For Veterinary Clinics & Teams

Dear Veterinary Leader,

My name is George Dewiliby. I am an author, a cardiovascular professional, and a pet-loss grief educator. I am reaching out because veterinary teams carry families through some of the most painful decisions they will ever make, yet the care that follows those decisions often ends when the family leaves the clinic.

After my family lost our Labrador, Wilson, I wrote Learning to Heal Through the Dogs Who Loved Us. The book grew from grief, but it also grew from a question: what happens to families after they walk out of the clinic without the animal who came in with them?

That question led me into conversations with more than twenty veterinary professionals, including practice owners, technicians, managers, grief-support staff, and veterinary social workers. Their perspectives helped me understand the pressures clinics face, the emotional weight carried by veterinary teams, and the need for support that respects both the family and the people providing care.

I later completed Animal Related Bereavement: How to Support Broken Hearts through the University of Tennessee College of Social Work’s Veterinary Social Work Certificate Program. Alongside that training, I studied 46 distinct research and educational sources addressing the human-animal bond, grief frameworks, attachment, euthanasia and end-of-life decisions, continuing bonds, social support, veterinary communication, and approaches to animal-related loss. This education deepened the foundation beneath work that had already begun through Wilson, the book, the families whose stories I have written, and the veterinary professionals who shared their perspectives with me.

The resources on this page were created to help clinics extend care beyond the appointment. They include a complimentary review copy of the book, pet-loss Comfort Cards for families, downloadable handouts, staff support materials, and options for carrying copies in the clinic.

These resources are not meant to add another burden to your team. They are meant to support the daily moments that already happen in your practice: the family who is not ready to leave, the technician who carries a case home emotionally, the receptionist who answers the call a week later, and the veterinarian who wants the family to know their grief is understood.

If this work feels aligned with the care your clinic provides, I would be grateful for the opportunity to send a review copy, discuss the resources, or learn more about what your team and your clients need.

With respect,

George Dewiliby Author · Cardiovascular Professional · Pet-Loss Grief Educator GeorgeDewiliby.com GeorgeDWrites@gmail.com 904-738-3856

Complimentary review copies are subject to practice verification and George's approval, as described above.

Dear Veterinary Team,

You meet families at moments they will remember for the rest of their lives. Sometimes you are helping an animal recover. Sometimes you are helping a family make a decision they never wanted to face. Often, you are carrying your own feelings while trying to remain steady for everyone else in the room.

I came to this work after losing my Labrador, Wilson. The grief that followed taught me how much a family may still be trying to understand after the appointment is over. It also led me to write Learning to Heal Through the Dogs Who Loved Us, a book created for people trying to make sense of love, loss, memory, guilt, and the life that continues afterward.

My work in animal bereavement is informed by completing Animal Related Bereavement: How to Support Broken Hearts through the University of Tennessee College of Social Work’s Veterinary Social Work Certificate Program and studying 46 distinct research and educational sources. That education sits beside my experience of losing Wilson, writing for bereaved families, and listening to veterinary professionals describe what their clients may need after they leave the clinic.

The veterinary resources on this page were created with both families and clinic teams in mind. The Comfort Cards can be handed to a family when words are difficult. The downloadable materials can help explain grief responses, suggest supportive language, and give staff something practical to share. The book can offer continued support after the family leaves your care.

This is another way to extend your care into the part of the journey that begins after the family leaves you.

Thank you for the work you do, for the animals you care for, and for the people you help through days they never wanted to face.

With gratitude,

George Dewiliby Author · Cardiovascular Professional · Pet-Loss Grief Educator

Complimentary review copies are subject to practice verification and George's approval, as described above.