Wiley-VCH


John Wiley & Sons Companion Animal End of Life Care for the Veterinary Technician Cover A practical, one-stop resource for veterinary technicians offering end-of-life services for companio.. Product #: 978-1-394-26606-7 Regular price: $91.50 $91.50 In Stock

Companion Animal End of Life Care for the Veterinary Technician

Eslinger, Alyssa / Sears, Joye (Editor)

Cover

1. Edition November 2025
352 Pages, Softcover
Wiley & Sons Ltd

ISBN: 978-1-394-26606-7
John Wiley & Sons

Further versions

A practical, one-stop resource for veterinary technicians offering end-of-life services for companion animals

In Companion Animal End of Life Care for the Veterinary Technician, an experienced interdisciplinary team delivers a comprehensive guide for veterinary technicians seeking a resource covering all aspects of the veterinary technician's role in companion animal end-of-life care. The book explores everything from palliative nursing strategies to euthanasia techniques, with special attention to supporting and communicating with caregivers throughout the end-of-life period.

The editors offer invaluable support, knowledge, and skills to enhance your ability to provide patients with comfort and offer empathy to caregivers in challenging situations. In this book, you will find a practical approach and user-friendly format, a handy and accessible reference for daily veterinary practice. you will also discover:

* Hospice and palliative care principles, philosophy, and methods of delivery
* A thorough exploration of quality of life and end-of-life decision-making
* Practical communication skills and case study applications
* Euthanasia best practices
* The valuable role of veterinary social work and perspectives on pet loss support
* Grounded approaches to maintain technician and team wellbeing
* Careful alignment with evolving standards of end-of-life care and client expectations
* Distillations of expert insights from authoritative texts and current literature, providing access to the most relevant information for technicians in the field of end-of-life care

Perfect for practicing veterinary technicians with a desire to improve their standard of end-of-life care, Companion Animal End of Life Care for the Veterinary Technician will also benefit students of veterinary technology start their careers with the mindset and tools to lean into the meaningful experiences that can be accessed through compassionate end-of-life care.

List of Contributors xvii

Acknowledgment xix

Introduction xxi

About the Companion Website xxv

Part I Animal Hospice and Palliative Care 1

1 Introduction to Animal Hospice and Palliative Care 3

Alyssa Eslinger

2 Pain Recognition and Assessment 15

Alyssa Eslinger and Amy Birchall

3 Pain Management 33

Alyssa Eslinger

4 Hospice and Palliative Nursing Care 55

Alyssa Eslinger

5 Understanding and Assessing Quality of Life 75

Alyssa Eslinger

Part II Communication and End-of-Life Decision-Making 91

6 Building Essential Communication Skills 93

Joye Sears and Becky Taylor

7 Supporting Difficult Conversations 107

Joye Sears

8 Ethical End-of-Life Decision-Making 123

Alyssa Eslinger

9 Death and Dying 137

Alyssa Eslinger

Part III Euthanasia 149

10 Providing a Compassionate Euthanasia Experience 151

Kathleen Cooney

11 Anatomy of a Humane Euthanasia 167

Kathleen Cooney



12 Euthanasia Techniques in Companion Animals 183

Kathleen Cooney

13 Respectful Deceased Body Care 203

Kathleen Cooney

14 Introduction to Grief 223

Sarah Bernardi

15 Pet Loss Support 243

Sarah Bernardi 243

16 Children and Pet Loss 265

Sarah Bernardi and Amy Sugar

Part IV The Path Forward 291

17 Empathic Strain and Veterinary Team Wellness 293

Sarah Bernardi and Kathleen Dunbar

18 The Future is Bright 305

Alyssa Eslinger and Joye Sears

Index 000
Alyssa Eslinger is a certified hospice and palliative care veterinarian with over 10 years of clinical experience. She founded a dedicated mobile end-of-life service before joining Dalhousie University as a full-time instructor in the Veterinary Technology Program. Dr. Eslinger now passionately shares her calling to end-of-life care with her students.

Joye Sears is a veterinary technician with 10 years experience in companion animal practice prior to becoming an instructor at Dalhousie University in 2015. She has a special interest in teaching compassionate end-of-life communication skills to future technicians.

A. Eslinger, Dalhousie University, Canada; J. Sears, Dalhousie University, Canada