A Veterinarian’s Guide to Disabled Pets and Their People: Caring for the Disabled Patient
Melissa Shapiro, DVM
This presentation is RACE-approved for 1 hour of CE credit for veterinarians and vet techs.
Program Description
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 pet’s 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 veterinarian’s role in supporting and guiding clients who choose to care for profoundly disabled pets.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this session, attendees will be able to:
- Recognize that disabled pets share the same foundational medical needs as typical patients and that most veterinarians are fully equipped to manage their care.
- Reframe and recognize that quality of life is relative and adjust perceptions to more objectively measure a disabled pet’s capacity for a happy comfortable life.
- Establish an in-clinic peer mentorship program that pairs veteran clients with owners of newly acquired disabled pets.
- Connect overwhelmed pet parents to external support networks such as disabledpets.org, specialized rescues, supply sources, and gear exchanges to alleviate client stress.
- Assure the home environment, communication, training, and care properly accommodate the pet’s unique individual needs.
- Apply the 5-Step SHIFT Framework to confidently onboard, support, and retain clients with 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
Contact Dr. Melissa Shapiro for booking and to learn more: .
Website: melissashapirodvm.com