Since 2002, Thistledown Pet Memorial staff have been giving presentations to Community Colleges and Veterinary Clinics within the Greater Toronto Area and beyond. The presentation, “Acknowledging Pet Loss”, has proven to be helpful for all clinic staff dealing with the difficult time of euthanasia and grief. These presentations (at your clinic) generally require from one to two hours to complete. The two hour session provides sufficient time to address subjects in detail and provides time for questions. The one hour session format provides a good overview of the topics but restricts the amount of interaction between the presenter and the session participants. Many staff members have commented that after hearing the presentation they feel much more comfortable in dealing with grieving families and they have put into practice some of the tools they were taught during the session. The following is an outline of the subjects addressed during the presentation:

1. Introduction
2. Pre-Planning for Pet Loss
3. After the Death of a Pet
4. The Grieving Process
5. Other Supports
6. Other Family Pets
7. Debriefing
8. Follow-up
9. Thistledown Services & Products

To book a presentation at your clinic contact Thistledown Pet Memorial. If you would like to contact a clinic that has hosted a presentation, clinic names and phone numbers can be provided on request.

This presentation demonstrates how Thistledown Pet Memorial can work together with clinic staff to provide a Complete Pet After-Care Service for clinic clients.

Many veterinary clinics have found it to be beneficial to make a follow-up phone call to clients following the passing of a family pet through euthanasia, illness, old age or accident. This call allows the clinic to let their client know how much they care and to see how the client is coping. In certain cases the call also adds some closure for clinic staff. More and more, veterinary clinics are seeing the importance of carrying out this task, despite the difficulties associated with making the call. At Thistledown we have developed what we call the Because We Care Program to assist clinic staff in this follow-up process.

At clinics participating in the Because We Care Program, a Because We Care Program Card is given to the client by clinic staff before their pet is euthanized or after the pet has passed away as a result of illness, old age or accident. The staff member explains briefly that they will be getting a call in a week or so to see how they are doing. At such a difficult time, the client will likely be very anxious and may not remember all the details of what is being said. It is for this reason that it is extremely beneficial for the client to take home the Because We Care Program Card that explains how the follow-up program works. The little magnetic paw-print heart attached to the card is just a small token from the clinic to express their condolences and to let the client know how their pet has touched their hearts. The heart can be placed on any magnetic metal surface such as a fridge, and will be an ongoing reminder of the bond that was present between the clinic and the client’s departed pet.

Here is how the Because We Care Program works. At the time of euthanasia write the clinic name and phone no. as well as the pet’s name on the Because We Care Program Card. Should the client have any questions this will provide a quick reference for them. As you will note, the phone number for Thistledown Pet Memorial is also indicated on the card in case they have any questions about pet loss support issues. As indicated above, about one week after the passing of the pet, clinic staff should contact the client to see how she/he is coping. If things are not going well, the client could be referred to Thistledown Pet Memorial for some follow-up pet loss support.

We believe that by implementing the Because We Care Program, veterinary hospitals will be better able to help owners through the very difficult period following the loss of a pet. This action will also strengthen the hospital/client relationship they may have with other pets of the family. We encourage clinics to view the Because We Care Program as part of the cost of cremation. Any costs associated with this program could be added as a surcharge to the normal clinic cremation fees schedule.