The Second International Symposium on Veterinary Hospice continues to challenge me to change my life and myself; to accept death as joyously as birth, to die well to live well

I am at the Second International Veterinary Hospice Symposium at UC Davis's College of Veterinary Medicine.  Just like last year, this Symposium is again causing me to change my life.  I am completely taken over by the idea that our pets are sentient, feeling, soulful creatures that we are responsible for.  When an animal looks into my eyes, I DO know what they want, what they are asking of me.  I never really admitted that when I was a practicing Veterinarian.  Now that look, those eyes are the reason I must write and help Veterinarians and concerned pet "owners" to accept the death of their pets and participate in the process through Animal Hospice.  Finally, here at the Symposium, are some good journalists, this will be on the radar now.  I am no journalist, and am struggling to write and express myself.  I am driven, however, to try to get Vets and other caregivers, and pet owners to know about Veterinary Hospice.  Something about this subject, this idea is all encompassing and life changing.  Sharen Myers LCSW gave an amazing talk, and meeting her, I saw my new passion mirrored in her eyes.  She has worked in human hospice for many years and is starting Synergy a Pet Hospice in Oregon.  She quoted Cicely Saunders a Hospice pioneer who said "I did not find Hospice, Hospice found me".  She also said about Hospice that "It took me 19 years to build a house around a window."  Hospice has caused me to rethink first, my own life, my ideas about life itself, and then infused me with a burning desire to tell other people what the animals want.
   I thought, because of my health issues, I had to be at home.  Dr. Kathryn Maracchino told me last year to "work to your abilities, not your disabilities".  I came to the first Hospice Symposium.  Since then I have driven 5000 miles each summer with my daughter to help people in New Orleans, and to just have an adventure with her.  I think that has changed both our lives.  This lisence to GO that I got from Kathryn in one instant absolutely changed my life.  That First Symposium then changed my views of life itself.  This Second Symposium contimues to alter my basic values and views for the better.
 I have learned in our culture , especially in the USA, we AFRAID of death.  Sharen Myers quoted Margaret Mead who said "When someone is born, we rejoice.  When someone marries, we celebrate.  When someone dies, we pretend nothing happened."  Death IS the equal and opposite process of birth.  If we want to live well, we need to die well and vice versa.  We may try to ignore this for ourselves, but we are faced with death full force with our pets.  We love them so much and they love us so purely.  We are responsible for them, feed them and take care of them, but in reality  they take care of us.  I know there is an amazing spiritual, pure love connection with our animals.  I know I am being loved when I look into a kitty like Zoomi's eyes.  There is a message there, and now I am not afraid to admit that, and thrive in that knowledge.  The Hospice Symposium has validated the path and the truth that I feel in my gut.  I have found the courage to change my life from that knowledge.  Something about dealing with the moment of death teaches us how to well live our lives.  There is the very kernal of sacredness here, and the lesson is to experience it.  The speakers here have taught me that THE most important thing is to BE PRESENT and open to the experience.  This was presented about the dying process, but it has taught me about the living process.  This is what I learn when I look into those eyes: love is here, in the moment, and I must learn to live with this love first and foremost in my every moment.

Dr. Shanan speaks to Hospice as the Answer

Dr. Amir Shanan has been a Veterinary Hospice Practitioner at his hospital Compassionate Veterinary Care in Chicago Illinois for twenty years. http://www.compassionatevet.com/index.html
He is the Founder of the International Association for Animal Hospice and Palliative Care. www.iaahpc.com  (see The First Post below and right column of this blog) which will have its first meeting in conjunction with the Second Symposium on Veterinary Hospice and Palliative Care Sept 4-7 at UC Davis College of Veterinary Medicine (see below).  Please read his thoughtful comments that explain how Hospice can help us proceed through the grief process on a healthy emotional path as well as provide the most comfortable and humane path for the pet members of our families:


Amir Shanan, Hospice Veterinarian said...

Dear Jamie,
There's no way to prevent the emotional pain we feel when we lose a source of unconditional love with the passing of a beloved animal companion.

But grief can be complicated by many factors, and some of those are preventable. An important goal of hospice is to address any preventable cause of complicated grief.

Animal hospice works towards this goal in the following ways:
1. Providing support. Having support is important because grief is inherently a very lonely experience. Support is helpful not only after the loss, but also before and during the loss. Support can be offered through active listening, being a sounding board in the process of making complicated decisions, taking over nursing care or nonmedical tasks periodically or regularly, and many other ways of showing empathy.
2. Second guessing our own actions [and others'] often makes grief more painful that it could be. Hospice philosophy is focused on assisting the family in making the very best decisions and on assuring the greatest comfort possible for the patient. This approach can alleviate at least some of the burden of guilt and self criticism.
3. Having an opportunity to spend much needed time with and saying goodbyes to your dying companion can be their last gift to surviving family members and a source of comfort during the inevitable grief that follows.

