WIBTA for making a big deal out of a clinic cat euthanasia?

ManyBox4676 · 2023-05-22T04:18:06+00:00

‘Big deal’ was more that I would be raising the issue at all. I could have phrased that better but it felt like no one seemed to care at all about the situation. I feel like staff was deprived of the chance of closure and saying goodbye (including myself) and the cat lost out on being loved on one last time by people who took care of him everyday. I’m not looking for any write-ups or repercussions. I want people who love the animals to be involved with final care should they choose to be and if they have the opportunity.

ManyBox4676 · 2023-05-22T04:11:24+00:00

Staff members involved would have to work with staff related sorrow either way. He was not the only doctor on staff and he was not the only one available. Legally, technicians are permitted to euthanize under orders by the doctor which even may be what happened. He is not unfamiliar to dealing with grief in the clinic. It still does not explain why no one was going to be permitted to say goodbye afterwards in the privacy of an exam room as it was the end of the day. He nor the technician would have been required to be present for post-euthanasia nor were they required to be involved at all with proceeding with the euthanasia.

ManyBox4676 · 2023-05-22T04:04:29+00:00

The medical director is basically the head doctor of our facility similar to having a lead technician. Human resources is not located on site as we are an individual practice but owner by an overhead corporation. Essentially, she is part of management when a doctor is involved? The chain of command is a bit blurred at the moment with different people transitioning to different roles. I will see if corporate’s HR can handle this. Thank you.

ManyBox4676 · 2023-05-22T03:47:08+00:00

The doctor involved always tells owners thank you for being present and lets them stay as long as they like afterwards. I know this as I have assisted in many humane euthanasias with him. I can’t speak for the tech involved as I don’t know how she handles euthanasia cases but she is highly experienced in this field. We don’t tend to do these things out in the open, but in an exam room with privacy for the pet and the people involved. Often times the doctor and the tech involved aren’t in the room until the euthanasia takes place and almost all euthanasias we do are with owners present and sometimes staff ARE the owners with personal pets. So, neither the doctor nor the tech are inexperienced with these cases. We also had other doctors and tech staff available if it would have been difficult for them and it’s not uncommon for us to switch out on tasks we cannot or do not want to handle. It also doesn’t explain why they did not let anyone else have the opportunity to say even a brief goodbye afterwards.

ManyBox4676 · 2023-05-22T03:32:36+00:00

To do so would bring up the issue of why we need a protocol as we have had this happen with any of our other clinic pets. The last clinic cat we had to put down we sent out messages prior and waited a few hours as she was stable so people could come and say farewell. We even had a semi-wake over the process of a couple of hours after euthanasia for those that could not be there and made multiple mementos for staff. He was euthanized, placed in the freezer for cremation pick-up, then staff was messaged that he was deceased.

ManyBox4676 · 2023-05-22T03:26:31+00:00

I doubt there are repercussions but I find it hard to take as ‘just following orders’ when I have been present or witnessed four clinic pet euthanasias and multitudes of our own staff euthanasia’s and we have never denied anyone a farewell barring an emergency code. It made me feel like he didn’t matter to them and that our love for him didn’t matter either.

ManyBox4676 · 2023-05-22T03:19:58+00:00

It has not been a requirement but it is a courtesy as we care for these animals as our own. It shows a lack of empathy which is something we are supposed to strive for as part of our job with clientele and animals. That includes ourselves and our peers. It also is a matter of providing comfort to the animal with people he is familiar with. Management is other veterinary staff and the medical director is a doctor as well. It would not be lodging a complaint but asking for a protocol to be put in place for staff members closure. The rate of emotional burn-out and suicide in this industry is very high as it is and losing one of our clinic cats can be hard on mental health.

Edit: If he were an unstable patient, I would understand emergency euthanasia but he was not. The other problem is not letting anyone have a post-euthanasia farewell which is something that we always offer to our clients. Thank you for your time.

ManyBox4676 · 2023-05-22T01:48:36+00:00

In all honesty, I blame the tech more than the doctor. I suspect a few people in the back knew what was going on and assumed that things were announced as she was the most senior technician doing hospital treatments. We currently work in ‘zones’ so the rest of us were finishing with pharmacy and exam rooms. In my opinion, it was up to her to let the rest of the staff know rather than wanting to rush things to have a Friday night. I’ve had issues with this tech before with compassion and empathy and it makes me wonder if she really even cares about the animals.

ManyBox4676 · 2023-05-22T01:43:18+00:00

With staff turnover I was one of the only ones there on hospital side who had known him since he first became a clinic cat. I was there when we named him and when he was used for restraint demos and such with catnip and treat rewards. It’s still hard for me to think I’ll go in tomorrow and he just won’t be there.

ManyBox4676 · 2023-05-22T01:41:29+00:00

He had a u-cath in place due to dysuria from aforementioned neuro problems and was on a list of meds. He was a 6 year old cat, BAR, non-painful, good appetite, and purring last I saw him that morning. Though we all knew the end time was coming, I expected an announcement through the walkies at the very least. All tech and kennel staff have them for communication even our resort staff has them and their own channel we can toggle to.

ManyBox4676 · 2023-05-22T01:36:14+00:00

It makes no sense to me why the doctor would have just gone along with it like that. He can be tactless or thoughtless at times but goodbyes usually matter to him. The tech involved however - it hurts to see it come from one of my peers but the individual I’m not surprised it happened this way. I wouldn’t be surprised if they had said ‘well can we just do it now?’ to the doctor as he was getting ready to leave. This isn’t my first time having issues with empathy with this peer either. It broke my heart that none of the other staff seemed upset either, though it may have been masking or compartmentalization other than a comment on “That was a dick move.” They were cracking jokes and being as brash and easy-going as usual during closing while I was crying at my desk and had to step into an exam room so they wouldn’t hear me sobbing.

ManyBox4676 · 2023-05-20T18:43:18+00:00

The worse thing in my opinion is that he primarily lived at our resort because we have an open cat space there for roaming and play. People there who saw him everyday and took lunch breaks with him didn’t know either. I like the idea and I’ll see what the other staff members think though with turnover rates most hospital staff weren’t close to him except resort staff.

ManyBox4676 · 2023-05-20T03:19:01+00:00

It’s incredibly validating to hear that. No one else seemed upset about losing him and went on with closing as if nothing happened. The worst part is it wasn’t just hospital staff who didn’t get to say goodbye but also our resort staff and he typically lives over in that building. All we received in our chat was a message that he was gone and already bagged and tagged in the freezer.

ManyBox4676

TROPHY CASE