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When It’s Time to Say Goodbye: A Guide to Pet End-of-Life Care with Dr. Liz Tringas

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Summary

The bond between pets and their owners is deeply cherished, and given our pets’ shorter lifespans compared to ours, contemplating their end-of-life care inevitably becomes part of a pet owner’s journey. To help navigate this emotionally challenging period, Kevin Berk recently sat down with Dr. Liz Tringas, a Veterinary Medicine expert and founder of the Spanish Trail Veterinary Hospital in Pensacola, Florida. Their insightful discussion highlights important considerations and options for pet owners facing these tough moments.

Understanding a Pet’s Quality of Life

Determining when it might be time to say goodbye to a beloved pet is no easy task. Dr. Tringas shares that one of the biggest questions from pet owners is understanding their pet’s quality of life. This involves observing changes in their daily activities, such as playing, eating, and just being part of the family. Resources like the “Lap of Love” hospice company’s quality of life scale can provide invaluable assistance to pet owners in these assessments.

Euthanasia: Making the Decision

Deciding on euthanasia is a daunting decision but, as Dr. Tringas explains, it is often the kindest choice. Euthanasia can prevent prolonged suffering, giving pets a peaceful and pain-free passing. Dr. Tringas emphasizes that euthanasia is a gift — not an act of harm or abandonment.

Euthanasia may be carried out at home or in a clinic, depending on the veterinarian and the owner’s preference. Both settings can provide a peaceful departure, with in-clinic support offering additional resources like support staff to help pet owners through the process.

Natural Death vs. Euthanasia

While some may hope for a natural passing, Dr. Tringas discusses the potential challenges and pain that can accompany such an approach. Unlike humans, pets lack comprehensive hospice care that can ease end-of-life discomforts, making euthanasia a more humane option for many.

The Euthanasia Process Explained

Dr. Tringas describes the euthanasia process as quick and designed to be peaceful. Pets are given a sedative followed by an injection that allows them to pass calmly. While some pets may vocalize or experience reflexive movements, these are normal and do not indicate pain.

Considering Family and Other Pets

The decision to include children or other pets during euthanasia depends on individual circumstances. Dr. Tringas advises discussing this with the veterinarian in advance. Some children handle the experience quite bravely, sometimes better than adults. Having other pets present can often help them understand and adjust to the loss.

Planning Ahead for Pet’s Future Without You

Dr. Tringas advises pet owners to incorporate their pets into their will or financial plans, ensuring their care is provided for should the owner pass first. Discussing issues with family members or making arrangements with veterinary clinics can also help ensure a pet’s future wellbeing.

Pet Insurance and Financial Considerations

Pet insurance can alleviate some costs of end-of-life care, though coverage varies. Owners can alternatively set aside a dedicated fund. Dr. Tringas emphasizes that humane euthanasia might be an appropriate choice when financial constraints prevent effective end-of-life care.

Memorializing Your Pet

There are myriad ways to memorialize pets, from creating artwork to forming jewelry from ashes, offering personal and lasting tributes to their memory. Some owners find solace in celebrating past happy moments shared with their pets.

Grieving and Emotional Support

Spanish Trail offers emotional support to pet owners navigating this difficult period. Dr. Tringas highlights the importance of seeking professional help when struggling with grief and encourages open communication with veterinarians who understand the profound impact of a pet’s death.

In Conclusion

Dr. Tringas and Kevin Berk’s conversation encapsulates the profound journey of pet end-of-life care. It’s clear that while saying goodbye is never easy, embracing available options and preparing can ease this transition for both the pet and the owner. For those in Pensacola, Florida, the Spanish Trail Veterinary Hospital team is a recommended resource, and “Lap of Love” offers services nationwide . Ultimately, ensuring our pets’ comfort and dignity in their final moments is the greatest kindness we can offer them.

