Euthanasia And Pain

[JackJack1]

When my guinea pig had to be pts, the vet wasn't my usual vet, but she took him away to give him gas and then the final injection. I found it hard that they never even asked if i wanted to be there at the end, but took him away for the procedure to be completed. It is hard enough to be in this position in the first place, so a vet should let you be there at the end if you want to be. When we had to pts our dog, we were able to be there at the end and even though this was so hard, when I look back, I was glad I had this chance, when there was nothing more we could have done for her, we were there right till the end supporting her. Vets should ask you if you want to support your pet at the end, whatever pet it is.

 

[pig in the city]

Hi All,

Just an update on this. We have filed an official complaint with the head office via email and they are currently performing a full investigation. We expect to hear back from them within 30 days. I have also discussed the issue with the practice manager of the in-hours vets (who we have been very happy with) as they share the same building and have been informed there will be internal communication between the two practice managers.

We will not let this rest until something changes, certainly a written/verbal apology at the very least but also an acknowledgement that additional training has been provided to the vet in question and/or company policies regarding euthanasia methods are bought up to date.

@pig in the city - thank you for the additional information on what to do if we need to escalate this further.

Chris and Kim

Well done for acting, this is the only way that something positive can come out of such an awful event. I lost a 6 month old piggy after a routine neutering, and his brother developed a dangerous deep abscess, 2 other boars neutered by the same vets developed severe deep abscesses. The vet said it was my aftercare that caused the infections! As l have cared for over 30 pigs post neutering and did minor surgery for 25 years when l was a GP l took issue with this conclusion. As a result l went to the Royal college. All l want is the practice to acknowledge that there is a problem and to make changes in their surgical practice. Good luck, at least your practice seem to be taking you seriously

 

[Chris24]

Hi All,

We had a response from the out of hours practice manager who was very open and honest regarding the whole situation. First of all, we were wrong about the cardiac injection - the injection was actually performed into the abdomen (which we understand to be a humane process). We drew this wrong conclusion based on certain factors (animal discomfort, angle of injection, speed of euthanasia etc) as well as subequent google searches.

The practice manager explained the range of euthanasia available and their reason for preferring this particular process over the others. She agreed that the vet should have provided us with full information on the processes and also the options available: neither of which were done. From this, we could have made an informed decision on what we deemed best for Apple. The vet has been informed that clients must be informed of all options prior to the process - something we take comfort from.

Thank you all for your kind words and support at this difficult time. We can now rest easier knowing that despite the breakdown in communication, the euthanasia processes was humane (if not our preferred option), and Apple would not have been in undue discomfort.

Chris and Kim

 

[Abi_nurse]

So sorry of your loss

x

 

[AuntyC]

So sorry for your sad loss and pleased the vet reacted to your complaint quickly. I have been with both our lovely dogs at the end of their long and happy lives when pts and the compassion and expertise of our then vet made an otherwise heartrending occasion just that bit easier to bear. I certainly couldn't do that part of their work. You take care and sending hugs xxxxx