How the small details shape euthanasia for clients and care teams

In the veterinary profession, performing euthanasia remains one of the most emotionally taxing responsibilities. In this video, Mary Gardner, DVM, cofounder of Lap of Love Veterinary Hospice, explores the important distinction between the clinical necessity of the procedure and the veterinarian’s role in the experience.

Veterinarians can’t always control why a client chooses euthanasia, but they do have complete control over how the process unfolds, explains Gardner. By focusing on the small details, from initial phone communication and sedation protocols to keeping patients in the room for catheterization, veterinary teams can transform a distressing event into a peaceful transition. Ultimately, Gardner argues, getting these professional details right does not only support grieving families but helps protect the mental wellbeing of the veterinary staff as well.

Below is the video transcript, which has been lightly edited for clarity.

Gardner: The euthanasia that we all feel comfortable with—and I say that we're comfortable with, you know, understanding that that's a weird word to say with euthanasia, right? But the majority of euthanasias that we do, they're old, sick animals where it's the best thing for this pet because they're struggling or suffering. There are many times where we may grapple with it because, you know, maybe the family can't manage that dog or cat, but we as a veterinarian or a technician can. And so then we're like, "Well, what would I do?" and we kind of get in our heads like that, right?

Or there are times where even though we think it's appropriate—you know, you've seen this dog for years, you've seen this family, this cat for a decade—it really just pulls on our heartstrings as well. But even though we can't be in control of why we euthanize, we can be in control of how.

All of those small details that go into euthanasia—from the way we answer the phone, from the way we walk in and present ourselves, from the way we describe what's going to happen, from the sedation protocols that we use, from, you know, keeping them in the room and not taking them in the back for catheters, to how we write our sympathy cards—we can actually make that experience so much better. That will not only help the family, but it helps us too. Like, I do dozens of euthanasias a month, but I still pillow my head at night and I'm not emotionally, you know, charged from them because I do them so well. And so that is what I want to focus on: How can we do it so well? Even if you are struggling emotionally, it's going to help you if you can do it really well.