Quality of Life
A good quality of life is sometimes the hardest thing to be sure of as a pet parent. We all want our pets to live happy, healthy lives, but since our pets do not speak the same language we do we can't ask them. We can, however, learn to read body language and use some subjective and objective tools to give us a better answer to understanding a pet's quality of life.
Major things to consider include:
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Major things to consider include:
- Pain control: is your pet painful?
- Respiratory distress: is your pet having trouble breathing, coughing frequently, wheezing, or other respiratory problem?
- Eating and Drinking: is your pet still eating and drinking, a 'normal' amount?
- Mobile: are they able to get up on their own; is it difficult to do?
- Hygiene: are they able to keep themselves clean?
- Attitude: do they still enjoy their favorite things; are they irritable; do they remember you?
- Family: can the family still provide the level of care needed for the pets condition?
Sign up for our newsletter and get a copy of the quality of life scale you can use.
Pain Management:
Knowing if your pet is in pain is important in maintaining a good quality of life. Check out the blog post Pet Pain Education for more info.
Hospice:
Hospice may be an option for your pet if a 'cure' is not possible for their disease. It is a good idea to have this discussion with the veterinarian providing care for your pet so that you are both on the same page in regards to treating your pet.
The International Association for Animal Hospice and Palliative Care describes hospice as:
The International Association for Animal Hospice and Palliative Care describes hospice as:
What is animal hospice? What is palliative care?
Both are approaches to care for your animal friend that can be adopted when the goal shifts from cure to comfort. Both involve an interdisciplinary team of providers who offer comprehensive care on the physical, emotional and spiritual levels and include veterinarians, animal and family services providers. The term “animal hospice” is not a place; it is a philosophy of care which became popularized in the 1970’s. Since the 1990’s the hospice model has been applied to also caring for our pets and thus hospice and palliative care for animals is growing across the US and the world.
Why animal hospice and palliative care for my beloved pet?
In the human hospice experience, families are well-supported and empowered to provide loving care to their loved one. As a result, they find enhanced coping along the journey and healing from their loss. Many pet parents want the same care for their furry, feathered and scaled family members as they’ve seen benefit their human loved ones, and so they turn to animal hospice. Pet parents also seek satisfaction in knowing they did all they could to support their animal companion, enhanced their bond with them during this time, and created cherished memories.
What kind of diseases or conditions would warrant hospice and/or palliative care?
The diseases and conditions that most frequently warrant hospice or palliative care for animals are:
● cancer
● organ failure [kidneys, liver and heart are common examples]
● osteoarthritis
● cognitive dysfunction, or dementia
● senior pets approaching the end of life
● Failure to Thrive
● any life-limiting condition that is contributing to an excessive burden of caregiving for a family, or treatments/interventions that are unacceptable to the pet
How do I know if hospice care is the right decision for me and my pet?
Many pet parents choose hospice care in order to have the time to say goodbye to their companions, to plan for their death, and to ensure that all the decisions about the pet's needs are guided by their personal view of the pet's needs. If you have the resources to support comfort care, the time and desire to care for your pet during the last days, weeks, sometimes months of their life, and a good support team in place, then hospice care may be the right choice for you and your pet.
Other resources:
Compassion Pet Hospice: resources to know definitions of hospice and coping with grief.
Journeys Home Pet Euthanasia: resources for knowing when it's time to let go.
International Association for Animal Hospice and Palliative Care for more information on hospice.
We also include a quality of life scale in our Pet Health Journal. It can be used in both the Pet Health Journal or the One Month Pet Health Journal to help keep track of how your pet is doing. If you would like your own copy of the journals, see what is available on Yvonne's Author Page on Amazon.
Journeys Home Pet Euthanasia: resources for knowing when it's time to let go.
International Association for Animal Hospice and Palliative Care for more information on hospice.
We also include a quality of life scale in our Pet Health Journal. It can be used in both the Pet Health Journal or the One Month Pet Health Journal to help keep track of how your pet is doing. If you would like your own copy of the journals, see what is available on Yvonne's Author Page on Amazon.