FULL TRANSCRIPTION:

Introduction to the Podcast and Guest

Kevin: Thank you for joining us on the LightAtTheEnd.com Podcast. LightAtTheEnd.com is a resource for those who want to learn more about end of life topics, but don’t know where to start. I’m Kevin Berk and I’m joined today by Dr. of Veterinary Medicine Liz Tringas, who is also the founder of the Spanish Trail Veterinary Hospital in Pensacola, Florida.

Liz, I’m thrilled that we got introduced and so glad that you’re the one who’s here with me to talk about these important topics of pet end of life.

Liz: Yeah. Well, thank you so much for having me. I’m hoping I can shed a little bit of light onto a lot of questions that people may have.

Kevin: I know you will.

Assessing Pet’s Quality of Life

Liz: So start with the first and arguably biggest one: how do you help pet owners assess when it is time to say goodbye? Yeah. I think, you know, that’s kind of the, the biggest number one  question I get of how, how do we know is this the right time to be doing this? And, you know, every case is, is different, but what I talk to owners about is really assessing, you know, what their [animal’s] quality of life is at home. You know, what those markers are for them and what their dog enjoys doing.

Whether that’s playing ball, barking out the door, going for walks. You know, we kind of pick those markers for clients and seeing if they’re doing any of those things that they enjoy anymore. and we’ve discussed too, the Lap of Love [lapoflove.com]. Shout out to a really good hospice company, They have a nice form for clients to fill out to kind of help assess their dog’s or cat’s overall quality of life. and I think that, that scale really helps people put it in a way that they can make sense and see if they’re in the right direction with everything.

Kevin: Yeah. as we’re talking through different resources, I will be of course sharing those in the show notes and description and on the website as well. So,  lapoflove.com was, was a great one, and I, I took a look at it after we had our last conversation.

Liz: Yeah.

Kevin: And that questionnaire, which you can either fill out online or download a printable copy looks like a fantastic way to assess that.

Liz: Yeah, for sure.

Kevin: Do you find that pets, you know, you talked about the, things that they enjoy as, as giving you a bit of a barometer for whether or not they’re still okay, they’re still doing well. do you find that those things change over the course of an animal’s life and, and therefore by itself, that’s not the only way to, uh, to assess the animal’s kind of happiness and health?

Liz: I think it does change over time. You know, some dogs love to play ball or Frisbee and they do get to a point where, Hey, I’m a little arthritic now. Even though we have great medications to manage those things, sometimes, you know, we, we do lose some of those things that they really enjoyed and they kind of have their new normal, which is maybe going for a little walk around the block instead of chasing the ball for,  you know, an hour.

It may be that they enjoy being on the couch with the family and watching TV with them. It may be that they are really enjoying treats or puzzle treats or playing with their toys inside a little bit. So, you know, there are different markers as they get older. So I think that’s a great question and that that can change as they get older, absolutely.

Kevin: Yeah. So, uh, it probably seems obvious to most people, but still worth saying, don’t make too many assumptions based on, you know, your animal changing over time. but it’s probably a more, a more drastic reduction of those things that joie de vivre that may say that there’s a problem.

Liz: Yep. Correct. And you know, it’s, it’s kind of just making sure that they’re not just sleeping all the time, disengaged from the family, you know, reduced appetite, panting all night long. There’s a lot of different markers that we can look for to see if a pet is in distress or, you know, not comfortable living their life.

Euthanasia: Home vs. Clinic

Kevin: Now, can euthanasia,  when that’s necessary, be done at home or is it generally done in the clinic?

Liz: Yeah, that’s a great question. It depends on your veterinarian. For myself, and my colleagues, we will absolutely go to somebody’s home for euthanasia, just because some pets do get really stressed coming into the clinic, and, owners don’t want their pets to remember their last memory as being stressed, and that’s understandable. so absolutely we can come to the house in a, a special little spot in the house or outside when we choose to do a home euthanasia. That’s a great peaceful way. Some clients don’t want to have that memory at the home and they find that the clinic is the best place. And we try to make it as comfortable as we can at the clinic. The other positive thing about having it at the clinic is, especially if it’s, you know, been a place you’ve been coming to for a long time, you have the support of the technicians, the receptionists, you know, everybody around there to say goodbye and, and help support you as well.

