Team training to provide closure

Peggy Killewald, LVT, business manager of Killewald Small Animal Hospital in Amherst, N.Y., knows personally what it's like to mourn the loss of a beloved pet in public. Before she and her husband, Dr. William Killewald, opened their practice in 1980, she was at another practice after her dog was euthanized.

"I remember standing in the waiting room crying my eyes out and all those people looking at me," she says. "You're just emotionally drained at a time like that."

She has worked to train the 14-person staff at the suburban Buffalo, N.Y., small animal clinic to take care of pet owners when their emotions leave them in tears. Their precautions are similar to those in other practices: They schedule euthanasia at the close of the day and escort the client directly into a quiet exam room. After the procedure, the team encourages the client to spend as much time as necessary in regaining composure. Later, the practice sends a card and makes a donation to Christian Veterinary Mission.

"We're trying to help clients through the whole process," says Killewald. "Compared to where we were a couple of years ago, we're miles ahead when it comes to supporting pet owners. And our staff members feel better, too."