Making end of life a beautiful experience

In this episode, Adam Christman, DVM, MBA, and Colleen Ellis, CT, CPLP, discuss a critical mindset shift: reframing euthanasia from a failure to the ultimate honor. Throughout the episode, they explore how veterinary teams can elevate hospice and palliative care through intentional clinic protocols, meaningful memorial options, and better client communication. Tune in for practical, clinician-focused strategies to guide grieving pet parents while safeguarding your team’s emotional well-being.

Below is a partial transcript, edited lightly for clarity.

Adam Christman, DVM, MBA: Tell us about that beautiful experience of the end of life.

Coleen Ellis, CT, CPLP: Here's what I like about that story you just shared: He took the strength and said, “Listen, whatever y'all are saying to me, forget it. This dog was everything to me, and it's important to me to have a tuft of hair, to have my strength for the day in this touchstone.” That's basically what it is. It's a touchstone that he holds, and it gives him the strength to make it through the day, whether it's a reminder of the love…[or] a reminder of a chapter of his life—whatever that is—it's that beautiful touchstone that is that reminder. And the fact that he had the strength to say, “I'm not going to listen to y'all. I'm going to do what matters to me to honor him,” and there's 2 stories out of that.

[First], darn those people for saying that to him. But secondly, for us and every one of our listeners out there, be that person [who] rises him up and says, “I'll make space to hear about your golden retriever. Tell me about him. And…I'm not afraid of your tears. I'm not afraid of just sitting here and being with you.”

Here's what I say about [the] end of life, Adam. It is the most opportune time for us to practice one of the most beautiful lessons our animals teach us, and that is…to just be. Animals just sit there; they're not doings. We're human doings—we're not human beings, we're human doings. We have to do, we have to say, we have to have an opinion. Adam, if you're crying, I'm [not] going to [say]…”Stop crying. You gave him a good life. You just need to move on.” Instead, [I’ll say], "Hey, Adam, I'm going to sit here and…make space. I'm going to hold those tears with you.” That's what I want every one of us…to be that person who practices…just being.

Just be with somebody whose heart is shattered. Make space for the tears. Make space for your own tears. Sometimes we can be that wonderful support to others, but when it comes to our own grief, we push it down [and] stay busy. We have to stay busy, because heaven forbid I actually feel for a minute…. So we push it down, and we don't give ourselves permission. We [aren’t] gentle with ourselves. We push it down, and we move on.

Let's stop for a minute, people. Stop [and] make space for yourself. When grief knocks at the door, let him in….

Christman: So many people experience grief differently, and they memorialize their pets differently. Share with the listeners a little bit about that, because one thing that does irk me a little bit is when I'll see [someone] on social media…shaming [others]. Like, “I can't believe like they're memorializing all this stuff. They got a tattoo of the paw pad, [or] the paws of the card. That's ridiculous.” Everyone experiences grief, and they want to memorialize differently.

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