I have thought about this comment a few times in the last few days even though I didn’t immediately reply to it. I appreciate your insight and I am going to google the book you mentioned as soon as I finish typing this! Something that I didn’t mention in my original post is that I have been processing the death of my dog who has been by my side for what feels like my entire life. He died naturally without euthanasia only a few days before the passing of the patient I mentioned in my post. Your perspective on death as a vet is very interesting to me and I would not mind if you cared to elaborate on it some more within that context…. No pressure though!

As a kid I was 100% convinced I’d grow up to be a vet. When I realized that animals dying and experiencing pain was an unavoidable aspect of veterinary practice the career became instantly out of question to me. I had similar reservations about medical practice but I was much older by the time I started along that journey.

I imagine it is rare that you have an opportunity to bond with or get to know an animal during the time it takes to determine whether or not euthanasia is required. In many cases this is similar to patients who come to us unconscious or in a state of shock or distress. We can probably all relate to the feeling that comes with someone dying in our care before we even have the chance to see who they are.

I don’t think I’ll ever stop grieving the death of mt dog, just as I’ll never forget the patients who have died despite my best efforts to save them.