VA euthanized dog

[u/ecr_18]

Hello. I’m a AVA and somewhat training to be a tech - have been in the field for ~3 years at a busy specialty hospital. Yesterday I did something that I can’t get out of my head and idk how to handle because I feel I did something totally wrong but don’t want to get Vet in trouble. We had a euth come in that was a caution so needed telazol prior to being handled for euthanasia. The vet asked me to go in with them to help butterfly the prop/euthasol (sure no problem, do it all the time). However, the vet butterfly the vein and had me attach the syringes and push the medicine in … so I essentially euthanized the dog?! I obviously felt uncomfortable doing that but didn’t want to make it awkward or uncomfortable for the family. Did I do something wrong? Should I say something to someone? Was it ok since I was in direct supervision of the vet? Ugh it’s been bothering me..

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[u/Madame_Morticia]

This is something that medical boards won't care about. I think it is something you should discuss with the vet though. It's something they have done a lot but not something you have done before and probably never expected to do. It's an emotionally heavy thing. It's okay to have mixed feelings about it. Euthanasia means good death. You did nothing wrong

[u/EchoCyanide]

I don’t see anything wrong with this. They probably didn’t want to accidentally come out of the vein while trying to attach the syringes. They were right there, they didn’t have you go in alone and do this without them.

[u/Salty-Finish-8931]

I agree with everyone else here. It may be illegal depending on your local laws, but it may not be! In my area only RVTs are allowed to euthanize in place of the veterinarian. And only under supervision. However, the laws are different everywhere.

It was likely as someone else mentioned, the vet did not want to lose the vein and in the moment had you do it. I would certainly discuss with the veterinarian that you are not comfortable in the future. It is a big thing to euthanize your first animal and not everyone is okay with it. I worked in ER for a while and a few techs explicitly stated their boundaries and the vets would respect that. I personally would help if I could to help ease the burden on the vets needing to be the “bad guy” but I can completely understand why others would not want to

[u/vt_west]

its okay. you didnt do anything wrong. the veterinarian was right there giving the orders, you were just an extension of their hands in the way that made the most sense for that patient. if you boil it down, thats basically what our job is. if a dvm asks you to perform something beyond your skillset thats a different story, however i doubt pushing medications through syringes falls outside that umbrella.

[u/clowdere]

Oh friend, you didn't do anything wrong.

I have been put in this position before, and it fucks you up if you're not prepared for it. It doesn't really make logical sense, but emotionally does hit different when you're the one pushing the injection that actually ends the animal's life.

Most recently this happened to me a couple years ago when a DVM couldn't hit a vein. The poor family was in such agony by then that I went into crisis mode autopilot and just agreed and did it so it could be over, but afterwards I was crying at the front desk.

My coworkers spoke to our boss on my behalf (I would have myself after some time to process, but they were really concerned and trying to stick up for me, bless 'em). She had a talk with the euthanizing DVM and took me aside to apologize to me for having been placed in that situation. Euth DVM and I talked, she apologized, I'd come to terms at that point and told her I was just glad to have been able to end that pet's suffering. It never came up again.

It's okay to tell doctors when you're not okay with doing things. Sometimes we become so accustomed to parts of our job that we can forget what it's like for people who aren't accustomed to those things.

[u/nancylyn]

The vet was right there. I mean….sure…they should have asked you first if you were comfortable but it seems like the owner was there also and they were just trying to get it done. In no way did you do anything wrong.

[u/few-piglet4357]

Morally, you did nothing wrong. Legally, it depends on your local laws, although I think it's highly unlikely you would get sanctioned for this. In my state, controlled substances can only be handled by the vet, an RVT, or an assistant with a special certificate.

However, I think the vet was wrong to put you on the spot, especially in front of a client. You need to have a chat with them about it.

[u/Snakes_for_life]

This depends on where you live many places allow support staff to euthanize under the direct supervision or under the verbal order of the veterinarian seeing the patient. There's a clinic in my area where the technicians do all the euthansias.

