Veterinarians Help Grieving Pet-Owners - ICS Workplace ...

One of the benefits of writing blogs is the opportunity to meet interesting and caring people.? Valarie Hajek Adams, from Stevens Point, WI is one of those people. She first responded to our blog on ?Are You Suffering from Compassion Fatigue,??which we ?followed with ?Solutions to ?Compassion Fatigue in the Veterinary Practice.?

As a professional in the veterinary business for 40 years Valerie has seen the acceleration of advances in medicine which has brought both blessings and challenges for pet owner.? In the process she has come to understand the grief that pet owners experience as they struggle with end-of-life decisions. ? Experience has been a wonderful teacher for her, she says. ?Every time I serve a dying patient and the family I sit at the foot of the teacher.?

She?s now leading the emerging field of Veterinary Hospice and Palliative Care. She lectures on the subject and heads the Healing Heart Foundation, Inc., which sponsors programs stemming from the experience she has had with the bond and promise she (as well as other pet-owners) has made from the moment her pet entered her life.

Her foundation offers a variety of programs promoting philosophies and partnerships that honor the spirit of the human-animal bond.? One the resources provided on her website highlights things to think about at the moment of loss.? She writes:

• Give yourself permission to grieve.
• Rest-Relax-Exercise.
• Surround yourself with people who understand.
• Educate yourself about the grief process.
• Acknowledge your feelings.
• Allow yourself small pleasures.
• Be patient with yourself.
• Give yourself permission to backslide.
• Seek professional assistance, if necessary.
• Get in touch with your higher power.
• Identify what has helped you in the past.

We?d add a thought for those around the grieving pet-owner: bring to the fore the communication skills that you?ve learned that express your empathy and acceptance of the feelings.

If you have stories of your own experiences with end-of-life decisions that you?re willing to share, send us a note (and maybe a photo of your much-loved pet).

Signing off for now,

Carolyn and John

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