Kevin: I should have started the conversation by saying that as a, a longtime pet  lover and pet owner, I know firsthand that having to put an animal down was… I mean, I had to do it. 12 or 13 years ago, and it’s still, it’s still hard for me to think about. It’s still hard for me to talk about.

it wasn’t a terrible experience in the sense that the, clinic that I was at did a, an amazing job. It just was an impossible deci-… or it seemed like an impossible decision to make, and it, it just was so heartbreaking at the time, and it continues to be, you know, almost as heartbreaking now to think about it.

Discussing Natural Death vs. Euthanasia

Kevin: So, anyone who’s going through this and not sure whether or not they can that decision on their pet’s behalf, I think that’s what I’d like to get into next is, you know, is it okay to just let it happen naturally as opposed to to choosing euthanasia?

Liz: Yeah.

This is a  big, big topic of conversation I have weekly with clients and it’s, it is, it’s a hard thing to fathom picking that time and that date, you know, to let your pet pass. And a lot of people do struggle with being able to make that decision, they feel like, I think I would just rather have them pass naturally than make that decision on my own. And we have this conversation of euthanasia being a gift. It’s not anything that’s bad, especially with a pet that’s suffering. We can alleviate that suffering and that pain and that is a gift in itself, and I try to let people look at it that way.

Animals are a lot like people. it takes them a while to pass, and it can be a painful process for them because we don’t have necessarily a hospice care situation to kind of give them. A lot of pain medication during that, that passing. so this is, I think, the most humane thing we can do.

And I, I tell clients to try to step back and, and try to look at their pet and say, Hey, you know, my, my pet is,  is suffering. We need to alleviate this in the best way that we know how.

Kevin: So I think that what you just said was that, uh, the natural processes can be painful, can take a lot of time.

The Euthanasia Process Explained

Kevin: What does the euthanasia process look like and and what kind of time does that take?

Liz: Yeah, the euthanasia process is generally very peaceful and fast, you know, compared to a natural death, which can take hours to days in some cases. you know, for euthanasia, there’s newer standards now, which is great. We give everybody a really heavy sedative before they, they come in… the pets, of course, and some, some owners would like a heavy sedative as well…

Kevin: I was going to say, I, I certainly could have used it.

Liz: Yeah, and so, so I tell my clients, you know, we’re gonna give them just a little margarita to relax them. And, once they’re nice and and asleep, we place an IV catheter in their arm. We have to have IV access, for the, the final solution.

so once we do all of that, we do  administer the final solution. And, you know, that’s where a lot of questions happen as well. You know, what, what’s gonna happen to my pet when I inject to that solution? and I, I tell everybody, you know, it’s a very quick process. It takes about 30 seconds to a minute for them to pass.

sometimes they can vocalize, not because they’re in any pain, it’s just an overdose of an anesthetic. they can have some agonal breath after they’ve passed, and of course, they can lose their bowels just from, from relaxing, from, from the passing. but. Overall, you know, it’s a very, very peaceful process. Most dogs just fall, fall right to sleep.

Kevin: You just mentioned the agonal breathing. Can you define what that means for anyone who’s, who’s not aware?

Liz: Yeah. Yeah. So what that means is, is the body’s an amazing thing. It tries to stay alive, trying to fire all of its power cells to, to try to stay alive even after passing. And what will happen is the diaphragm will, will contract and, and cause the mouth to open a few times. and that can be startling for  some people if they’re not familiar with that.

it, it does look like the pet still may be with us, but, they’re not. It’s just their body and their, their energy cells trying to fire.

Kevin: Do you think the kids, or other pets should be present for a euthanasia?

Liz: I think that is definitely an individual basis and something you should always talk to the veterinarian who’s, you know, performing the procedure, kind of have a talk of haven’t with them about their ideas on that. But I, I think it’s very individual. If your kids are gonna be there, just talking them through the process once you kind of understand it, and if your kids feel comfortable being there, absolutely.

