Pet Palliative Care is on the Rise

Credit: Ryan Mullen

Enamored dog owners already knew what studies have confirmed. From the doggies’ point of view, the love is mutual. These pet owners revel in their fond companions’ every stage, from puppyhood to the senior years. With such a strong bond, it’s no wonder that — in these days of increased palliative care for humans — pet owners have started to think about more compassionate end-of-life care for their companion animals too.

What is Palliative Pet Care?

Palliative care for dogs — and cats — is often coupled with pet hospice care, which allows a pet owner to provide comfort care for a dying animal. This usually takes place in the owner’s home, with the assistance of a veterinarian or veterinary nurse. As with people, hospice and palliative pet care does not focus on keeping an animal alive, but on increasing the quality of their final days by making sure that the animal is comfortable and experiences more pleasure than pain.

When is a Pet Ready for Hospice Care?

Credit: Ryan Mullen

According to the International Association for Animal Hospice and Palliative Care, end-of-life care for pets is “an alternative to premature euthanasia and… an alternative to prolonged suffering, which can result either from isolating an animal in intensive care or from inadequately treating the animal at home.” In general, such care is appropriate when a pet has been diagnosed with a terminal disease, has a life expectancy in the range of a few days to months, and the pet’s guardian does not want to euthanize at this time.

The Lap of Love veterinarians network, a group dedicated to empowering caregivers of geriatric pets, offers a variety of tools to help evaluate the quality of a pet’s life. All are based on the pet owner’s observations of the patient’s pain, appetite, incontinence, mobility and happiness. In addition, by entering their zip code on the Lap of Love homepage, caregivers can locate local end-of-life services for their pet. The International Veterinary Academy Pain Management’s website also lists certified veterinary pain specialists.

How Expensive is it?

Grey Muzzle Hospice Project at work
Credit: GMHP Facebook page

Though deciding to provide palliative care for an animal is more expensive than basic well-animal care, it is generally far less expensive than aggressive curative treatments. As with human medicine, there are different levels of care. A Senior Resources Guide explains how these levels might differ. A “bronze plan” might involve basic pain medications, and will be fairly affordable. The “silver plan” might include injections for managing symptoms or more expensive classes of drugs or specially formulated diets. A “gold plan” might include massage, acupuncture, laser therapy, rehabilitation, and other therapeutic modalities.

Last Wishes

Fulfilling a dear pet’s “bucket list” is becoming a part of their end-of-life care as well. Nicola Harrison, (also identified as Nicola Coyle in an ABC news feature) started the Grey Muzzle Canine Hospice in Mansfield, England, taking some sickly strays home to save them from being put down prematurely. She’s been known to fulfill the terminally ill dogs’ “final wishes” by taking them to the local pub for a steak dinner, going to the beach, and arranging rides in police cars, among other canine fantasies. She receives donations towards vet bills from hundreds of supporters online via the Grey Muzzle Canine Hospice Project, run from her home.

In the last few years, several pets’ final days of exploration and adventure have made the news: In New York, Gizelle, a Mastiff with bone cancer, rode in a canoe, ate lobster and donuts and met Santa. In Georgia, Chester, a mixed-breed dog adopted into hospice foster care, amassed 77,000 likes on Facebook during his journey. In British Columbia, Romeo, a Boxer, ate sushi and went to a doggy spa.

The Old Dog Haven, a nonprofit in western Washington that rescues senior dogs, advises well-intentioned owners to consider activities that their infirmed pet would most enjoy during the last months or days of their lives over what the human caregiver would prefer to do.