Looking after your animal at the end of their life is as important as it is at any other time. We asked holistic vet Ilse Pedler for some advice on steering us through this difficult decision, especially in lockdown.
One of the unforeseen consequences of the pandemic is the alterations vets have had to make in their working practices. I’m sure many of you will have experienced this already; the handing over of your pet in the car park and seeing it disappearing into the surgery without you being by its side and the subsequent explanations of treatment outside in the pouring rain!
To clarify the situation, this is not how vets want to work, it’s how we’ve been instructed by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons to minimise the risk of transmission of the virus and to protect the vets, nurses and other surgery staff from infection. If someone became infected, it could in theory close down a whole practice.
While this is unsettling enough, it is even more distressing when the time has come for a beloved pet to be euthanased. Often the last thing we can do for the animals that have enriched our lives and been part of our families is to be there for their final journey and if this is not possible it can trigger feelings of greater grief and even guilt.
Check your vet’s lockdown euthanasia protocol
All veterinary surgeries will have developed a euthanasia protocol to use during the pandemic, so it’s very important to contact your surgery and talk it through with them if you feel that the decision for euthanasia may be imminent. All vets understand what a traumatic time this is, most vets and practice staff will have had pets of their own euthanased and will know the enormity of the decision.
Practices will do their utmost to follow an owner’s wishes where possible. Some surgeries have set aside a special room where you can be with your pet before and after euthanasia, if not for the actual procedure itself. Some have allowed the owners to be in the room but not actually holding the pet, other surgeries will place an intravenous catheter and use a long drip line, so they can give the injection while the owner is holding their pet. Most surgeries have stopped carrying out home euthanasia’s because of the increased risks of Covid infection. Finding out what your vet’s euthanasia policy is the first step. Taking your pet home to bury should still be possible if that is what you wish.
Things may change over time
Due to the rapidly changing situation with the pandemic and Government guidelines, the advice from practices may also change over time. Some practices had started allowing clients back into the waiting room but due to the current post-Christmas lockdown, most vets have had to tighten their procedures again.
What else can you do to reduce the stress of the situation?
- It may be appropriate to ask for a sedative to be given before the actual euthanasia, so when you do hand your animal over, they will already be very sleepy and less aware of what is happening.
- Rescue remedy can really useful for reducing anxiety for the pet and the owner.
- Pet Remedy, a herbal calming product, comes in a travel spray that can be sprayed on cat bedding and on a dog’s collar or bandana and as wipes which you can give to the vet to wipe their hands with before handling your pet.
- Other antianxiety products such as Nutracalm may also be useful.
- Homeopathic remedies – there are a variety of remedies that can be used to reduce fear and anxiety in animals. Aconite for the pet that is very fearful and likely to panic, Arg nit for animals that worry in anticipation of a visit to the vets often to the point of having diarrhoea and others like Gelsemium, Lycopodium and Phosphorus. Talk to a homeopathic vet about the remedy that will suit your animal the best.
- Don’t forget yourselves; taking a remedy like Ignatia, the classic grief remedy, can often help enormously and a remedy like Cocculus, the ultimate carer’s remedy, can help you rationalise the decision you’re having to make.
If it’s the right thing to do, don’t delay
A final thought would be, don’t delay the decision for euthanasia because you are anxious about how different it will be from what you’d hoped or expected. It is so important not to extend the life of an animal if there is any chance that this would prolong any suffering, even if it is unintentional. However hard the decision is, we owe it to our faithful companions to try and get it right for them.
Checklist
- Prepare well in advance if at all possible.
- Check what the euthanasia protocol is for your practice.
- Ask if there is a specific room in the practice where you can sit with your pet before the euthanasia itself.
- Ask them if they can agree to any special requests.
- Ask if they can give a sedative before the euthanasia if you want.
- Check with pet cremation services if you are using one to see if there are any special requirements.
Useful links
See our modalities section for more information on homeopathy or visit the British Association of Homeopathic Veterinary Surgeons, BAHVS. We also have a blog about the first aid use of homeopathy here.
See here for more blogs by Ilse.
Keep an eye out for more blogs about end of life care and euthanasia.
Ilse Pedler MA VetMB Vet MFHom MRCVS
Ilse qualified as a veterinary surgeon from Cambridge University in 1989 and started work with Mercer and Hughes in Saffron Walden, Essex, treating both large and small animals. She became a director in 1992 working her way up to senior partner by the time she retired from there in 2020.
Ilse had always had an interest in complementary therapies and studied with the Homeopathic Physicians Teaching Group (HPTG) in Oxford, gaining the Diploma of Homeopathy in 2001. She went on to study Chinese traditional medicine and acupuncture and more recently herbal medicine. Ilse has written many articles on complementary therapies for magazines and is a member of the British Association of Veterinary Herbalists, The Raw Feeding Society, The British Veterinary Association and is currently President of the British Association of Homeopathic Veterinary Surgeons (BAHVS).
With over 30 years of experience, Ilse has recently set up Ilse Pedler Holistic Veterinary Care. Here she offers holistic veterinary treatment for animals in Cumbria and the NW, providing services in acupuncture, herbs and homeopathy as well as advice on species-appropriate diets and a wide range of supplements.
Ilse Pedler MA VetMB Vet MFHom MRCVS
Ilse qualified as a veterinary surgeon from Cambridge University in 1989 and started work with Mercer and Hughes in Saffron Walden, Essex, treating both large and small animals. She became a director in 1992 working her way up to senior partner by the time she retired from there in 2020.
Ilse had always had an interest in complementary therapies and studied with the Homeopathic Physicians Teaching Group (HPTG) in Oxford, gaining the Diploma of Homeopathy in 2001. She went on to study Chinese traditional medicine and acupuncture and more recently herbal medicine. Ilse has written many articles on complementary therapies for magazines and is a member of the British Association of Veterinary Herbalists, The Raw Feeding Society, The British Veterinary Association and is currently President of the British Association of Homeopathic Veterinary Surgeons (BAHVS).
With over 30 years of experience, Ilse has recently set up Ilse Pedler Holistic Veterinary Care. Here she offers holistic veterinary treatment for animals in Cumbria and the NW, providing services in acupuncture, herbs and homeopathy as well as advice on species-appropriate diets and a wide range of supplements.
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