I think, you know, that’s, if that’s what’s best for your family, then have your kids there. You know, and when I have kids in the room, I try to explain to them too, what’s, what’s going on? And some of them are actually very tough. Sometimes they’re even more tough than their parents. Somehow the kids always have a more positive twist on things.

Kevin: Oh, really?

Liz: They do, they do. So explaining to  your kids what’s happening, and I think them being there is, is okay, but for some kids that are a little more on the sensitive side or if you know that about them, it just may be best to say goodbye at home. And pets, if you have a really bonded pair, I think it might be a good idea to have the other pet there just so they kind of know what, what happened.

Kevin: Is it important for a person to be there for that, that final injection, or do some people choose to just say goodbye with the sedation?

Liz: Yeah, there is absolutely nothing wrong If you feel hey, you know, all of those things that you mentioned, Dr. Liz, when I, when you give that solution, I think that would be very upsetting for me to see any of those things. So, I think I would choose to, you know, step out after sedation and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Once we give the sedation, when we place the IV cath catheter, we actually give another type of injection called propofol, And propofol is actually we use to put pets under general anesthesia just like humans. And that, you  know, sedates the brain completely. They can’t hear anything, they can’t see anything.

So at that time, sometimes is a really nice time to step out and, and say goodbye. you know, so it’s. They look peaceful, you know, they’re happy. so it, it really is a nice way to sometimes say goodbye. but, you know, they’re, it’s absolutely okay to wanna be there till their last breath as well.

Kevin: Got it. I knew I wasn’t gonna be able to get through this without tearing up.

Liz: They’re family! They are.

Kevin: They are. So, how far in advance should someone start considering euthanasia? Is that a, discussion you should be having with your vet early on?

Liz: Yeah, that’s definitely something you should talk with your veterinarian about a little bit ahead of time. We start those discussions, you know, when, when the owners do start to feel there’s some quality life issues, you know, having trouble getting up and down, you know, maybe urinating or defecating on themselves due to arthritis issues, you know, multitude of things. But it does start to kind of come up and that’s when we start evaluating,  Hey, what quality of life are we in? Can we provide medications or things to make this pet comfortable, to give their owner just a little bit more time with them, you know, with the understanding that this… this decision may be coming soon.

But it, it is one of those things we kind of discuss and see is this something that, you know, we have a couple of months for, or a couple of couple of days. And, as we discussed before, the hardest ones, I think are the pets that have a, a slow chronic disease process like, like arthritis or, or kidney disease.

Something that just kind of has a slower decline. Those can be the hardest ones to make a decision for because it’s, it’s so slow and you see them every day and it’s, it’s not an emergency situation, like a ruptured tumor in the abdomen or, or something that you know is, Hey, this is bad. We have to discuss euthanasia, you know, within hours.

But I, I think the timeframe of that depends on, you know, the disease process going on, how acute the issue is.  But, most pets they get to live a long, healthy life. You know, usually we talk about euthanasia months before we do it in general.

Kevin: And I’m guessing for most pets in most situations, there’s, there’s loads of different things that can be tried in terms of medication and treatments and things like that and, and really

Liz: Yes.

Kevin: Euthanasia is the last resort when those things have failed.

Liz: Correct.

Veterinary medicine has come so far with so many things and we have a lot of options now. And I tell clients too, and I think that brings up a good point too, is Even though we can do all of these things now, CT scans, chemotherapy, that we, we have access to so many wonderful things now, and just because we can do all of these things does not mean that we have to, or that it’s right for your family and your pet.

And I think some people do suffer a guilt. Saying, you know, well, if I spend $10,000, maybe I would have a chance at at fixing my dog, and that’s great. For some families, that’s wonderful, but it doesn’t, it doesn’t fit every family. So I  tell people, do not feel bad if you, if you think that this is the best choice for your family, then, then I’m on board.

