{"id":19655,"date":"2019-12-12T19:57:50","date_gmt":"2019-12-12T19:57:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/todaysveterinarypractice.com\/?p=19655"},"modified":"2022-02-18T21:04:14","modified_gmt":"2022-02-18T21:04:14","slug":"the-winter-holiday-season-and-euthanasia-rates-the-unexpected-correlation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/navc.sitepreview.app\/todaysveterinarypractice.com\/news\/the-winter-holiday-season-and-euthanasia-rates-the-unexpected-correlation\/","title":{"rendered":"The Winter Holiday Season and Euthanasia Rates: The Unexpected Correlation"},"content":{"rendered":"

The holiday season calls for food, fun, and family \u2014 including pets. Many people take time off to travel and spend time with loved ones or invite friends and families into their homes. It is a time marked by celebration, feasts, and gift-giving. Unfortunately, it can also be a stressful, busy time for pet owners and veterinary staff, especially if they are faced with end-of-life decisions for their pets and patients.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Anecdotally, euthanasia rates spike beginning in November through early January, particularly for older or chronically ill pets. Although there isn\u2019t any definitive research conducted on holiday euthanasia rates, many veterinary professionals will tell you there is a noticeable increase during this season. \u201cThe best way to describe it would be there is an increased sense of urgency around the holidays,\u201d said Dr. Dr. Dani McVety, DVM, co-founder of Lap of Love Veterinary Hospice<\/a>, the largest network of veterinarians dedicated solely to end-of-life veterinary care.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Speaking for Lap of Love, Dr. McVety states it\u2019s even harder to ascertain if there\u2019s an increase in her practice. \u201cWhen we look at our rates there is a bit of a swing, anywhere from a 2% to 5% increase, but that can happen any month. We are a rapidly growing company, so we\u2019re increasing business at 5% to 15% month over month.\u201d However, Dr.\u00a0 McVety shared that \u201ci<\/span>n Tampa, the week after Thanksgiving is typically very busy for us.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Dr. McVety started in the veterinary industry as an emergency medicine practitioner and eventually found her calling in end-of-life care. She says, in her experience, clients can have a myriad of reasons for waiting until the holiday season.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For starters, family is often the focus of the holiday season and pets are increasingly being viewed as an integral part of the family. Dr. McVety shared, \u201cThey just want one more Christmas, one more moment together, one more time together. My son got his dog at Christmas so when that time comes for him we know we\u2019re going to strive to get that \u2018one more.\u2019\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnother reason is [visiting] family; they end up walking into the home and saying \u2018Oh my gosh Max is still alive, he looks terrible, why are you doing this, why are you waiting so long.\u2019\u201d Owners who spend day in and day out with their pets might not recognize, either intentionally or unintentionally, how bad their pets\u2019 health has declined and their eyes might be opened by those with a fresh perspective.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While the owners might recognize that the pet isn\u2019t having the best quality of life any longer, no one wants to mar the holidays by putting down a beloved member of the family. \u201cThey wait in the early November stage because they\u2019re just trying to get through the holidays, wait until family can get back in town,\u201d says Dr. McVety. \u201cSo sometimes that ends up pushing it into the December timeframe, which by then is too long and they end up in an emergent situation.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The decision as to when to euthanize doesn\u2019t revolve solely around the owners\u2019 emotional element; there are also financial and convenience considerations. \u201cI do think because there is a bit of a financial constraint around this time and there is a lot going on, emotions are running high, so for certain people the idea of managing their pets\u2019 end-of-life care can be difficult,\u201d Dr. McVety says. \u201cPeople go out of town and are concerned about leaving their elderly pet alone, and then they come back and the pet typically has declined while they\u2019re gone.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The end-of-life stage is hard for everyone involved, and the added stress of the holidays doesn\u2019t help. Veterinary professionals are expected to be just that \u2014 professional. \u201cOwners are begging us to get their pet through one more holiday or until family can see them one more time,\u201d Dr. <\/span>McVety<\/span> says in explaining the emotional burden on the veterinary team. \u201cWe want to give that to them so badly that sometimes when we can\u2019t, or maybe as a general practitioner when you wake up and realize this client had to go to the emergency room in the middle of the night because their pet crashed, there could be a lot of guilt associated with that decision.\u201d Dr. <\/span>McVety<\/span> says those feelings of guilt spill into a veterinary professional\u2019s life outside of the clinic. \u201cYou go home after a hard day around the holidays, and you want to be able to be present and jolly with your family, but it can be hard when you\u2019re thinking about the family who just went home without their pet.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite these stresses and strains, Dr. <\/span>McVety<\/span> finds fulfillment and bright spots in providing end-of-life care. \u201cThe thing that I stress a lot with the doctors that aren\u2019t in this field is that when it comes to what our clients want from us, they want us to feel for them\u2014they don\u2019t need us to do for them,\u201d she says. \u201cWe can get very wrapped up in what we need to do for people, but in reality, a little bit of empathy goes a long way. Just being present with them, feeling for them, that\u2019s a huge gift to a person in this situation.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

However, when euthanasia is not part of a veterinary professional\u2019s everyday job, it can have a serious negative effect on their mental health. \u201cIt can be a significant strain on the members of our profession that maybe don\u2019t have that same personality or skill that doctors that do this all the time have,\u201d says Dr. <\/span>McVety<\/span>. \u201cAs a hospice practitioner, this is what we\u2019ve chosen to do, but that\u2019s not what everyone has elected; other doctors are fulfilled by different reasons. This is what I do and I love it. If you don\u2019t have those same skills of coping and being able to understand what we\u2019re here to do then it can be a drain.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Dr. McVety has the following advice for those general practitioners who struggle with euthanasia: \u201cIt would be twofold: Number one, be present with people. Just because you may not feel that it is something you want to be doing right now \u2014 maybe you don\u2019t enjoy euthanasia \u2014 but just be present with people and feel your way through that time with them. Second, be open to the gratitude that they have for you afterwards. Sometimes we almost feel guilty that a client has gratitude for what we\u2019ve just done \u2014 you might feel like you\u2019ve given up and they\u2019ve given up \u2014 but if you can empathize with them through the experience, it will change the way you experience euthanasia.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Dr. McVety adds that \u201cwhen you do end-of-life care every day, you realize we have such a blessing in veterinary medicine in that we have euthanasia, and we can provide that relief, that painless passing and peaceful ending . . . but you\u2019ve got to be open to that gratitude because it\u2019s a positive impact we have on the world. It\u2019s an inspiration for younger children, it\u2019s a way we can inspire a new generation of people to respect veterinary medicine, and it\u2019s a way we can find fulfillment in our work.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Compassion fatigue can increase during the holiday season for a number of reasons, but for veterinary professionals, the increased rate of euthanasia, clients\u2019 outpourings of grief, and the resulting guilt can have a rough impact on what is supposed to be a joyous season. Being aware of these negative feelings is important, but also recognizing the overall good you\u2019ve done can help you through it. Find comfort in your co-workers and family, make sure you\u2019re taking time for your mental and physical health, and remember why you do what you \u2014 to provide exemplary services to pets and owners.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Watch the <\/span>Spark!<\/span><\/i> video below to hear Dr. Dana Varble expound on these coping tips.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n