The BSAVA has published a new collection of resources on the subject of end of life care and decision-making, with a particular focus on the pastoral aspects, to help support clients and the practice team.

The collection draws together a selection of materials, including chapters from BSAVA Manuals, articles from Companion, webinars and Congress lectures.

The collection is divided into four areas: general information, client communication, client support and practitioner support. It includes things like:

• Euthanasia decision-making: a case-based discussion
• How to discuss euthanasia with your client
• Quality of life and decision-making around end of life care
• The client journey: supporting the client before and after the last appointment
• Euthanasia and how it affects veterinary nurses’ mental health
• Euthanasia support in practice.

Julian Hoad, Chair of the BSAVA Publications Committee said: “Death and taxes are the only two certainties of life, according to Benjamin Franklin! Our pets don’t have the worry of taxation but managing the end of life for them is something that all owners must face. It is probably the most challenging part of our veterinary work also – managing the emotional, sometimes highly charged, aspect of the situation, whilst maintaining an objective focus on the patient.

"This new collection provides a handy resource for this important area of veterinary practice. The collection will enable the recent graduate to gain confidence in dealing with these cases; tips for improvement that even the more experienced clinician will find useful are also included.”

The collection can be accessed via the BSAVA Library https://www.bsavalibrary.com/content/end-of-life---introduction at a cost of £20.00 for BSAVA members or £45.00 for non-members.

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