Kevin: Yeah. I mean, it, it seems to me like the kindest thing you can do is just try and give the pet the best possible life that they can have for as long as they can and, and then, you know, make a different decision when that gets exhausted.

Liz: Absolutely. Absolutely.

Pet Hospice and Palliative Care

Kevin: So, you mentioned early on, pet hospice or palliative care, it does exist for pets, correct?

Liz: Yes, it does. It sure does.

Hospice care is generally carried out through the general practicing veterinarian, and it looks different for every pet. For example, you know, we do have some dogs with slow growing cancers we have oral chemotherapy drugs that are very well tolerated that can slow that cancer down without having to go to extreme measures like surgery or radiation therapy or injectable chemotherapy. So, we have have those kind of  options for certain types of cancers. Even things like lymphoma, um, or type of cancer, prednisone gives a great result for a period of time for some pets without having to go through a lot of treatments and chemotherapy.

Pain management is really a big one in our, our older dogs. I bring up arthritis a lot because we see it a lot in big dogs. Some of them just suffer so bad from arthritis that it ends up being a quality of life issue, once we can’t manage pain anymore. So again, that’s kind of a hospice care situation.

We’ll pull for a lot of different pain control drugs, to try to keep them comfortable as some examples.

Planning for Pet’s Future Without You

Kevin: Moving on to planning ahead just in case something happens to you. If you are no longer able to take care of your pet, is that something that people need to be putting in their wills, they need to be establishing that with their vet clinic?

How do those decisions generally get made?

Liz: Yeah, that’s always a great question. I think being prepared is always wonderful. If you do  have a, a living will, it’s always good to put your animal in there if you can, and how you’ll financially take care of it. I have some clients that actually have finances set aside for their pet, if they were to die. The funds would go to somebody in particular to help take care of their pet. Even just having that discussion with a family member can suffice too, just knowing who would be responsible for that dog if you were to pass. And in some cases, like we talked about too, I have some special clients that are older and, I told them, should anything happen to their pets, you know, Spanish Trail will take responsibility in finding them a great home. So, it’s always very case dependent, but always good to have a plan.

Kevin: Is pet insurance something that you recommend to people?

Liz: Pet insurance can be good. I know it does cover, for most cases, euthanasia costs at least. But as far as kind of overall care, it just depends on the type of insurance that you get. They can be a little particular about what they’ll include, sometimes. For example, like an English bulldog you know, they  all have bad airways, so oftentimes the insurance won’t cover airway surgeries.

Pets that are prone to certain disease processes, these companies won’t [always] cover, cover those things, so it’s always kind of good to look and see what’s included, and what’s not included. I tell people too, a good thing to do is, instead of paying the premium every month, you can put it in a little “Fluffy Fund” or something every month just to save money for emergencies too.

But, I’ve had some cases, especially for young dogs that eat foreign bodies and have to have emergency surgery, those types of things are mostly covered. So again, it’s kind of dependent on, on what you’re looking for and the type of dog you have.

Kevin: Does the pet insurance change depending on the breed that you have?

Liz: Yeah, absolutely it can. So like a cavalier, for example, they are genetically prone to having mitral valve disease. So most of the time they won’t cover, issues with the heart because it’s considered a preexisting condition. Or if you do have an older dog that was diagnosed with arthritis or chronic ear infections, they may not cover ear meds or arthritis meds.

And again, that doesn’t go for all insurance  companies, it’s just some of them I know work that way. Veterinarians still do not directly work with insurance companies. The owners still have to pay upfront and then they can file a claim to see if the insurance company will reimburse them.

Kevin: Oh, okay.

Financial Considerations for End of Life Care

Kevin: What options are available to people who want to provide the best end of life care, but are just financially strained? I, I suspect that’s a tough one, but I also suspect it’s not the first time you’ve heard the question.

