A good death? Interspecies entanglements and changing landscapes in end of life care

Vets and doctors are both involved in managing death, but the changing ways in which animals and humans are cared for at the end of life and how the two professions might learn together has yet to be explored.

The project will build on recent work which shows that pets are increasingly treated as family members, with veterinary care often being compared and contrasted with the medical care of humans. It also responds to changing practices in human and animal end of life care, such as the emergence of animal hospices and increased discussion of medically assisted dying for people.

The project examines how modern human-animal relationships might unsettle traditional differences in veterinary and human end of life care. At a time when what is expected of vets and doctors is changing, this project will create opportunities to learn together through exploring shared goals and important differences in understanding a ‘good death’.