THE weather is warming up, birds are singing, the rain has shown the first suggestion of stopping and daffodils are blooming.
Spring is almost here.
So obviously it’s time to talk about death.
A vet’s relationship to the end of life is one of the strangest parts of the job and one that is almost unique.
Most architects don’t knock down their own buildings but for vets, as the seasons change, we start to think about the end of our patients’ lives.
These are often friends we’ve known for years and you and I have the task of determining when the ‘right’ time may be.
This is a terrifying prospect — how can we possibly know?
To try to cope with this, my mantra is ‘a life worth living’.
A statement which can be adapted to dogs, cats, rabbits and skinks and everything in between.
To use this we look at our own animals.
Does life simply revolve around trips in the car to the beach, a 10-mile run and a dip in the sea?
Are they happy with their favourite chair and a short potter around the garden?
Or does the meaning of life begin and end with a good fuss?
Can these aims be achieved without pain, fear, distress or discomfort?
Can they eat happily and find satisfaction?
Stay clean and comfortable?
Can they settle into sleep and rest?
Quality of life questionnaires like the one linked below can be a useful starting point but please remember they’re most useful as just that, steering you and your vet towards a better understanding of your friend today.
If you’re worried about them we may be able to help them to feel better and together we can help them to get the most out of life whilst the flowers are blooming.
The questionnaire is at www.lsu.edu/vetmed/veterinary_hospital/quality_of_life_assessment.pdf
Next we’ll talk about the end-of-life visit.
Our columnist Will Trewarman MRCVS is a senior veterinary surgeon at Vale Vets which is based in Kidderminster and Stourport.
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