Animal End-of-Life Care

For Veterinarians, Technicians, and Support Staff

One CE credit hour per program

Dr. Kathleen Cooney is founder of Home to Heaven, P.C., a 24/7mobile pet hospice and euthanasia service, based in Northern Colorado. Along with her mobile work, Dr. Cooney operates the nation’s first pet euthanasia center on her farm in Loveland, Colorado. She was a contributing member of the AVMA’s 2013 euthanasia guideline panel and AAHA appointed her as a task force panel member for their End-of-life Care Guidelines to be released in 2016. In 2012, Dr. Cooney published her first book for veterinarians regarding the many facets of in-home euthanasia. Dr. Cooney is also a co-author of a book on euthanasia technique training, published by Wiley-Blackwell. She teaches animal hospice and euthanasia protocols to students in Colorado State University’s veterinary medical program. Due to her many years of practical experience, she founded Cooney Animal Hospice Consulting in 2016 to help other providers develop their hospice services. Dr. Cooney is a Past President of the International Association for Animal Hospice and Palliative Care and teaches nationally and internationally on all subjects related to end-of-life.

Animal End-of-Life Care Programs

Program 1: Veterinary Hospice – Designing a hospice plan Description: This one-hour lecture is designed to educate veterinarians and technicians about veterinary hospice care. The focus will be to educate staff on ways to prepare families for their pet’s end-of-life care once a terminal diagnosis is made. Special attention will be given to disease symptoms, signs of pain, and assisting families in the grieving process. Upon completion of the lecture, attendees will be able to:

•   Define veterinary hospice •   Recognize a potential hospice patient •   Directly implement a hospice model into their current practice •   Build a hospice team in their community •   Offer resources to clients preparing for end-of-life care

Program 2: Pet Loss Support Description: This one-hour lecture is designed to educate veterinary clinic staff on the importance of proper pet loss support. It is meant to enhance a person’s natural empathy and provide ways to provide more compassionate care throughout the dying process. The lecture will walk participants through Anticipatory Grief as well. Upon completion of the lecture, attendees will be able to:

•   Define Anticipatory Grief •   Offer phrases that will promote healthy mourning •   Understand why people feel they way they do about pet death •   Implement supportive practices

Program 3: Improving Clinic Euthanasia Description: This one-hour lecture will discuss the ways clinic staff can improve upon the euthanasia experience, both for the pet and family. The euthanasia appointment will be gone over step by step to ensure consistency each time. Dr. Cooney will examine current protocols and offer suggestions that can be immediately applied in practice. Upon completion of the lecture, attendees will be able to:

•   Set a euthanasia appointment with compassion and empathy •   Recognize the needs of the family and pet before they arrive and during their visit •   Modify the euthanasia room as needed for added comfort •   Utilize appropriate euthanasia techniques to aid healthy mourning •   Avoid difficult euthanasia situations and keep clients coming back

Program 4: Review of the AVMA Euthanasia Guidelines - Updates on domestic animal euthanasia and instruction on various techniques Description: This one-hour lecture is designed to educate veterinarians and technicians on various AVMA-approved euthanasia techniques. The AVMA will complete the updated guidelines in the spring of 2012. Special focus will be applied to techniques that are challenging for veterinarians and their staff, such as intravenous injections in debilitated animals, intrarenal injections, etc. It is multispecies focused, but can be modified to fit any track. Upon completion of the lecture, attendees will be able to:

•   Recognize approved euthanasia techniques •   Understand why some techniques are superior to others •   Perform alternative techniques to their current protocols when necessary •   Proficiently problem-solve in a difficult situation

Pricing  Options    $150  for  individual  program  hours  $510  for  all  4  program  hours        Further  Topic  Considerations  ∙ Hospice  Program  Implementation  ∙ The  Hospice  Consultation  ∙ Navigating  Complex  End-­‐‑of-­‐‑life  Decisions  ∙ Building  the  Team  ∙ Advanced  Hospice  Team  Protocols  ∙ Hospice-­‐‑Supported  Natural  Death  ∙ Creating  A  Safe  Home  Environment  for  Your  Patients  ∙ Hospice  case  review  ∙ Managing  Difficult  Euthanasia  Situations  ∙ Marketing  Hospice  Services  ∙ Animal  Hospice  Business  Management  ∙ Exceeding  Client  Expectations  ∙ Options  in  Body  Care  ∙ What  is  Aquamation?  ∙ Memorializing  Our  Patients        Ready  to  schedule?          Contact  Kristen  Winter,  Relations  Manager  970-­‐‑541-­‐‑1207  cooneyahconsulting@gmail.com                    

     

www.kathleencooneydvm.com      ∙    cooneyahconsulting@gmail.com