Please encourage your audience to actively support the increasing number of organizations dedicated to educating animal lovers and veterinary professionals about the benefits of animal hospice.

Why is it so hard when a pet dies?

"Goodbye My Friend

I know I will never see you again,

But the love you gave me through all the years

Will take away these tears

It's OK now

You can go now

Goodbye my friend"

Karla Bonoff

Losing a pet, at any age can be one of the most difficult things we can go through in our lives. Why is it so hard? It can be as bad or even worse than losing a close human family member. I think that this is for a few reasons: our pets give true unconditional love, the loss seems too large to accept, and we can not mourn properly for them.

Our pets give us true, unconditional love. How many people can do this? Pets give and want no more then to give more. They never are resentful or too tired to show you how much they love you. In my opinion, animals are capable of great love and devotion with no strings attached. When you have a special pet, the bond you can share is almost indescribable and deepens over the years. We can grow to understand and communicate with our special fur friend in a truly delightful way. This is not a one way relationship; they always seem to know when YOU need some special attention. When this deep playful, reciprocal love is taken by the death of your pet, the loss can be as deep as the love was.

When we are close to people, we still have disagreements. In my opinion, there is no baggage when a pet dies. I know this sounds terrible. When my 16 year old cat Stahzy died. I was inconsolable. I am a Veterinarian who had to deal with death daily. It did not matter when it happened to me. I had no regrets or guilt about the relationship with my cat. I wanted her back so badly, I truly was not sure I could go on without her. I knew that I appreciated her everyday, and told her I loved her. I do not understand, but this made my grief worse. It was, to me, the most perfect love I could experience with another living creature in this imperfect life. This loss seemed too great to accept.

When we have such a deep loss, unless we mourn properly it is very difficult to move through the stages of grief. In our society, even though our closest pets have been elevated to precious family members we can not grieve for them properly. I believe we need chapels, funerals, personal days and more to truly acknowledge this loss. It is very difficult to process these feelings when we are embarrassed that they are from a pet's death. We should be allowed to own this grief not be embarrassed by it. Part of the job of advocating for Animal Hospice is to ensure the physical comfort of our pets, and the emotional needs of the grieving owner are met as well. We need to understand the death process and understand this is a natural part of the life of the animals we love.

I know I may be simplifying a very complicated issue, and this is just my opinion. However, there is a big disconnect in our society between how important animals have become for us and the allowances made us when they die. The loss in some ways seem worse than a family member, and we are so devastated because it is difficult to pass through the stages of grief. We need to all work together to try to remedy this. We need to make efforts be an empathetic friend to those near us who lose a pet. We need to find ways to memorialize our pets, remember them and celebrate their lives. Acknowledging how large our loss is the first step towards working through it. Seeking pet cemeteries, chapels, having a funeral and talking about our grief can help.

If you need help, I encourage you to speak to a counselor, a Pet Loss Hotline, your Veterinarian and your friends who have been through a similar situation. Memorialize your pet, celebrate their lives.

Compehensive list of Pet Loss Hotlines: http://is.gd/2xI6H

from www.rainbowbridge.com another excellent resource

I also invite you to comment here and join me on About.com to discuss these ideas and how they have affected you: http://is.gd/2xHIz

Who should go to the 2nd Hospice Symposium for Animals?

In the words of the The Nikki Hospice Foundation for Pets (www.pethospice.org) and The Assisi International Animal Institute (www.assisianimals.org) sponsers of the Second International Symposium on Veterinary Hospice and Pallative Care, the meeting is highly reccomended

for veterinarians, holistic veterinarians, veterinary technicians, veterinary students, veterinary assistants, clinical practice managers, hospice professionals, hospice program managers, hospice volunteers, nursing personnel, medical staff, professionals in complementary and alternative medicine, psychologists, grief counselors, social workers, mental health professionals, bereavement facilitators, hospice volunteers, animal health care practitioners, shelter and SPCA staff, animal welfare workers, animal communicators, pet massage therapists, pet-sitters, animal chaplains, funeral directors and others in related fields, as well as the general public.

Shay, who was very ill when rescued, greatly appreciated pain control and comfort techniques her care takers learned through Veterinary Hospice training. Please come and learn what you can do to advance this new field!

Check out: http://www.cevs.ucdavis.edu/confreg/index.cfm?confid=442

Please send this to everyone who may be interested in this great opportunity to learn,

engage, discuss, and bring Hospice Care to more pets!