Liz: It is not, we have it all of the time and it kind of falls in that realm of, you know, veterinary medicine has changed so much. We have all these expensive things that we can do. my goal oftentimes is to try to reach that medium where we’re keeping the pet comfortable, but staying within the owner’s financial means. And sometimes that’s a matter of looking at different types of drugs that are cheaper, like, something like prednisone is cheap and that can work. Maybe instead of the oral chemotherapy drug that’s gonna be a couple hundred dollars a month. So we try to work, with the  budget that we have, and our knowledge base to, to make it work for everybody. And then there are some cases where the owners, they’re financially tapped and they can’t do anymore, and we just kind of have to have that realistic discussion that humane euthanasia may be the best thing here, if we can’t get these medications and that’s okay.

I always try to, to tell people that that is okay. There’s nothing wrong with that. This pet has lived their best life. It’s a wonderful life. And, you know, if, if this is, if this is where we’re at, it’s, it’s okay.

Kevin: Liz, how expensive is, pet euthanasia?

Liz: Yeah, it depends on probably what part of the country you’re in. in Pensacola, in kind of Florida areas, we look at, you know, an individual cremation being around $225. you know, to get the ashes back. Depends on the clinic if they charge for euthanasia as well. So sometimes there’s some additional fees added on for the euthanasia itself, which could range anywhere from 75 to probably  $150 for the euthanasia itself.

Kevin: So you just touched on the next thing that I wanted to talk about, which was pet remains and what you just said was, it can be a certain amount of money for a package of the euthanasia and dealing with the cremated pet remains…

Liz: Yes.

Kevin: …but what are the options that are generally available?

Liz: Yeah. And depending on your county regulations, this is kind of what we talk about, you know, with my clients is we have the home burial option, which they can, can take the pet home and, and that’s free of charge, because they’re just burying at home. Second is the communal cremation, which is where they cremate all of the pets together, and then kind of depending on the service that you use, some will sprinkle it over their field that they have. In the case of the company that we use, they take them actually down to South Florida and improve their reef systems with those ashes, so they’re doing something useful and I think kind and respectful with the pets.

And then of course there’s  individual cremation where, they will clean out the machine between each pet and put your pet in there individually, to cremate them so the ashes can come back.

Memorializing and Grieving Pets

Kevin: Have there been any ways that people have shared with you or frankly you’ve learned about and shared with people to memorialize their pets after they’ve passed?

Liz: Yeah, we, we have some amazing things that clients have done. We do like little ink paw prints, they get those in the tattoo form. They take the ashes and incorporate them into jewelry or special stones that they keep in the house. I’ve had some people drive them back to their old town and sprinkle their ashes in, in that body of water that they love to swim in.

There’s just so many different ways. We try to offer people things like paw prints, nose prints, even little hair clippings. Anything we can to, to help them remember their pets. There are just so many things out now, artists that do beautiful artwork, of deceased pets and, and things just to kind of always  to keep their memory. So those are kind of the big ones that I see the most.

Kevin: Does Spanish Trail offer grief services or, offer resources, I should probably say to help people who are grieving after the, impending loss or the loss of, of a pet?

Liz: Yeah, that’s a great question. This has been kind of a newer topic, even since I’ve been out of vet school about, 10 years ago. Places have started to offer grief counseling. I know University of Florida, does offer some grief counseling. The Lap of Love [lapoflove.com] I, I think, has some resources as well on that.

Veterinarians we’re sometimes the emotional support and kind of help people understand the grieving process of pets since we do it so much. So a lot of clients kind of lean on us and, I’ve had clients call me a couple days later and tell me that they’re struggling and I always wanna spend time with them and try to talk to them about, you know, how wonderful their dog’s life was, what wonderful pet parents they were. There’s just something about that relationship with a veterinarian that I  think can help people grieve a little better, especially since, you know, we’ve been their veterinarian for sometimes 10 plus years and we really understand what they’re going through and we knew their pets.

So sometimes your veterinarian’s a good source for that. And, and I’ve told people too, you know, if they really are struggling, a mental health counselor too is, is always reasonable. Because this is a family member, you’re losing a family member, and sometimes it’s just as hard as, as losing a, a human, a human companion.

