In a viral video, a California veterinarian has revealed the one thing that is tougher than euthanizing an animal.
Typically performed when an animal is experiencing severe illness, injury, or a declining quality of life—and there are no reasonable options for treatment or recovery—euthanasia is a difficult decision for pet owners and veterinarians.
Staff members at San Clemente Veterinary Hospital share elements of their daily life in the clinic on their TikTok @sc.vet, and one video with more than 770,000 views has broken hearts.
The vet in the video leaves one room, heartbroken, before having to enter another and meet her next patient with smiles and positivity.
In the video, the text overlay reads: "It's not the euthanasia... It's putting the feelings away to greet your next patient."
In 2021, the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) in the U.K. published new research that aimed to help veterinary professionals and owners better prepare for that toughest decision.
The study analyzed information from 29,163 dogs in the U.K. that died over a one-year period. It looked at the causes of death and the relative impacts of decision-making that led owners to opt for euthanasia compared with an unassisted death.
For the majority of owners, it fell to them and the veterinarian to make the difficult decision to put their dog to sleep. Of the canine deaths studied, over 91 percent involved euthanasia, while only 8.5 percent were unassisted.
The average age at death of a euthanized dog, 12 years, was older than the average age of dogs that died unassisted.
Increased age was associated with increased risk of euthanasia relative to unassisted death, and bodyweight was also associated with the practice. Dogs that weighed more than 44 pounds were at 1.24 times the risk of euthanasia compared to ones under 22 pounds.
VetCompass™ epidemiologist at the RVC, and author of the paper Camilla Pegram said: "End-of-life discussions between veterinarians and owners can be particularly difficult for both parties. This study provides benchmark data for the relative proportion of deaths that involve euthanasia and for the relative impact from demographics and disorders on euthanasia decision-making.
"Owners and veterinary professionals may find it easier to discuss end-of-life options, to reach a final decision and be comfortable with these decisions based on a feeling of broader support from the reported actions of others in similar situations," Pegram added.
In the paper, it was noted that veterinarians describe euthanasia as "the best and the worst" of their clinical role. The authors hoped that better understanding would ease some of the stress and heartbreak in the decision.
In hundreds of comments on the viral video, people shared their reactions and own experiences of losing their beloved pets.
"For me, it's seeing someone walk through the doors with their best friend one last time, and walk out alone," wrote Ellie Beth.
And user2928364607437 posted: "I have so much respect for vets. Ours saw us before hours to help our girl cross the bridge. He still apologizes every time he sees me."
"THIS is why vets are superheroes," agreed OldBear5280. "I wanted to, but I didn't have the power."
Newsweek has reached out to @sc.vet via email for comment.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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