2nd International Symposium on Veterinary Hospice and Palliative Care

Blanco is 29 years old and in mild discomfort from arthritis. As he gets older, he DESERVES to be made comfortable and have his treatment and welfare to be foremost in his caretakers mind. Our animals, pets and friends deserve to have Hospice and Palliative Care as a choice in their end of life options. They deserve to be as pain free as modern Veterinary Medicine can provide. Veterinary Hospice is a new field. We NEED EVERYONE who is concerned about animals, work with animals, love animals, and care about animals learn about Hospice Care For Animals . On September 4-7, 2009 (over Labor Day) at the University of California School of Veterinary Medicine YOU can be part of the historic Second International Symposium on Veterinary Hospice and Palliative Care. The first day is an optional tour of BrightHaven a holistic Hospice for Animals and Pet Sanctuary founded by Gail and Richard Pope. (www.brighthaven.org) The rest of the program is filled with the latest information from the leading experts in Veterinary Pain Management, Hospice Philosophy and History, Animal Communicators, How to Implement a Hospice Practice, Personal Experiences, and much more. This is the opportunity to be involved with the beginning of a new field that greatly needs new people to bring this back to every community to give every pet the chance for Hospice Care. Blanco would appreciate it if you would come to this meeting and help change the face of pet care!

The First Post/What is iaahpc?

We are here to help with the difficult questions, answers, feelings, decisions, and current lack of information on hospice care for animals.  This means we are here to help anyone concerned with the end of life compassionate care for animals or relieving pain in animals near the time of death or trying to understand and relieve pain in animals.  Whether you are a professional, (Veterinarian looking for information about providing Veterinary Hospice care,a Human Palliative Medicine provider, a Veterinary Nurse, or any Animal Care Professional) or just trying to get answers for your own animal, we are here.  Currently there is not a lot of information out there.  There ARE Veterinarians who have been practicing Animal Hospice (or Palliative or comfortable pain relieving care) for decades.  Unfortunately they are not yet in every city in the world, in every State in the USA, nor do most Veterinarians even know Animal Hospice exists.  There is a great deal of information available from both professional, commercial, owners and breeder sources to easily answer questions you may have about your new kitten or puppy.  We want to make information about Elder pet care just as easy to find when you need it.  Because we are all taking such good care of our animals, they are living longer and longer just like we are.  They are old enough to have more geriatric diseases and we must each ask what we want to do given our personal beliefs, what we can do given our resources and how to make these decisions in the best way we can.  We want to provide a place where those conversations, decisions and consideration can occur.  We also want to educate both Veterinarians and owners as well as other health professionals can get information or find a practitioner near you who can help.  There are both Allopathic, and Naturopathic  and inbetween Veterinarians practicing Palliative Care for animals.  There are those of us who believe in euthanasia and those that don't.  We hope we can provide a place for these debates to occur.  Our forums are open for discussions now, and we hope that you will help us grow this field so that when Jacquie-O needs it, there will be a place nearby that she can go.  Please comment here or contact us through www.iaahpc.org.  We grew out of a need that one dedicated Veterinarian (Dr. Amir Shanan) with a core group of people active in Veterinary Hospice Care and Veterinary Medicine.  This was done after the First International Symposium for Veterinary Hospice Care was held at the University of California at Davis College of Veterinary Medicine March 28-30,2008.  This conference was sponsored by the Nikki Hospice Foundation For Pets and the Assisi International Animal Institute, Inc.  I will talk about this legacy in another post, but in the meantime you can learn more here: www.PetHospice.org (Nikki Hospice Found.)  or www.iaahpc.org, the International Association for Animal Hospice and Palliative Care website for information about what this organization is trying to accomplish.  I say "we" because I am committed to helping this organization get off the ground.  It is very new just having been granted 501c status that allows members to join.  This is not an "official" website, I have just been inspired to add this to the effort.  I have been so humbled and overwhelmed at the amazing conversations that have taken place through Twitter.  I also have been reinvigorated because I see just how important this is for the gentle creatures that we love.  I practiced Veterinary Medicine for a long time before I knew about Animal Hospice.  I struggled years with trying to find the most gentle ways of touching and treating older animals that were in pain.  I spent many years trying to read and communicate with others about euthanasia and it is a sacred and heavy responsibility to decide on and to assist.  I spent many of my working hours counseling pet parents  about their choices and options.  I had a "comfort room" like a living room where I could talk quietly and let parents and kids spend the night with the ill animal members of their family.  I began to understand that some folks just did not feel it was their right to euthanize their pet, and I helped those animals be as comfortable as possible until their time came to leave our world.  I had practiced Animal Hospice for many years without knowing it existed.  No matter what your beliefs are it is wrong for each Vet, each pet owner and each animal to go through this re-inventing the wheel.   It is wrong we are left feeling alone with these wonderful/terrible questions.   Animal Hospice needs to be as much a part of your pets lifeplan as good preventative care and good nutrition.  Hospice needs to be a part of every veterinary practice or Veterinary Hospice Practitioners be available everywhere.  I want this to be easier for Jacquie-O when she grows old BECAUSE I took such good care of her at the beginning of her life so I CAN take better care of her near the end of her life.  Please, comment, here or follow me on Twitter and let me know what you think!  xxxjmedvm

Under Construction!Coming Soon!

Hi!  We are busy figuring this out,and we will get this up and running real soon!  This will be a place to remember your pets,ask questions,discuss end of life and palliative care....in short:WELCOME TO hospice4animals!!!