Vet college looking at how to make putting down a pet less traumatic

A researcher with the Ontario Veterinary College is looking at ways to help veterinary staff make the process of putting down a pet less traumatic for everyone involved.

Alisha Matte, a researcher with theOntario Veterinary College (OVC), and her team are hoping to createguidelines to help vets make a more comfortable experiencefor pet owners.

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Her research has entered its second, which will look specifically at pet owners experiences. The first phaseinvolved numerous interviews andan Ontario-wide survey for vet staff.

Matte saidthey will be conducting interviews with pet owners next and have an online survey open for pet owners to weigh in online as well.

Thesupport that a pet owner receives from their vet when their pets are euthanized can either helpalleviate or, in some cases, aggravate a pet owner's grief, Matte said.

"Our whole intention really is to make sure that experience for [pet owners] is the best possible," Matte said.

"So giving veterinary staff the resources and information that they need so they can better understand what they can do to help pet owners through that process."

She saidvets often rely on their own pastexperiencesto help pet owners through themoment.

"Vets really just want to do their absolute best not only for the animal's sake ... but also recognizing that's a huge experience and source of grief for the owners as well," Matte said.