Animals | Interview with the Author—Dr. Kathleen A. Cooney
We recently had the opportunity to interview Dr. Kathleen A. Cooney about her paper “Ethical and Practical Considerations Associated with Companion Animal Euthanasia”, which was published in 2023.
The following is an interview with Dr. Kathleen A. Cooney written by Taheer Ali (Content Assistant):
1. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your current research?
I became a veterinarian in 2004 in the state of Colorado and since 2006 have focused on end-of-life care for companion animals. I have provided euthanasia and palliative care services for over 10 years. In 2017, to help veterinary professionals better understand the complexity of euthanasia, I founded the Companion Animal Euthanasia Training Academy (CAETA), of which I am the Senior Director of Medical Education. I am also the author of several books, book chapters, and research papers. Since 2020, I have taught at Colorado State University as part of the Affiliate Faculty and in 2024, I received board certification for animal welfare via the American College of Animal Welfare (ACAW).
2. What do you think we can learn from your paper?
Euthanasia is a complicated topic which can be conflicting and unpleasant, and this paper provides people with the opportunity to learn more about it. As veterinary professionals, we often feel a lot of pressure when trying to navigate the conflicting obligations and responsibilities we have towards both animals and their owners.
3. What do you think made the academic community respond so well to your paper?
Researchers and academics from a wide variety of backgrounds gravitate towards papers like this because it addresses head-on the complexity of animal euthanasia. I don’t believe it has gotten any easier. Even after 18 years and many paths developed to provide better end-of-life care, I still find myself having the same conversations with my clients. There are moral pressures and stresses and an ever-present empathetic strain which must be navigated. One way it is navigated is through discussion and the sharing of our experiences. At our academy (CAETA), we offer veterinarian students and technicians in shelter medicine over 50 hours of content that explore a lot of these areas.
My hope for the future is that there is more education on veterinary euthanasia. I also see the space for a new field within end-of-life veterinary—veterinary thanatology. Thanatology as an area of study already exists for humans, and I believe the same should exist for animals. A better understanding of animal death can improve and provide a better understanding of animal welfare. A good life should be followed by a good death. Euthanasia should be considered carefully to maintain animal welfare. Animals should be kept in as positive a state as possible, free of pain, as well as anxiety and fear, all the way up to their final moments of consciousness. Much research has already been conducted on euthanasia and slaughter to maintain that safe experience.
4. What other resources would you recommend for veterinary professionals?
I would recommend the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), which offers robust, highly referenced guidelines, including those for animal slaughter and euthanasia. These guidelines are scientifically proven, reliable, and regularly adjusted in accordance with the latest research. I would also recommend the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) and British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA), which offer documents curated by experts in the field. It is important that veterinarians are kept up to date with the newest research. Animal welfare can be at risk if practitioners are untrained in a broad range of methodology. They should be able to move seamlessly from plan A to plan B to plan C.
5. What advice could you provide to those who may struggle in this area of veterinary medicine?
To those who may struggle making decisions regarding euthanasia, you are not alone and what you are feeling is normal. Looking further into the topic may help broaden your professional and personal skills and make the procedure easier to handle. There are veterinarians who have devoted their entire careers to this field and who find great fulfillment when they have been able to approach and perform it successfully. They are also able to provide the service as often and frequently as required. Essentially, the most important thing is education. It brings out a certain confidence so that one is gravitating towards rather than away from appointments. There are many resources out there for learning more about veterinary euthanasia. To love helping owners navigate this tough decision is to love animals. Euthanasia itself should not be considered a failure, but a difficult decision made in an animal’s best interest.
7. Why did you choose to publish with MDPI Animals?
I had chosen to publish in MDPI Animals as it is an open access journal that allows for reaching a larger audience, which a veterinary-specific journal could not promise. A wider reach allows for a wider impact. Publication with MDPI is also a quick and easy process, and good reviewers are selected.
8. Who do you want to reach with your message?
I want my message to reach veterinarians, especially those who are just graduating, as they tend to not know how to perform euthanasia well or have the professional skills necessary to navigate its complexities. Most vets will build on these skills in their first year after school, which often results in a steep learning curve. Established veterinarians alike also need more education around euthanasia and animal welfare. Only five years ago was I myself truly awoken to it. Furthermore, I want my message to reach professionals in other animal industries—ethical and compassionate people seeking to improve their skills in the area. We all do our best with what we know today, but things are constantly developing in animal welfare. We need to be as current as we can. I am very proud of professionals who seek modern euthanasia and those who believe a better death is better welfare.
9. What does the future look like for animal euthanasia and animal welfare?
There are several growing areas in the field of animal euthanasia and welfare, including the specific techniques used to perform euthanasia. As the use of technology in medicine grows, in the next 10 years, we can expect the introduction of newer, more technical procedures. The discussion of ethics will further remain an area of exploration, as it is still difficult to overcome certain challenges. To euthanize or to not euthanize and who should take part in that decision, for example, is always a key question. Another growing area is the discussion of client and patient needs. How can we communicate the techniques for euthanasia effectively and how can we support those who are grieving? This contributes to a developing field of veterinary social work which is focusing on providing communication needs for clients.
We should also see policies being guided only by modern research. When we know better, we should do better. Society should further understand the reasons for euthanasia and trust veterinarians in their decisions regarding it. In our paper, we discuss various types of euthanasia and carefully address the issue of suffering and the importance of intent. The consequences and pressures that come with veterinary euthanasia are also explored. It is important that veterinarians can perform euthanasia well and are comfortable in doing so. If it cannot be performed well, it should be avoided.
10. What would you like the public to know regarding animal euthanasia and welfare?
For anyone that was not aware of what animal euthanasia and animal welfare entailed, I would like to firstly inform them of some of the norms and realities of professional animal caregivers and their day-to-day ongoings. I would then discuss the harsh reality that animals die and that unfortunately, the resources available upon an animal death are less abundant than that of a human. I would tell them that euthanasia can become a way to release an animal from its body before things become more difficult. When we know an animal is dying, those who are trained in performing euthanasia can perform it in the best way they know how. When an animal is not dying but does not have the necessary means to continue living a substantial life, it is in the best interest of the animal that the procedure of euthanasia is considered. For anyone that is a pet owner, I say to them to always be curious and to keep asking questions.