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How veterinary staff experience grief on the death of companion animal patients
USER-ALT Pilar Muñoz-Rascón and others, University of Córdoba, Spain
Grief on the death of a companion animal can be felt as strongly as that following the loss of human family members. The term‘ disenfranchised grief’ has been coined to describe situations where grief is not publicly acknowledged. This may contribute to moral distress in veterinary staff regularly required to euthanise their patients. The authors presented a questionnaire to veterinary staff to assess their responses to the deaths of their patients and investigate whether these differed from those of their clients. Their findings suggest that veterinary staff have generally developed a more adaptive response to the deaths of their patients. However, a substantial minority did report having unmet needs – 25 % did not feel supported, 30 % felt misunderstood and 30 % were unable to express their grief naturally. The authors suggest that these findings highlight the need to provide bereavement support tailored to the needs of the individual.
Research in Veterinary Science https:// doi. org / 10.1016 / j. rvsc. 2026.106274
Factors associated with veterinary perianaesthetic deaths
USER-ALT Nicole Rose and others, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada
Perianaesthetic deaths( PADs) in veterinary clinics occur at a consistently higher rate than in human hospitals despite considerable advances in veterinary anaesthesia. The authors investigate the factors responsible for these differences through a review of current literature on the definitions and risk factors for PADs, the species-specific challenges in preventing such incidents and the role of postmortem examinations in gathering evidence. Their findings show a higher risk of PAD in feline than canine patients, the influence of pre-anaesthetic health status, and the importance of species-specific factors, age and weight extremes, and procedural urgency. They note the value of postmortem examinations in identifying undiagnosed lesions that may affect outcomes. They also highlight the need for a multidisciplinary, standardised approach to the investigation of PADs.
Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation https:// doi. org / 10.1177 / 10406387261421223
Adherence of malignant cells to surgical gloves and instruments
USER-ALT Ebba Orjefelt and others, University of Edinburgh, UK
The dangers of seeding malignant cells elsewhere in the patient ' s body are well recognised in cancer surgery. Yet, there is little information in the human medical literature, and even less in veterinary journals, on the adherence of tumour cells to gloves and surgical instruments. The authors investigated the presence of cancerous cells on surgical equipment after 47 procedures conducted in canine patients. Malignant cells were detected in washings from the discarded gloves or instruments following 14( 30 %) of these procedures. In eight of those cases, the procedure involved tumours with incomplete surgical margins. There was no significant association between the tumour type and the risk of contamination. The findings support the introduction of routine glove and equipment changes during the surgical excision of tumours.
Journal of Small Animal Practice https:// doi. org / 10.1111 / jsap. 70090
Volume 41( 5) • October 2026
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