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The whole reason I thought this topic would be of benefit was due to what happened with MatsiRed's Millie. There have been many other discussions that have made me think that I wish I had known that information, but Millie's story is more than a "WTF is happening" but a wake up call to ensure that we, as guardians of our dog's lives, do not just rely on the professionals to be professional but be aware enough to ensure that proper care is taken especially at this very difficult time.
I encourage every one to read Millie's thread as it celebrates the life of a senior dog with the fortune to be part of Donna's pack but it also contains a lot of information that is relevant when we help our canine companions to make that journey away from us. I have copied a part of Donna's post on that thread but I do feel other parts are relevent and I hope that these will be added to this thread.
I encourage every one to read Millie's thread as it celebrates the life of a senior dog with the fortune to be part of Donna's pack but it also contains a lot of information that is relevant when we help our canine companions to make that journey away from us. I have copied a part of Donna's post on that thread but I do feel other parts are relevent and I hope that these will be added to this thread.
Originally Posted By: matsired
Hi all,
Again, I'd like to thank all of you for your support and input into this situation with Millie. I'm still healing and I've learned a lot through this experience.
Last week, our president, Karen M and our Foster Home Coordinator, Milou G, and I met with the hospital administrator, the chief of veterinary services, and the vet who gave the initial injection. So there were six of us in the room.
After the introductions, the hospital administrator asked me to speak first, about why I was there. I had prepared a letter the night before and told them I wanted to read it to them, which I did, and have included that letter below if interested. It was four pages long, and the three of them listened intently and added as the meeting went along. The administrator responded first, expressing their sorrow and regret and said they would get to explaining the changes they plan to make in their protocol as a result of what happened to Millie. He then asked the chief to explain, medically, how it could happen that the injection did not stop Millie's heart on the first try. Dr. xxx sat quietly through most of the meeting, but she was noticeably affected by how the whole experience had hurt us. She expressed her apologies and said she has learned from this and will always go back to check the animal a second time, and with other checks besides a heart beat. Karen mentioned later she had tears in her eyes more than once, including when she talked about having gone to the website to look at Millie's story. I reassured her that I did not blame her and believe she's a good and caring vet who probably made an error in judgement. I went on to explain that my only goal was to come out of there with peace of mind that no other pet or owner would find themselves in my shoes. Between Karen, Milou, and myself, we made it clear, I think, that GSRNE has high standards and we were there not just for Millie, but for all defenseless animals and their caretakers.
The meeting lasted a good hour. They told me how they tried to accomodate me during lunch hour, a bad time to try to handle a euthanasia, and that would be avoided in the future. Part of the delay between injections was that the initial vet injected and then left the building for her lunch, so they had to track down another vet. The other problem was that the drugs were kept locked up and had to track down ?keys. And in terms of how we were treated, most of the people we saw at the desk were new and in training. These were their explanations, they said, but not excuses.
In terms of why the first injection didn't work, they really didn't have a definitive answer, only theories about how maybe the IV was partially infiltrated and Millie didn't get the entire dosage. The chief did say that this does happen, that pets have been euthanized and found alive in rooms all over, and brought up how many facilities around the country only have one vet on staff and often that vet leaves after the injection. It did NOT appear that he accepted this as matter of fact at THIS particular facility, but he did seem to speak about it as something that 'just happens', and heart injection usually follows. I emphasized how consumers are getting smarter and more demanding and maybe it was time to raise the bar, and how about starting HERE. I kept bringing up my own experiences as a nurse, as that was my only reference point. They asked for my input on how I would handle things differently. I suggested they start with a plan B, as they didn't seem to have one. I reminded him that in medicine, things are bound to go wrong, and when things go wrong at my own patients bedsides, I can open a door to my collegues and have my patient back under control within a matter of minutes. And if there is a family that is struggling, we have a staff that is trained to watch for that, and there is always someone to support and comfort and keep the communication open with them, and I felt that was lacking with their own staff. In fact, I emphasized that people seemed to be looking past us, as if Chris and I weren't even there.
Millie's story is posted on three different forums, and without using names, except for Chris's, I copied and read some of the posts, so many of you were also represented there, especially Chris who was stuck at work up in Maine. They seemed very interested. The chief asked me to let people know that euthanizing your pets is one of the best gifts you can give to them. He was concerned people would lose faith in their vets now and no longer want to euthanize their pets. I reassured him that it wasn't that people would no longer euthanize their pets, but many may no longer simply 'drop them off'. Many may now instead remain with their pets, especially knowing what (or what not) to expect. He seemed relieved. He also said he wanted to visit our website to meet Millie, as he hadn't done that yet. He also clarified for me that checking pupil reflexes after a lethal injection does not equal death, as conscious sedation 'may' also interfere with pupil reactions. He also told me there was not a standard policy by the veterinary board for euthanasia, which shocked me, actually. We went on to talk a lot about these sorts of things, comparing human and veterinary medicine practices. Some of our discussion was educational, and some of it, a therapeutic purging of emotions toward the people we felt hurt us, although I felt very much in control and shed no tears.
I also told him that this incident has done one great thing for pet owners, as it has opened up many conversations about euthanasia and people are now talking about something that is very hard for most people to talk about or even to think about. I told them I planned to sieze the moment, in Millie's honor, and I had hoped they would, too.
The vet that gave the first injection didn't talk too much. She's a fairly new vet, and she was very apologetic and remorseful, not defensive at all, and said she had learned a lot through this. She thanked me for having mercy on her (?) and said she will pray for my nightmares to go away. I liked her (also had checked her out before the meeting), and I told her as much I didn't want to see her hurt, I felt it would be irresponsible of me to keep silent. All agreed that it was best to address it and deal with it openly, that quality of care was important to all of them at this facility, and they wanted to take the appropriate steps to make positive changes. And at this point, from what I've learned along the way, I know people who bring their pets there, and I wouldn't discourage them from doing so.
In the end, I'm satisfied. Many people encouraged me to get legal representation. I disagree. I feel our society is way out of control with lawsuits, especially for the helping professions. I also think lawsuits do more harm than good, in the end, for our society as a whole. I feel this particular situation involved reasonable people, and warranted a round table discussion, to shake things up enough to bring positive changes. We all shook hands at the end, and the vet and I hugged each other, with a clearer understanding of who we both are and what we stand for.
The administrator told me that he would call me/GSRNE in a few weeks to let us know what changes they made. My gut tells me, for various reasons, they will do the right thing. BUT, in the worse case scenario, if I learn about another incident, I will come forward again, only this time you can bet I won't be so nice.
Donna
