Page 200 - Zoo Animal Learning and Training

184 Tasks for the Veterinary Assistant

such as eyebrows raised and brought together, and a of the medication unless specified. This is to prevent
drawing up at the commissure of the mouth as if in a bacterial resistance to antibiotics.
grimace. • Follow‐up care. Let the owner know if the veterinarian
Remember too that surgery and trauma are not the would like a follow‐up visit. Offer tips for how to care
only things that can cause pain. Infections in ears and for the patient at home, for example, only short walks
eyes, pancreatitis, periodontal disease, cystitis, and peri- on leash, how to protect a cast, and so on. What to
tonitis are infections that can be very painful. A slipped anticipate during recovery and when to call the
disk, cancer, and kidney failure can cause pain. Arthritis practice if things are not going well.
causes chronic pain. Knowing what your patients are • Environmental care. Review any dietary changes, food
going through will guide you to use extra gentle transitions, water volume and frequency
handling. Record the signs you see in the patient’s measurement if necessary.
record and visit with the veterinarian or technician about
your observations.
Learn about what pain medications are being used Learning Exercise
and how long they last. If you notice break‐through pain,
alert the veterinarian immediately. Select a partner that is willing to act as a client
and practice your discharge voice, instructions,
and question answering abilities.
Learning Exercise

Discuss pain symptoms and treatments with your Veterinary Hospice Care
veterinarian or instructor. Try to get a good picture
of what pain may “look like” in dogs and cats.
Write a reflection about what you learned and As veterinary medicine advances and veterinarians are
how you will put it to work for you. able to offer more medical options, animals are living
much longer lives. Occasionally, a prolonged life leads to
an increase in the pet’s need for general, sometimes
intensive, care.
Discharging Patients An owner’s denial of the prognosis, personal emo-
tions or fear of losing the pet may play a part in the
decision for continued care over euthanasia. For these
Before returning a patient to its owner make sure to take
a few minutes to brush the medium to long‐haired reasons and many more, hospice care is becoming more
patients out so they look good and to spritz them with a and more common in veterinary practice.
deodorant formulated for pets. Remove the ID collar The decision for hospice care versus euthanasia can
and pull the cage card, some clinics will have you leave be a heavy burden for an owner. Many people share an
these items inside the kennel or run to indicate that the indescribable bond with their pets. It can be a difficult
patient has left the facility and it is OK to clean and reset decision for an owner to decide when to stop medical
the kennel or run for the next patient. The patient’s file treatment. When the decision is made to continue med-
should be marked with the date and time of the ical treatment, despite the poor prognosis, hospice care
pick‐up. begins.
Instructions should be explained to owners at the end Members of the veterinary team may not always agree
of the hospital stay, after the veterinarian has completed with an owner’s decision to continue treatment and hos-
discussing continuing patient care and before the patient pice care. It can be difficult for the team to put aside
is discharged to the owner. Check with the office man- their personal values and accept the owner’s decision
ager, the head technician, or the veterinarian regarding during this stressful time. The veterinarian’s job is to pre-
the extent of their expectations of the veterinary assistant sent and explain the options, the team’s job is to provide
to review patient care at the time of discharge. Never love and care to the pet and accept the decision as ulti-
overstep your boundaries. mately the owner’s.
It is more effective to provide a written copy of the Owner’s may select home care over hospitalization
instructions to the client. Do not just hand it to the during the hospice period. Opting to take their pet
client; review it with them. The information to review home and performing general nursing, emotional and
includes: physical support for the terminally ill is the owner’s pre-
rogative. The pet’s emotional needs can easily be met,
• Medication being sent home. Discuss why it is being being surrounded by family and familiar surroundings.
dispensed, how it is to be administered, when it is to The veterinary team continues medical care through the
be administered, and how important it is to finish all owner. For this reason, communication and regular visits