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PRACTICE ADVICE
Practice Advisory Service
GUIDANCE FOR RESOLVING AFTERCARE ARRANGEMENTS
Question : Recently , the Practice Advisory Service has been asked for guidance in situations where an animal has been euthanized or died and the body has been left at the clinic for an extended period of time . The pet owner may not be certain of what sort of aftercare arrangements he / she wants for the animal at the time of death . Unfortunately , providing the pet owner with time to make those decisions has occasionally resulted in situations where the clinic is storing the body without clear direction for aftercare . How should clinics resolve these situations ?
Facing the loss of a pet can be very emotional and difficult . Many clients are unable to make decisions about the aftercare of their pet ’ s body in the moment and need time to process the options available . Veterinarians and their staff understand this and support their clients by giving them the time they need to decide on the arrangements that are fitting for them and their pet . Occasionally , however , a client may never contact the clinic with a decision despite the clinic ’ s repeated attempts to discuss the matter with the client .
This becomes problematic for a couple of reasons . First , our patients deserve a respectful final resting place ; be that a burial ( where allowed ), or communal cremation and burial , or private cremation . Secondly , it is
not feasible for a clinic or hospital to store a patient ’ s body indefinitely . So , what do you do in this situation ?
While the Veterinarians Act and Regulation 1093 do not list specific guidelines for dealing with abandoned dead bodies , there is a section on dealing with abandoned animals ( see Regulation 1093 Part II section 17 ( 1.1 ) and ( 1.2 ) https :// www . ontario . ca / laws / regulation / 901093 ). The same principles can be applied . At least five attempts to contact the client should be made using at least two different methods of contact and at least one attempt should be made to contact the emergency contact , if one has been identified by the client .
Documentation is important . All correspondence with the client should be noted in the patient file . Include the method of contact , date , time and any messages that were left and / or points discussed in conversations you or a staff member may have had with the client . The final attempt to contact the client would be by letter . Within the letter , a few points should be covered :
• Indicate repeated attempts have been made to contact them regarding a decision on the aftercare of their pet .
• Set a date that the clinic would like the client to contact them by with their decision .
• Include what aftercare arrangements will be made if the client does not contact the clinic by the set date . For example , indicate that the body will be sent for communal cremation and burial .
The letter should be sent by courier or registered mail and all tracking documentation as well as a copy of the letter should be kept in the patient ’ s file . Hopefully , the client will contact the clinic with a decision once they receive the letter . If by the set date the clinic has not heard from the client , then proceed with the aftercare arrangements as outlined in the letter . Again , document what has occurred clearly in the patient ’ s record . Aftercare arrangements need to follow applicable laws and the standards of the profession .
There are situations where the client may also owe money on their account . In corresponding with the client about aftercare decisions , it may be preferable to not discuss both matters at the same time . Clients may not call the clinic back or respond to a letter if the issue of money owing is brought up at the same time as requesting a decision on aftercare . Once the aftercare decision is settled , then follow up regarding any account issues .
Grief is a complex process . Reaching out to clients in an empathetic , respectful manner to help them make timely decisions on aftercare will hopefully avoid the issue of an abandoned body . But when it does occur , the above steps will help to ensure your patient has a final resting place .
Practice Advisory Service
If you have a question related to the regulations , policy and expectations associated with the practice of veterinary medicine , please contact the College . The practice advisory service offered by the College is free and confidential .
practiceadvice @ cvo . org
www . cvo . org / Practice-Advice
Spring 2017 / 7