{"product_id":"killing-your-best-friend-michael-mullen-9781648433795","title":"Killing Your Best Friend: A Veterinarian's Journal and Manual of Euthanasia","description":"\u003cp\u003eDeath is an uncomfortable but inevitable topic often layered with euphemisms to cushion the reality of loss. Many people will outlive their beloved pets and must make the difficult decision to euthanize an animal. \u003ci\u003eKilling Your Best Friend: A Veterinarian's Journal and Manual of Euthanasia\u003c\/i\u003e is an unconventional look at issues surrounding end-of-life care for pets by Austin-area veterinarian Michael Mullen with his wife, Kate O'Neill. Their book presents an intimate, compelling journal and practical manual for euthanasia home visits that offers veterinarians guidance while informing pet owners of the process.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMullen draws upon his vast experience of euthanizing more than 2,000 pets in their homes with the owners present, a practice rarely done before 1985. He was among the pioneers who began using sedation before putting an animal to sleep to ease the death of the animal and the anxiety of the owner. More than twenty years ago, Mullen began writing \"death notices\" as his own coping mechanism. He organized these journal entries with further reflections, giving readers an inside view to how he performs euthanasia while deftly exploring the accompanying grief, loss, and wisdom gained, often from the people for whom he is performing this heartbreaking service.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eKilling Your Best Friend\u003c\/i\u003e tells the story of how Mullen's attitude toward the most dreaded part of his profession has evolved over the last forty years to curiosity and even to perceiving it as a spiritual honor.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Michael Mullen,Kate O'Neill\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1648433790\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781648433795\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Texas A\u0026amp;M University Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 04\/23\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 184\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.50lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.44h x 5.44w x 0.72d","brand":"Michael Mullen","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":48460287213823,"sku":"9781648433795","price":25.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_6e8b1ab1-9acd-429d-a31e-788aa157bbb5.jpg?v=1777413754","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/killing-your-best-friend-michael-mullen-9781648433795","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}