Animal illness and human emotion. Conditions requiring chronic management

Communicating with a client whose animal is afflicted with a chronic, incurable, but not-yet fatal illness is one of the most difficult human relations problems in veterinary medicine. A sudden and marked change occurs in the intensity and quality of the owner/patient bond. This necessitates establishing a new, and almost always less satisfying human/animal equilibrium. The practitioner not only plays a critical role in helping the owner cope with the conflicts of chronicity but must also grapple with his or her own frustrations surrounding the need to treat a known ill-fated patient. Techniques and strategies useful for dealing with all aspects of the management of the chronically ill patient are discussed.