Gain knowledge of hospice

The veterinary-client relationship then can move into a new phase. That need for palliative and hospice care is growing as more people see their companion animals as part of the family.

Just as the veterinary industry is taking a page from human medicine in its call for regular health checkups for animals, it is slowly acknowledging the need for palliative and hospice care. “There have been two international symposiums on the subject. The interest is growing among our profession,” says Gail Bishop, B.S., clinical coordinator of the Argus Institute at Colorado State University (http://csuvth.colostate.edu/diagnostic_and_support/argus/).

Offering it as a business service can seem daunting.

“Often vets are there from the time the pet is acquired until the time the pet dies,” says Page Yaxley, DVM, DACVECC, of Michigan State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital and founder of the Veterinary Hospice Service there (cvm.msu.edu/hospital/services/veterinary-hospice-care). “Most veterinarians are trained in treatment of disease, but few have knowledge about hospice, or the option of hospice.” There has been little training on grief or how to deal with communications.

The average veterinary student receives one hour of training about end-of-life care in four years of training, says Yaxley. “Most schools incorporate this hour into classes such as ethics or anesthesia, and mostly focus on the American Veterinary Medical Association guidelines for euthanasia and legal ramifications of the act itself.”

Yaxley finds that amazing since euthanasia is something that veterinarians have the privilege of performing, and “the thing that separates us from all other allied health professions.”

Education options growing
Bishop notes that CSU is one of the few school to take on those issues. It offers grief education and end-of-life issues in the third-year core curriculum. “We offer four hours and then again additional education for our hospice volunteers,” she said.

Volunteer opportunities at some veterinary schools allow students to help clients through their journey. Different groups are offering programs and conferences.

The International Association of Animal Hospice and Palliative Care (www.iaahpc.org) offered an eight-hour RACE-approved program in 2011 and is planning a three-day conference in the fall of 2012 in Colorado.

In January, it began monthly webinars for veterinary professionals focusing on such topics as “Natural Death,” “Building the Hospice,” “Pain Management,” and “Marketing Your Pet Hospice Service.” 

The Nikki Hospice Foundation for Pets, under the auspices of the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association, is organizing the Third International Symposium on Veterinary Hospice Care (www.pethospice.org/TISVHC.htm). It is set for July 20-22, 2012, at Wellman Hall at the University of California at Davis. CEUs will be offered to DVMs and VTs as well as to MSWs, LCSWs and MFTs.

Have good quality control

Palliative and hospice care is not black and white but unique to each individual situation, says Yaxley.

To that end, the IAAHPC has established a task force that will publish Guidelines for Recommended Practices in animal hospice and palliative care. The guidelines are expected to be available in the summer of 2012.

“I would like hospice to become a recognized option between the diagnosis of terminal or chronically debilitating/progressive illness and the point of euthanasia,” says Yaxley.

Price it appropriately

Amir Shanan, DVM, of Compassionate Veterinary Care (www.compassionatevet.com) of Chicago, operates a full-service clinic and a palliative and hospice care service for his clients and referrals. Shanan says that if you want palliative and hospice care to be another offering of your veterinary hospital, the main investment is in hiring, training and developing protocols. It also can be offered as an exclusively mobile, in-home service separate from any veterinary hospital.

Can it make economic sense? In that respect, it’s no different from any other veterinary service requiring advanced skills, says Shanan. “As in every other sector, clients will be happy to pay for services that fulfill their needs.”

Ellis warns that those veterinarians who decide to offer this service may want to give from the heart. “But you have to price it appropriately. Palliative and hospice care is not a philanthropic service.”

But in this economy? Don’t rush to judgment. Ellis recalled one low-income client who paid for the hospice care of her beloved pet on an installment plan. When it came to the last payment, the client asked if she could continue to make payments so the money could be used to help someone else in need benefit from pet hospice care.

Pet parent drives the process

Hospice also is not just about natural death. “It’s whatever the pet parent wants,” says Ellis. Some people, after hospicing the pet, decide that the time is right to allow their beloved pet to rest in peace. “They can let you know they are now OK with the euthanasia experience. The pet parent drives the process,” says Ellis.

Just as with many movements, this one has its early adopters. Others are going to watch to see how it evolves. It may create a market share shift, says Shanan.

“If you, my vet at Clinic A, are not offering hospice for my beloved pet but Clinic B across town is, perhaps I should take my pet there.”

Resources are available to help you add palliative and hospice care service

Maureen Blaney Flietner, a former newspaper journalist, is a fulltime freelance writer, editor and designer. If there is a topic you would like discussed or want to learn more about her services, contact her through her website at www.mbfcommunications.com or email: Maureen@mbfcommunications.com.