at home and called them?
A: If it is a small animal, like a hamster, we would ask the owner to bring to our clinic and they can put inside our freezer while we arrange for cremation services for the animal. The pet owner only need to pay for the cremation service. For hamster, it is about $10 for common cremation. If it is a big animal, we would provide them with mobile pet cremation company numbers.
Q: How does the clinic deal with overly sad owners?
A: Based on individuals. We will try to be understanding, and give them water, let them sit down and give them time to say their last goodbyes. We do not have pet consultants so we can only treat them gently and let them have time. The whole family will usually try to be there when we do the injection but we try to limit young kids as it might be rather disturbing or inappropriate for them. During the injection, we will try to give them detailed explanations about what is going to happen, like the dog will jerk etc
Q: Do pet owners bring anything for their pets during the injection?
A: Mostly a blanket to cover the pet. If not, nothing much.
Reflections:
The type of animal brought most for euthanasia is rather unexpected for me since this is the first time I heard of
euthanising hamsters. I also thought dogs and cats are usually animals which owners tend to develop more affections for so they will usually be the animals to undergo euthanasia.. On hind sight, perhaps owners love their dogs and cats too much to let them take the jab? Or maybe it was because the clinic is a small one located in the heartlands and not many people rear dogs in the area?
I felt that there is a need to go to a bigger clinic/ hospital to ask more questions. However, it is clear to me, the role of a vet is a vital one. She can influence a pet owner's decision and probably help them with their lost through prep talks and advices.
She did mention a freezer where they store pet bodies. She said it was a normal freezer but her clinic does not have a big one so she can only store hamsters' bodies.
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