It’s the season of graduation for thousands of newly-minted veterinarians. This blog is for you graduates as you prepare to care for dying patients. It can feel scary to navigate end-of-life conversations and facilitate a gentle death. Let’s take what you’ve learned in school and reflect on what clients and pet patients need during such…

The Companion Animal Euthanasia Training Academy (CAETA) invites you to consider the following fictional euthanasia case and reflect on how to proceed. After reviewing the case, read the questions and consider your answers before continuing on to CAETA’s suggestions. This case is designed to test your knowledge of companion animal euthanasia and be a conversation…

If you’ve spent enough time with me, you’ve likely heard about my first few euthanasia experiences, and how they weren’t my best. Compassionate yes, but technically challenging for me. My stories include such things as hard-to-find veins, not allowing a client to be in the room due to my inadequacies, a vomiting dog, diarrhea on…

With the recent trend of intraorgan euthanasia methods on the rise in animals as reported by the Companion Animal Euthanasia Training Academy (CAETA), I want to offer useful pointers on how to ensure unconsciousness and avoid pain. If you are new to the concept of giving pentobarbital (euthanasia solution) in locations other than veins, the…

The Companion Animal Euthanasia Training Academy (CAETA) invites you to consider the following fictional euthanasia case and reflect on how to proceed. After reviewing the case, read the questions and consider your answers before continuing on to CAETA’s suggestions. This case is designed to test your knowledge of companion animal euthanasia and be a conversation…

“I’m Dr. Kathleen Cooney and I’m a Certified Peaceful Euthanasia Veterinarian.” This feels great to say and it’s been a long time coming.  Over the years, many of you have asked for a CAETA (Companion Animal Euthanasia Training Academy) certification to complement our 10-hour Euthanasia Master Program, soon to be called the Peaceful Euthanasia Certification.…

For many years, the Companion Animal Euthanasia Training Academy (CAETA), has taught the intracardiac euthanasia technique in one particular manner for companion animals. I’ll call it “the common way,” which is to insert the needle into the heart from the lateral side of the chest wall, aiming perpendicular to reach a ventricle, atrium, or honestly,…

Pain has no place during euthanasia. By popular demand these days, pet patients are being given sedation medications to relax them into deep sleep before the administration of euthanasia solution, to both relieve chronic or acute pain that may have led to the decision to euthanize, and to ensure that death itself is not painful. …

I’m buzzing with excitement after this year’s IAAHPC animal hospice conference. There were dynamic topics related to palliative medicine, hospice care, business, and of course, pet euthanasia.  During one of my talks on the latest in euthanasia research, I found myself looking into the crowd wondering how the energized faces looking back at me were…

This week, the Companion Animal Euthanasia Training Academy (CAETA) is adding more Instructors to our team.  Over the past few months, growing our speaker bureau has been a priority, as we prepare for expansion into new markets that need our type of content.  In the spirit of providing a strong start, I want to share…