Kevin: Yeah. Yeah, for sure. I’m like [choking up]… If somebody’s just starting to think about end of life planning for their pet, what is the first step that you suggest that they take?

Liz: Yeah, I think first and foremost, is getting the family on board: this is something we need to consider. Absolutely talking to the family if you have, you know, kids or husband, wife, whoever. Just making sure that everybody is kind of on board with this.

Frequently I do find part of the  family that says, “no, the dog is fine.” Other parts say “no, we have some quality of life issues.” So that’s really one of the biggest first struggle steps I see is trying to get the whole family on the same page. And sometimes they are,but I think that’s kind of step number one discussing that with your family member and your veterinarian and then kind of determining what the timeline is going to look like once we’ve made that decision, whether we have medications to make this pet comfortable for a little longer, or, you know, we think it is time within the next few days to a week.

Kevin: Mm-hmm. And when we talked the other day, you mentioned that people sometimes when they have, an animal that, may have special needs or is, is sickly, that at the point that they go outta town on, on vacation or something like that, it’s possible that the animal can have, like, a rapid decline when its people aren’t there, right?

Liz: Yes. And that’s a tough decision when you have a, an older sick animal that’s requiring a lot of nursing care. They  sometimes get very stressed out when their owners leave and can have a rapid decline. We have a beautiful, wonderful boarding facility, so sometimes our clients will choose to, to board their older sick pets.

And we’ve definitely had some cases where the pets have been so stressed out with their owners are gone that they, they didn’t do well. So, I always encourage people, if you do have an older, sick pet to probably not board them. If you can have somebody at the house take care of them, or if you can postpone the trip, sometimes that’s, that’s best.

Obviously, most people have pets are huge pet lovers. Pet owners, they’re willing to do anything and everything for their pet. And when you get a pet that’s getting old or has a chronic condition, you become their caretaker. And, you know, that means for arthritic dogs, you know, having to try to hoist them up with a harness to try to get them out to the bathroom, cleaning up urine and fecal matter. Some dogs that can’t walk to their food bowl requiring them to be brought their food and their water.

So some of these conditions can become very intense  caregiving situations and I oftentimes hear people that they feel like I do not wanna euthanize my pet because I feel like they’re an inconvenience to me. and that is one of the biggest things that I see is that  I’m this big caretaker, I’ve been doing this for years for my dog, and I, I feel like I’m just taking the easy way out by euthanizing them and not, continuing this, this intensive care that I’ve given them. you know, we have to have that conversation of you have dedicated so much of your time and resources to taking care of this pet. that it’s, it’s to a point where, you know. The dog isn’t living their their best life, you’re not able to live your best life either.

So we try to come to an understanding that this is gonna be the, the best thing for, for everybody. And, nobody should ever feel like they’re giving up on their dog because obviously you have ’em, you love ’em, they’re there for a reason, but definitely take a step back and, and look at what this dog’s quality of life is. If they can’t even  walk to go out to the bathroom, you know, or, or they need this much intensive care, they, they may not be living their best life anymore.

Kevin: That’s a really important observation. I’m glad that you brought that up, Liz. After you’ve had the conversation to introduce the idea of having to choose euthanasia, if people are resistant to it, will you tend to bring it back up in the future as an animal’s condition worsens, or do you have to at some point just let it go and hope they come around to the idea themselves?

Liz: Yeah. And there’s, you know, that definitely comes to bedside manner of, of being a veterinarian is trying to be very sensitive to people I can kind of feel it in the tone of their voice or what they’re saying to me, and I, I can kind of bring it up at that time. so we can kind of tiptoe and I, I try to feel them out in a very kind manner to see if this is something that they’re, they’re open to, to discussing. I have some clients that that they  are just, they are not interested in talking about that, and that’s fine. So we try to do what we can and maybe it gets brought up at the next visit,or kind of just a, a different way.

