Exotic euthanasia
At my practice, we routinely perform exotic pet euthanasias. I’ve had a few clients pry about the final injection (when we take them back and use the ultrasound for intracardiac injection). I’ve explained to clients that unfortunately because they don’t have accessible veins like dogs and cats, the final injection goes intracardiac but it’s painless and peaceful and the patient is unconscious during this time. One of my good reviews from a client that was left came from a family letting go of their beloved hamster with a large tumor/cancer, who I also explained this process to because they asked about the final injection.
A new coworker of mine was asking questions about the process, and I explained sometimes if they ask questions about it, I’ll explain this process. My manager walked up during this conversation and was like “No, we don’t explain this to them. We tell them we have to use the ultrasound. We don’t tell them we are going to stab their pet in the heart.”
I’ve never had a bad experience explaining this process to clients and I believe in full transparency as if I were the client. Yes, it would be difficult to hear, but it’s informed consent. I don’t explain it to every client routinely, but sometimes they do ask why they cannot be present for the final injection.
Thoughts? Is it unethical to not mention it in conversation as a form of informed consent? Should I just explain we use the ultrasound? What does your practice do? Any advice appreciated.