As a receptionist or customer service representative (CSR), picking up the phone to discover a client is making their pet’s euthanasia appointment can be difficult. For one, you may be caught off guard, and secondly, it’s simply a tough conversation. You may have clients standing next to you in the front office able to hear the conversation (awkward at the very least), or maybe you are having an emotionally hard day to begin with. At this moment, you know the caller is making one of the most difficult phone calls of their life. Your demeanor makes all the difference and CAETA wants to help you ..read more

If you’ve spent enough time with me, you’ve likely heard about my first few euthanasia experiences, and how they weren’t my best. Compassionate yes, but technically challenging for me. My stories include such things as hard-to-find veins, not allowing a client to be in the room due to my inadequacies, a vomiting dog, diarrhea on the client’s lap, and too much crying (by me). These were not my proudest professional moments, but I kept at it and didn’t give up on the goal of lovely (dare I say perfect) euthanasia appointments. When you know better, you do better. My clients were grateful for my ..read more

“Endings Matter,” explains Dr. Kathleen Cooney. Veterinary patients, clients and team members deserve to experience and deliver a peaceful euthanasia service each and every time. The veterinary team that takes advantage of a Euthanasia Training Manual (ETM) will reap the benefits in delivering a consistent, gentle euthanasia. ETMs hold the hospital’s standard operating procedures (SOP) on everything from how to greet the client to proper burial guidelines. Training manuals are a necessary part of the job, although in CAETA’s experience, very few veterinary services have them developed for euth ..read more

With the recent trend of intraorgan euthanasia methods on the rise in animals as reported by the Companion Animal Euthanasia Training Academy (CAETA), I want to offer useful pointers on how to ensure unconsciousness and avoid pain. If you are new to the concept of giving pentobarbital (euthanasia solution) in locations other than veins, the goal is to infuse pentobarbital into areas of the body with good blood flow, e.g., heart, liver, kidney. The organ’s vasculature will move the drug to the brain to cause a rapid shutdown of all body systems including permanent death. Because pentobarbital i ..read more

The Companion Animal Euthanasia Training Academy (CAETA) invites you to consider the following euthanasia case, and reflect on how to proceed. After reviewing the case, read the questions and consider your answers before continuing on to CAETA’s suggestions. This case is designed to test your knowledge of companion animal euthanasia, and be a conversation starter among the veterinary team. Case outcomes are enhanced when following CAETA’s 14 Essential Components of Good Euthanasia. Euthanasia Case; Denzel the anxious dog Denzel, a 7-year old, M, 30kg, Australian shepherd with bladder cancer, p ..read more

As veterinary professionals, we are caregivers who shower love and compassion on others. With all you give to your clients, who is caring for you? It is within your control to acknowledge what you contribute in a day, personally and professionally, in making the world a better place. With Valentine’s Day approaching, give yourself some love and attention by learning how to better care for you.  You may recall in CAETA’s Part One of Elevating Your Skills in Delivering an Emotionally Intelligent Euthanasia, we touched on self-awareness, including how you feel about sympathy, empathy, and co ..read more

Emotional Intelligence (EI) is a learned skill. Sure, some folks are born with a higher sense of self-awareness and the ability to perceive their surroundings, and social skills can be learned and enhanced. EI is made up of 5 components: empathy, self-awareness, motivation/passion, social skills, and self-regulation. Now, for us in the veterinary community, linking EI skills while performing a peaceful euthanasia gives us a winning combination. You have what the Companion Animal Euthanasia Training Academy (CAETA) refers to as Emotionally Intelligent Euthanasia, and it leads to a beautiful, co ..read more

“I’m Dr. Kathleen Cooney and I’m a Certified Peaceful Euthanasia Veterinarian.” This feels great to say and it’s been a long time coming.  Over the years, many of you have asked for a CAETA (Companion Animal Euthanasia Training Academy) certification to complement our 10-hour Euthanasia Master Program. Learning how to deliver a peaceful euthanasia is important to veterinary professionals. Highlighting new advanced euthanasia skills to clients and colleagues is special too, and now in 2024, you may do just that. Veterinarians, technicians, veterinary assistants, and other learners within v ..read more

 “Euthanasia is considered one of the most common procedures in veterinary medicine,” states Dr. Kathy Cooney, founder of the Companion Animal Euthanasia Training Academy (CAETA). You may be surprised to learn that euthanasia falls within the top 5 services a veterinary professional delivers in their practice. Oddly enough, formally trained veterinary professionals receive little education in the service, let alone in making it a gentle, compassionate experience for the patient and client. (1) Does this compel you to advance your career and knowledge in the art of euthanasia? Perhaps you ..read more

For many years, the Companion Animal Euthanasia Training Academy (CAETA), has taught the intracardiac euthanasia technique in one particular manner for companion animals. I’ll call it “the common way,” which is to insert the needle into the heart from the lateral side of the chest wall, aiming perpendicular to reach a ventricle, atrium, or honestly, any “heart-ish” space that contains blood to tell us we are in the right location. Intracardiac injections are an alternative to intravenous injections when veins are difficult to find. The heart is like a large vessel with muscle around it, and it ..read more