Dr. Hendrix and Dr. Ficker met in 2012 and found they shared the same vision of veterinary palliative medicine.  They developed a friendship over the years and a strong professional relationship since working together on a conference in 2015.  Dr. Hendrix began a Facebook group in Veterinary Palliative Medicine a couple of years ago, and has seen a meteoric rise in veterinarians interested in this field in the past year.  Dr. Hendrix and Dr. Ficker believe the time has arrived for the development of a formal veterinary palliative medicine organization founded on evidence-based principals and practice and subsequently the World Veterinary Palliative Medicine Organization was founded.

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They launched the WVPMO on April 1st, 2019 on their Facebook group and followed in person in Birmingham UK at the British Small Animal Veterinary Association's annual congress on April 4th.

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The WVPMO's Mission:  To form a global network of veterinarians improving and supporting the lives of animals and their caregivers by promoting and advancing veterinary palliative medicine centered on quality of life.

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The WVPMO's Vision:

1. To create a global community of veterinarians providing progressive symptom management for animals with advanced, progressing and life-limiting disease, and exemplary communication skills with caregivers.

2. To provide leading-edge education in veterinary palliative medicine, end of life communication skills, and best euthanasia practices.

3. To establish best practice guidelines in veterinary palliative medicine, and to advance the development of palliative medicine as a veterinary specialty.

4. To support evidence-based research in veterinary palliative medicine

 

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