“What Would You Do?”: How Cat Owners Make End-of-Life Decisions and Implications for Veterinary-Client Interactions

Littlewood, Katherine E; Beausoleil, Ngaio J.; Stafford, Kevin J.; Stephens, Christine

doi:10.3390/ani11041114

Cited by 7 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 88 publications

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“…The findings seem to agree with previous studies highlighting systemic disease conditions and QoL triggers that lead to euthanasia decisions, 20 and identifying caregiver burden and client income as strong predictors of euthanasia decisions 12 . In some cases, it can be difficult for the owner to identify any decline in the animal's QoL, and the views of another person may be needed to give a fresh perspective on the animal's condition 11 …”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

“…12 In some cases, it can be difficult for the owner to identify any decline in the animal's QoL, and the views of another person may be needed to give a fresh perspective on the animal's condition. 11 This 'fresh perspective' does not always lead to an agreement; however, some records revealed disagreement between veterinary surgeons and owners regarding the decision for euthanasia. It is worth expanding on potential reasons for disagreement.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It has been shown that prioritising continuity of care, empathic communication and a trusting relationship between veterinary surgeon and client can lead to ‘healthy decision making’ surrounding euthanasia 10 . Owners appreciate veterinary surgeons who understand their relationship with their animals and who validate their decision 11 . ‘Caregiver burden’ is now recognised as being applicable to carers for animal patients, and can be a strong predictor of a client's decision for euthanasia; 12 however, discussion of client personal and family issues that may affect patient care happens minimally in veterinary end‐of‐life discussions 13 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Much of the research into euthanasia or end‐of‐life decision making involves interviews with or surveys of those involved (veterinary surgeons and pet owners) rather than direct observation of end‐of‐life consultations. Methods used in previous studies have included interviews and focus groups with veterinary professionals, 5 interviews with owners of chronically ill pets, 2 interviews with recently bereaved cat owners 11 and surveys of bereaved clients 14 . Euthanasia consultations can be emotionally laden, which makes them difficult to study.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Using electronic health records to explore negotiations around euthanasia decision making for dogs and cats in the UK

Gray

Radford

2022

Veterinary Record

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BackgroundEnd‐of‐life decision making for animals happens daily in veterinary practice. However, access to such discussions as they happen is difficult, in view of the highly emotional circumstances of end‐of‐life consultations. Despite the expanding literature on euthanasia, few studies have explored the circumstances of euthanasia disagreement or delay.MethodsTo explore euthanasia discussions in veterinary practice, consultations recorded in electronic health records in a UK veterinary surveillance database (SAVSNET) were examined. From a sample of 2000 identified consultations, 69 canine and 76 feline consultations were purposively sampled for detailed thematic analysis. Specifically, consultations were selected if they involved a decision to delay euthanasia, including disagreement about the timing of euthanasia.ResultsReasons identified for euthanasia refusal or delay included client‐related factors (e.g., allowing other family members to say goodbye, differing opinions on the quality of life) and veterinary surgeon‐related factors (eg, the wish to carry out further investigations or to try a new treatment). In the instance of refusal or delay, palliative treatment was commonly provided to preserve animal welfare.ConclusionThis study illustrates some of the processes used to negotiate end‐of‐life decision making in dogs and cats. Its findings shed light on the importance of palliative care in providing owners with time to decide.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Using electronic health records to explore negotiations around euthanasia decision making for dogs and cats in the UK

Gray

Radford

2022

Veterinary Record

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“…In the former example, validation of the animal owner's decision could be a very relevant aspect of the emotional support provided by the veterinarian as described in previous literature regarding companion animal owners. (Littlewood et al, 2021). Second, veterinarians are involved in the healthcare of animals kept as companions which they usually see on professional farms.…”

Section: Changing Rolesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The views of farm animal veterinarians about their roles and responsibilities associated with on-farm end-of-life situations

Deelen¹,

Meijboom²,

Tobias³

et al. 2022

Front. Anim. Sci.

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Farm animal veterinarians are often involved in on-farm end-of-life (EoL) decisions and questions concerning euthanasia. These decisions can be challenging for the veterinarian, particularly if the interests of the animal and owner conflict. Moreover, the challenge is related to fundamental assumptions about roles and responsibilities veterinarians ascribe to themselves in EoL situations. Getting insight into what roles and responsibilities veterinarians perceive in these situations is important to understand the challenges veterinarians face and to explore ways to enable them to manage such situations. Existing literature and professional guidelines do not provide sufficient clarity and guidance in terms of the role conception and responsibilities of veterinarians in on-farm EoL situations. The objective of the current qualitative study was to better understand the views of farm animal veterinarians in the Netherlands regarding their roles and responsibilities associated with on-farm EoL situations. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with 19 farm animal veterinarians. In terms of roles in EoL situations, our analysis shows that 1) seven roles can be distinguished based on the interviews, 2) two contextual dimensions influence role perception: a) the stage in which a veterinarian gets involved at the end of an animal’s life and b) the question of whose interests should be taken into consideration and how to prioritize (conflicting) interests by a veterinarian, 3) veterinarians enact a number of the identified roles and the combination of roles varies between individuals and 4) the individual veterinarian changes between roles depending on contextual aspects. In terms of responsibilities in EoL situations, analyses show that 1) individual veterinarians perceive a combination of five identified responsibilities, and 2) the perception of responsibilities relates predominantly to specific animal sectors. This insight into the roles and responsibility perceptions of veterinarians facilitates understanding the challenges veterinarians face in on-farm EoL situations and creates a starting point for how veterinarians can be supported to deal with potential conflicts of interest. These insights could also be valuable in the training of future veterinarians and lifelong learning of veterinarians as it provides a starting point to reflect on, and discuss, one’s role and responsibility in EoL situations.

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Commercial equine production in New Zealand 4: welfare implications of the New Zealand production systems

et al. 2023

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From racehorses to family pets, equine production and management is primarily pasture-based in New Zealand. Pasture-based equine production systems largely reflect the horse’s ecological niche and have a unique set of management and welfare challenges. This review examines the potential welfare issues related to the management of horses in New Zealand. The economic value of horses varies greatly depending on their usage, which covers a wide spectrum from pest species (e.g. feral horses) to production (e.g. racehorses) and companion animals (e.g. leisure and sport horses). The view of where the horse is positioned on this spectrum may cause differing welfare threats to horses, due to the economic considerations, which drive the majority of welfare and managemental decisions. The organisation, management, racing and wastage metrics of the Thoroughbred racehorse industry are well documented, and the benefits of the pasture-based system have become evident through less stressful weaning practices and opportunity for early exercise (which has been associated with longer careers and fewer musculoskeletal injuries). Identification of equine-welfare research priorities in New Zealand remains challenging, given the lack of vertical integration of many sectors of the equine industry resulting in fragmented and limited availability of data.

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“What Would You Do?”: How Cat Owners Make End-of-Life Decisions and Implications for Veterinary-Client Interactions

Cited by 7 publications

References 88 publications

Using electronic health records to explore negotiations around euthanasia decision making for dogs and cats in the UK

Using electronic health records to explore negotiations around euthanasia decision making for dogs and cats in the UK

The views of farm animal veterinarians about their roles and responsibilities associated with on-farm end-of-life situations

Commercial equine production in New Zealand 4: welfare implications of the New Zealand production systems

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