Pet Hospice 101: Compassion Fatigue

What is Compassion Fatigue?

When your line of work routinely involves helping clients through the traumatic experience of losing an animal companion, you may find yourself suffering emotionally. This experience is known as compassion fatigue. The American Institute of Stress defines it as, “the emotional residue or strain of exposure to working with those suffering from the consequences of traumatic events.” It is possible to vicariously experience feelings of trauma through one case, or cumulatively over time.It may feel simpler to try to brush off your feelings, chalking it up to “burnout”. But compassion fatigue and burnout are not to be confused; a teacher can get exhausted or burnt out grading too many papers, but they are not traumatized. The difference is significant! Take notice if you don’t feel like yourself, or don’t enjoy doing the things you normally do. It is important that you do not trivialize your experience, but rather focus on taking care of yourself. Maintaining your own positive emotional well-being is crucial to offering quality support and services to your clients.

Self-care Tips for Dealing with Compassion Fatigue

• Get plenty of sleep
• Eat a healthy diet
• Allow time for rest (mental and physical)
• Play, laugh!
• Lean on support network of meaningful relationships 

If you are taking all these steps for proper self-care and are still struggling, seek out someone to talk to a friend, colleague or counselor. There is no shame in admitting you need help; on the contrary, it is a highly professional step and an investment in your own well-being and career. On the flip side, if you are approached by a colleague who is experiencing compassion fatigue, empathize with them openly--“me too” goes a long way to kill the shame they may be feeling. Veterinary professionals need to be a supportive community for each other.Finally, reframe yourself mentally- always try to find the silver lining and focus on the positive:

• Make the most out of what you can control 
• Practice gratitude
• Remember that the pet had a good family
• You helped the suffering end
• People genuinely mean well 

Compassion fatigue can be a real struggle. But with awareness, self-care, a good support system, and a positive mindset, you can overcome it and continue to do amazing work for your clients and their pets. Our MissionThe goal of pet hospice is to make sure that the pet is as pain-free and comfortable as possible. This goal is best achieved when veterinary clinics and pet hospice providers work as a team to provide a high-quality care and services for clients.