|Articles|November 1, 2013

Signal euthanasias at your veterinary practice

When you work in a small hospital where laughter is the norm, you have to figure out creative ways to let employees know a euthanasia is taking place.

We needed a way for everybody in our hospital to know when a euthanasia was taking place. We have a very small hospital where laughter and banter carries into the exam rooms, so one of our technicians made heart-shaped signs to hang on the doors.

They always stay in the door pockets with the white side facing out, until we have a euthanasia or quality-of-life exam. The pink side reads, "Quiet please." When the pink side is facing out, every one is on alert to keep their voices hushed.

—Terina Dobson, office manager

Poland Animal Hospital

Poland, Maine

From exam room tips to practice management insights, get trusted veterinary news delivered straight to your inbox—subscribe to dvm360.

Signal euthanasias at your veterinary practice

Related Content

Q&A: Why choosing a veterinary job is like choosing a relationship

Q&A: Retaining veterinary technicians

Q&A: Medical errors in veterinary settings

How practices can better support and retain veterinary technicians from different backgrounds

Vet Scene Down Under: Veterinarian builds clinical software

Latest CME

How To Deal With A Pain In The A**: Multimodal Analgesia Beyond The Opioid and NSAID

Optimizing Your Practice Operations and Payments: A Win-Win Approach for Your Clients, Patients and Practice Team

How to Optimize Skin Biopsy Results

4 Hidden Financial Problems Veterinarians CAN Find & Solve

Effective Cardiac Auscultation: What are You Hearing?

Is Premises Flea and Tick Control Still Needed?

Do You Know JAK? How Janus Kinase Inhibitors Work and how They have been Game Changers for the Treatment of Canine Atopic Dermatitis

Early Diagnosis, Staging, and Management of CKD

Perfect Timing: protecting dogs from tick-borne infections

Modulating Immunity: Mushrooms, Oats, and Colostrum

Chronic Pain Management: Looking beyond NSAIDs

5 Ways to Build Better Patient-Client Relationships With AI: Strengthening Care and Connection in Veterinary Practice

Ultra-Easy Ultrasound: Handheld Diagnostic Imaging for Picture-Perfect Outcomes - Case Studies

Clinical Empathy: The Exam Room Skill That Can Transform Your Team

Treating Diabetes in Dogs and Cats: How to Get Started on the Right Foot

Maximize the Value of Your Multi-DVM Practice in Today's Selling Landscape

Mastering Atopic Dermatitis: Multimodal Management for Holistic Control

That’s not my job!: Practical solutions for workplace toxicity

Introduction to Rigid Endoscopy

The Affordability Gap In Veterinary Care - Insights, Market Trends & Practical Approaches To Supporting Pet Parents

Mitigating fear, anxiety, and stress for patients in isolation and quarantine housing

Unlock Your Business's Potential: How to Use Your P & L to Calculate Your Make-Break Target

Demystifying Fiber: How to Approach Fiber-Responsive Diarrhea in Dogs and Cats

Advances in Feline Perioperative Pain Management

Old Dogs, Fat Cats: Perioperative Pain Management in the Geriatric and Obese Patient

2024 AHS Canine Guidelines Update

Chat FecalGPT? Using AI for Revolutionary Parasite Diagnostics and Prevention

All things allergies! From nose to tail and ear to paw..

Safety Shows Respect: OSHA compliance as a way to boost morale and bond teams

Cobalamin Status in Patients With Chronic GI Disease and Management

Why 2+DVM Practices Are at Risk Today: Myths Guide Many Decisions...Not FACTS!

Chronic Disease Management in Practice: Enhancing Care Through Personalized Recommendations

Make or Break: How the Right Mentorship Program Can Define Your Veterinary Career

Can I help my client’s Cruciate Ligament-Deficient dog when TPLO/TTA isn’t an option?

The Role of JAK Inhibitors in Treating Pruritus Associated with Allergic and Atopic Dermatitis in Canines

Creating a Calmer Clinic

Tick Tidbits: Novel Insights & Protection Updates on These Tiny Troublemakers

Repurposed Drugs—An Economical Way Forward for Cancer in Vet Med?

Changing Outcomes, Saving Lives

Conservative Management of Cruciate Injury

Flex Your Veterinary Skills: Mastering Joint Health with Flexadin

Managing Canine Atopic Dermatitis in 2024

Veterinary Professional Liability- Common Claim Drivers

How to Become a STELFONTA® (tigilanol tiglate injection) SUPERSTAR: Part 1 of 4

How to Become a STELFONTA® (tigilanol tiglate injection) SUPERSTAR: Part 2 of 4

Photochemical Laser Therapies and Case Studies

Paws and Reflect: Transforming Pet Health with Nutrition for Obesity, GI, and Urinary Tract Wellness

The Heart of the Matter: Managing complex congestive heart failure

Four Tactics That Make Financial Failure Virtually Impossible

Puppy Socialization or Infectious Disease Prevention – Can’t We Have Both??

From Diagnosis to Lifelong Care: Advancing Feline Chronic Kidney Disease Management

Suture Basics and Applications

Trending on dvm360

Veterinary Emergency Team in Texas deploys in response to NWS cases

Investigational drug shows promise for treating feline obesity

Veterinary hospice offers cats and clients familiar comforts (Part 1): Familiarize clients with veterinary hospice

USDA approves canine vaccination for Lyme disease and leptospirosis

New World screwworm: The flesh-eating parasite returning to the spotlight