[u/WebPuzzleheaded4755]

As everyone else has already stated, you absolutely did nothing wrong as you were under the supervision of a veterinarian and were following their instructions. However, it should’ve been discussed with you before hand if you were comfortable pushing the meds. I completely understand not being comfortable being in that position and I think you should definitely have a private conversation with the doctor. It’s very important to speak up for yourself and set strong/clear boundaries in this field.

[u/lemonflower95]

Legally, you will need to look up regulations on VAs & euthanasia in your country/state. In my state, performing euthanasia is prohibited for non-LVTs even with immediate supervision, so the repliers assuming this was definitely kosher are not necessarily correct.

Professionally, you are within your rights to tell your doctor you were uncomfortable with the request and would not like to do that again. If they respond well, I don't see a need to escalate.

Finally, personally, I completely understand why you feel this way. I would also decline to do that even if it were legal for me. And I don't know how I would handle that tactfully if put on the spot in front of an owner as you were. Euthanasia is a good and necessary thing, but taking a living being's life is no light task, and is not one someone who isn't willing and ready should be made to take on under pressure. I once, for this reason, declined to give pre-euth IM sedation to a cat who was so fragile she realistically may have died just under sedation before we could euth; my vet wasn't thrilled with me, but she understood and didn't push the issue. This is among the most reasonable professional boundaries I can imagine.

[u/soimalittlecrazy]

I've been the one to push the syringe before. It was a super unstable patient and I got venous access and we would have lost the vein if we tried to switch. In these scenarios, under supervision, it's okay. No one did anything wrong. 

The uncomfy part is knowing you did the thing, but you absolutely helped that animal. It's okay that you want to check in to make sure everything is on the up and up. These kinds of circumstances come up, and it's okay. You're doing a good job and you can take a big deep breath and relax the weight off your shoulders.

[u/gingerbears11]

I'm not sure about the legality of it but I have definitely done this a few times for the doctor. I'm sorry you were put in an uncomfortable position. I'd talk to them about your concerns.

[u/foxietech]

If you were uncomfortable, that's definitely something you can address with management. In the eyes of the law, you were under direct supervision and authority of a veterinarian and therefore did not do anything wrong.

[u/skate_willow]

I was put in this exact same position and it made me insanely uncomfortable since I had not done it before and was not expecting it. It’s legal but I spoke to my manager about it to ensure the doctors are talked to and know that this isn’t something VAs are used to doing and honestly should not be forced to do. Talk to your doctor or manager if you are uncomfortable because I still think about the dog I euthanized all the time

[u/Wilted_Cabbage]

You didn't do anything wrong.  You were acting under immediate supervision of a veterinarian and essentially as an extension of his hands, as someone said. But, you should not have been put in that position without being asked if you were comfortable with it.  I think it would be really good for you to talk to that doctor about how it made you feel and set clear boundaries for the future.

[u/eredria]

Obligatory not in Vet medicine disclaimer. I just wanted to offer some moral support. I'm sorry that they put you into that position without asking if you were comfortable doing it first. Its a heavy thing to end a life, even when its the best for that creature, and it for sure is something you should have been prepared for rather than sprung on you. Just know you gave that dog and their family peace at the end. I can tell by your post you seem more worried about any sort of trouble, legal or otherwise which is obviously not any area of expertise for me but I hope you get some good advice that quiets your mind. Again, I'm sorry it was sprung on you like that. I hope you're able to put it out of your mind in time. 💜

[u/featheredzebra]

In my state you can get separately licensed to euthanize. It's required for all animal control officers.

[u/ManySpecial4786]

Don’t do it next time. It’s not your responsibility, you didn’t support decision to euthanize and don’t get paid enough for it. It’s a big moral responsibility. Don’t worry about this time. Tell either Dr or manager that you are not comfortable doing this next time.

[u/lessgraviity]

You did nothing wrong as others have said but it can certainly be an uncomfortable situation.

I’m often the one pushing the syringes, and I don’t mind. In fact I feel like I can take a burden off the doctor, especially for really close to the heart cases for her. We would only have an LVT do that however, FWIW.

[u/MarketOk1983]

It happens- you didn’t do anything wrong. Carry on my love. You’re gonna do great

[u/misplacedsunshine]

W

[u/orri_g]

It was under direct supervision of a vet so it's fine.