Posts

You’ve Got a Friend in Me; A new model for pet aftercare

By Dr. Kathleen Cooney / May 1, 2022

I used to own a pet crematory as part of my end-of-life mobile veterinary service. Before this, I worked with local crematories in northern Colorado, all of whom did amazing work…

CAETA’s Euthanasia Review Department

By Dr. Kathleen Cooney / April 15, 2022

For many years, veterinarians and pet owners have reached out to me to talk about euthanasia experiences.  They seek to understand if what they witnessed was normal, expected, unexpected or…

Pet Quality-of-Life Scales in Euthanasia Decision-Making

By Dr. Kathleen Cooney / April 1, 2022

I have always approached euthanasia decision-making as finding the path of least regret.  Choosing euthanasia is hard. What REALLY prepares someone to elect euthanasia for a beloved friend?  The physical…

Pet Euthanasia and Natural Death; Similarities and differences

By Dr. Kathleen Cooney / March 15, 2022

Companion animals are likely to leave this world via one of two ways; naturally through the normal progression of physical decline or via euthanasia. Often pet owners make the choice…

Pointers on Controlled Substances

By Dr. Kathleen Cooney / March 1, 2022

I’ve written before about how confusing controlled substance ordering and handling can be.  It takes a village to sort through all the rules and regs to play the game correctly…

Self Care for End-of-Life Professionals

By CAETA Administrator / February 15, 2022

Summer Brooks MS, RVT A few months ago, a member of the Companion Animal Euthanasia Discussion Group on Facebook asked what others do to honor the memory of their patients…

AAHA’s End-of-Life Accreditation; Positive impacts on euthanasia procedures

By Dr. Kathleen Cooney / February 1, 2022

The American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) is a leader in veterinary hospital standards. They are well known in the biz for their devotion to protecting the patient and client experience,…

Why I’m a Fan of Euthabag

By Dr. Kathleen Cooney / January 15, 2022

Not all body bags are created equal, and indeed there are numerous types out there. Those looking for quality prefer bags/containers that are durable, leak proof, and above all respectful…

CAETA Euthanasia Research 2022; Creating new directions

By Dr. Kathleen Cooney / January 1, 2022

It’s easy to take the “If it’s not broke, don’t fix it” approach to euthanasia work. Many practitioners feel comfortable with what they’ve been doing for years, and as long…

Honoring and Grief Rituals for Veterinary Professionals

By CAETA Administrator / December 15, 2021

Written by Summer Brooks, MS, RVT. This blog article was inspired by a conversation on the Companion Animal Euthanasia Discussion Group Facebook page.  A member posted: “I’ve had a few…