A Veterinarian's Guide to Disabled Pets and Their People: Caring for the Disabled Patient

Course overview

Pet parents of disabled animals face a unique hurdle, finding a veterinary team willing to embrace and partner in the care of their disabled pets. This might be due to differences in perceptions of quality of life and a lack of experience working with pets who are disabled. This 60 minute session offers an empowering overview showing that disabled pets share the same foundational medical needs as typical patients, and that general and specialty practices are fully equipped to manage them. Through real life examples of disabled pets in authentic photos and engaging videos, attendees will start to reframe traditional quality of life conversations around a pets capacity for adaptation and happiness. Attendees will learn to leverage external community resources and build an in clinic peer mentorship network to alleviate client stress and prevent premature euthanasia. The SHIFT Framework for Care of Disabled Pets will be introduced to give veterinarians, vet techs, and vet students an action plan for welcoming disabled pets into their practice. The audience will leave feeling inspired, with a better understanding of the veterinarians role in supporting and guiding clients who choose to care for profoundly disabled pets. The SHIFT Framework for Care of Disabled Pets Secure appropriate medical care Honor relative quality of life Implement in home accommodations for individual needs Find external online guidance and support networks Tap into client base for peer mentorship