Dr. Kathleen Cooney has been practicing advanced end-of-life care since 2006. Dr. Cooney is Senior Director of Medical Education for the Companion Animal Euthanasia Training Academy (CAETA). She is well-known for her work in companion animal euthanasia and has authored two books on the subject along with numerous articles and book chapters (Cooney CV). Dr. Cooney has collaborated in end-of-life training for the AVMA, AAHA, NAVC, IAAHPC, the Fear Free Program, and many more. She is a strong advocate for best practices in all aspects of end-of-life care and speaks nationally and internationally on such topics. Dr. Cooney is Board Certified in animal welfare through the American College of Animal Welfare (ACAW), and is Affiliate Faculty at Colorado State University where she teaches end-of-life topics and animal welfare. In her personal life, Dr. Cooney is married with 3 children living in beautiful northern Colorado on her 35-acre farm.

A dual professional veterinarian and social worker, Katherine pursued her social work degree at Syracuse University after recognizing the significant human needs that arise in medical environments – for both family members of seriously ill patients, and medical team members themselves. Perhaps it should not have been a surprise that this winding professional path would unfold, as Katherine graduated in 1999 from Wesleyan University’s Science In Society Program – an interdisciplinary exploration of philosophy, science, technology and ethics. Always looking for unique ways in which complicated and emotionally-charged issues intersect, Katherine engaged in veterinary medicine with an eye towards ethical dilemmas, supporting complex human-animal relationships, addressing veterinary needs in underserved communities, and exploring the rigors of medical training for students. A 2004 graduate of Cornell’s College of Veterinary Medicine, she has been instrumental in developing the field of palliative medicine in veterinary environments. Concerns related to wellbeing characteristics within the veterinary profession also motivated Katherine to further develop her skills and knowledge in the areas of pre-professional, graduate, and professional student support.

An author of numerous publications, Katherine is most proud of her curation of the May 2019 "Veterinary Clinics, Small Animal Practice: Advances in Palliative Medicine," which is the most comprehensive collection of articles in the field to date and includes perspectives from palliative care pioneers in human medicine.

She has a particular interest in the impact of professional culture on mental health, graduate student wellbeing, and preparing students for the stressors of professional life. Additional interests include moral stress, compassion fatigue, grief, loss & bereavement, the impact of serious illness on family dynamics, mindfulness, Compassion Focused Therapy, upstream initiatives for community health, and animal-related issues in human service organizations. She is grateful to have found a “home” in the social work profession, where social justice and the dignity and worth of each individual are core values.

Katherine supports her own wellbeing with a combination of endurance sport and homesteading. She can be found training and racing solo as well as with her Icelandic horses, tending to poultry, or tapping maple trees, depending on the season.

Dr Suzen, Vets2Home Founder & Owner, and UK’s leading hospice vet and pet euthanasia expert. Her caring home care vet team at Vets2Home – Peaceful Pet Goodbyes, have been helping families say goodbye at home peacefully with vet home visits in Sussex since 2005.

Dr Suzen graduated in 1999 from The Royal Veterinary & Agricultural University in her native Copenhagen, then left Denmark to become a mobile vet in England. She realised as a big animal lover herself, that saying goodbye with a gentle dog euthanasia or cat euthanasia at home and the whole end of life journey with any beloved pet was the most important but difficult and challenging time for any pet parent.

Dr Suzen had a vision to offer a professional, compassionate home care vet alternative to the clinical experience commonly offered. Vets2Home was founded in 2005 based on these important values. In addition to running Vets2Home, she is the UK instructor of CAETA International. CAETA offers specialised training to vet colleagues interested in using state of the art euthanasia techniques when delivering the goodbye experience. She is honoured to serve as the first European Member on the board of the non-profit International Association of Animal Hospice and Palliative Care (IAAHPC).

Sarah Holliday is an experienced registered veterinary nurse (RVN) with extensive experience in both the veterinary profession and veterinary oncology. She holds a certificate in feline and canine behaviour and is one of five RVNs in the UK to gain the veterinary technician specialist certificate in oncology. Sarah joined the nursing team at a leading referral hospital specialising in soft tissue and oncology in 2015 and is the senior medical oncology nurse, overseeing the medical oncology department. She is passionate about cancer pain management and delivering contextualised care, prioritising the patient’s quality of life. Sarah strives to provide cancer specific nursing care throughout their cancer journey and ensures dignified end of life care, both for the patient and their families.

Dr. Elke Rudloff has been practicing veterinary medicine for over 30 years. A graduate of Purdue University, she is board certified in veterinarian emergency and critical care and now dedicates her time to protecting the end-of-life experience for companion animals through her work with BluePearl Pet Hospice. Dr. Elke is certified in veterinary medical acupuncture and has a strong passion for pain management, quality of life enhancement, and a gentle end of life experience. She is a published author, a regular speaker at events around the world, and an active member of the VECCS. Dr. Elke is a Certified Senior Dog Veterinarian, Certified Peaceful Euthanasia Veterinarian and CAETA Instructor, promoting best comfort care and euthanasia practices to veterinary teams everywhere.