Abstract
People with disabilities and those working to train, provide and support assistance animals, along with their veterinary teams, would all benefit if they RETHINK their perspective and viewpoint, and roles when these very special relationships come to an end. The end of the relationship may be when the assistance animal must retire, must be redirected, or euthanized due to illness or cancer. The loss or separation at the end of an assistance animal's service marks a heavy loss for the disabled person. Emotions emerge when the assistance animal is sick or has developed cancer or is approaching the difficult period known as “end of life.” Anticipatory grief and heartbreak may be very difficult to manage and support. We can help ease the burden of decision making when euthanasia is needed for the assistance animal. If the disabled person takes on the good shepherd role and if the veterinary team emulates the minister or Mother Nature's role at the end of life or at the end of the working relationship, heartache may be lifted from both sides of the leash.
Highlights
The importance of the special relationship between the veterinarian and a disabled handler-service dog team escalates when the dog’s job becomes jeopardized due to illness, aging, or behavior challenges
By elevating veterinarians to emulate the chaplain role and enlightening clients to assume the good shepherd role, we can all be honored escorts for our beloved assistance dogs as they make job transitions or as they transition at end-of-life
Please refer to the Resources section at the end of this article for more information about end of life care for animals and emotional support for those providing home care and medical care
Summary
The importance of the special relationship between the veterinarian and a disabled handler-service dog team escalates when the dog’s job becomes jeopardized due to illness, aging, or behavior challenges. People with disabilities and their assistance animals, along with their veterinary teams, can all benefit by conjointly rethinking their perspective, and viewpoints when this special working relationship ends. The assistance animal may need to retire, be redirected, or may be euthanized due to severe illness, or terminal cancer This loss or separation marks a heavy loss for the handler with disabilities who views the dog as an essential lifeline [1]. Strong emotions, such as sorrow and anticipatory grief, may emerge when the assistance animal has developed cancer or is approaching the period known as “end of life.”. The family was counseled that with every day, Lucy was giving them a very sweet and prolonged farewell
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