Pet parent grief is like no other. Supporting pet parents through euthanasia is one of the hardest parts of our jobs. We have all experienced the tremendous sadness of participating in the procedure that ends a pet's life. No matter where you fall on the belief spectrum behind the right or wrong of euthanasia, I think we can all agree the sadness and emotional turmoil we experience during that event affects us all in some way.

As a pet owner, our experiences during the euthanasia appointment can really bond us or break us from our relationship with our veterinarian. My experience, unfortunately, was not as good as I would have liked. It was obvious in those final moments the young doctor was handling my appointment was extremely uncomfortable with a grieving pet owner.

Consider being the pet owner walking into that clinic with your pet knowing you won't be leaving with them. Those steps take bravery, strength, emotional fortitude we often take for granted. We work in the practice and we do hard things every day. Grieving owners walk in that door looking for a lifeline; looking for someone to acknowledge their pain and the intensity of sadness they are going through; looking for someone to lend support. Unfortunately, many team members are not experienced handling the deep emotional situations that come up in the veterinary practice daily. Our jobs are unlike any other: We must be extremely happy and helpful during routine care, but then we must also be able to play funeral director and help with the ceremony of a pet' s death and ushering owners into grief.

The practice's role in supporting – not fixing – client grief

There are techniques we can use within the practice to help prevent euthanasia and pet deaths from harming or causing long-term fatigue in clients and ourselves. One of those ways is by helping join pet owners in their grief without internalizing their trauma for ourselves. We need to remember we are not grieving for that pet in that moment, but instead we are empathizing with that owner's sadness. Leaning into grief and sadness will help the client, the team member, and ultimately the pet in that moment. Acknowledging the deep pain the client is in, as well as our own pain in that moment, will allow us to be more empathetic and sympathetic to the situation.