But I usually try to let owners kind of fuel that conversation so it’s their decision. I do try to be an advocate for the pet too, especially a suffering pet, so sometimes we do have to kind of step over those boundaries a little bit just to advocate for the pet as well.

Kevin: Okay. Thank you for explaining that too.

Liz: Yeah.

Emotional Impact on Veterinarians

Kevin: It must be so intense for you and, and your entire team to deal with this, day in and day out. even if, you know, as you’ve said, you’re doing a great service to the animal by providing this in, in their time of need. I just wonder how, how you and the other people that you work with adapt emotionally to handling this for, for pets that you may have seen for their entire lives.

Liz: Yeah, and it’s, it’s hard,  especially, you know, these dogs that I’ve been seeing for 10 years and, you know, I’ve become very close with the owners and the pets. And, there is this, I have, I feel like I compartmentalize in some ways of knowing, Hey, this is, this is the best thing I can do for them. I’m giving them a gift that our human counterparts don’t even get get to, to choose. So I, I think I’m able to give this pet a gift where it’s not suffering anymore. But there’s also that burden of, you know, this is, this is a family member. We, we love them. I love seeing them. They’ve been part of my life for 10 years. so it, it is hard and, you know, it’s. To me, it’s important to stay mentally healthy, you know, dealing with this all the time, and us veterinary professionals have ways of doing that.

you know, exercising, you know, making sure we’re, we’re, we’re staying mentally healthy. but, and, and this, this is something that the veterinary profession in general struggles with. we have one of the highest suicide rates out of any profession. So we have to, we have to try to learn how to  compartmentalize and, and deal with it in a healthy way.

Kevin: My girlfriend, Sacha, had, told me,originally about the, the very high rate among, among people in veterinary medicine and, I can’t remember the name of the website, but I wanna be able to refer to it. Is it not another vet?

Liz: Yeah. Not another vet. Yeah.

Kevin: Okay.

Liz: Yeah.

Kevin: Yeah, thank you for bringing that up. The last thing that you just kind of touched on is, I suppose, less of a question than an observation. It’s just something that my entire life I’ve been so frustrated by the fact that we, we have the ability to do more for our pets than our human counterparts or loved ones or selves. And it really does seem like a tremendous gift to be able to to make that decision and make it so easy and painless for your furry family member  when that time comes. It’s uh, sort of exasperating that the same thing can’t be done for, uh, you know, for our own loved ones and our own selves when, when that time comes.

Liz: Yeah, it’s, I, I think it’s, to me, it’s, it’s surprising, but at the same time, I, I hope that that. Makes people feel better and understand that, you know, again, this is a gift of relieving suffering. And if you’ve ever had to be around a human family member that is sick and not doing well, it’s really hard to see them struggling in that manner.

And, like I said, I always feel like I’m giving them a gift and I am so thankful that I, I’m able to, to do that for them.

Kevin: Yeah.

Conclusion and Resources

Kevin: Thank you so much for doing the work that you do and for your entire team at Spanish Trail. If somebody is in the, the Pensacola, Florida area, they get in touch with you through your website then?

Liz: Yeah, absolutely, absolutely. It has all of our information, email, phone  numbers, so, any questions at all? And, of course if anybody is interested in, you know, home Euthanasias with their pet too. Lap of Love is a national company as well, so I would highly, highly recommend them for anybody that, does have any questions too.

They’re a great point of contact if you’re just not sure who to, who to speak with.

Kevin: Great resource, Liz. Thank you. And, and thank you for your expertise and obviously the work you do.

Liz: Absolutely. Absolutely. Well…

Kevin: I appreciate you being here.

Liz: Thank you so much for having me and, I hope this just helps, even if helps one person out. We, we’ve done our job and, I know this is a very, very hard thing for people. So, just get the right support group, the right veterinarian for you to make you feel comfortable. you know, and I, I hope that, I hope that this helps.

Kevin: I’m sure it will. Wise words, Liz. Thank you so, so much. I appreciate it.

Liz: I appreciate you!