Programme Consultant
Susan qualified as a vet in Copenhagen, Denmark in 1999 and is an in-home hospice and emergency vet. In 2005 she established her business, Vets2Home – Peaceful Pet Goodbyes, a pioneering business fully dedicated to in-home services specialising in palliative medicine, animal hospice and gentle euthanasia. Susan – whose experience is based on more than 9,000 home consultations is also an active member of the International Association of Animal Hospice and Palliative Care (IAAHPC). Susan is the main author of our Compassion Understood Pet Loss Support training programme for veterinary professionals and helps ensure that the content reflects the very best practice in end-of-life animal welfare and client support.
Researcher and Writer
Helen spent the majority of her time in veterinary practice working alongside pet owners in her role as a consulting nurse. Her focus on well-being and health extended to the care of older pets in senior pet clinics. During this time, she supported many pet owners through the end of life stage which made her well-placed to be able to work with Compassion Understood. As well as running focus groups with veterinary professionals into end-of-life support, Helen has liaised with many pet owners to gather their views and knows only too well how important the vet and pet relationship is during this emotional and heart-breaking time.
Consultant / Project Manager
Libby is a vet who spent 10 years working in practice followed by 14 years in the veterinary industry, where she still works in communications, copywriting and project management, and is a regular contributor to veterinary and pet magazines. Compassion Understood resonated with her deeply, having been the carer for a succession of ‘oldies’ from horses to dogs and cats. Her ability to recognise and empathise with the journey of a pet owner through end-of-life is the result of her life-long dedication to animals. Libby has researched end-of-life support on behalf of Compassion Understood for 2 years and has contributed to both the Compassion Understood website and training programme for veterinary professionals.
Education Consultant
Jenny is a veterinary educationalist who graduated from the Royal Veterinary College, London in 2000. After several years working in companion animal and mixed practice in the UK and Australia, Jenny completed an MSc in Science Communication in 2005 at Dublin City University. Jenny has a special interest in communication and education. She has worked as Editor of the Irish Veterinary Journal, Director of Communication Skills at Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, St. Kitts, and Programme Director of the veterinary undergraduate course at the School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Surrey. Jenny has overseen the Compassion Understood training programme content to ensure that it delivers a high standard of teaching, and supports course participants to be able to fully integrate their learnings into everyday practice in the clinic.