The devastating news that your animal companion is dying can be a trauma that is difficult to overcome. Especially if the diagnosis is unexpected or sudden. Being faced with the need to make immediate, literally life-and-death decisions can put pet parents in an untenable position. Added to that is the likely scenario that families will have little idea of the expected disease progression, how to judge quality of life for their friend, and even if they’re in pain. Hospice can help.

We know intellectually that our animal companions aren’t likely to outlive us, but that doesn’t change the way we feel when the time actually comes to say good-bye. We often have clients tell us that they didn’t anticipate the levels of grief, guilt and distress they felt when they found out their much loved fur- (or feather-) child received a terminal diagnosis. Often, in the past, primary care veterinarians were limited to offering heroic (meaning, trying really hard, but likely to succeed) interventions, or immediate euthanasia. Neither of those things were likely the best choice for a family reeling from the shock of a life-limiting illness for their animal companion, but in veterinary practice in Australia, our choices have been somewhat limited.

Veterinary hospice care is a relatively new field in both human and animal medicine, with a history of only forty or so years. Hospice care is about living life fully in the time remaining, about comfort care, and about meeting the spiritual and emotional needs of both the patient and their care-givers. That is just as true in veterinary medicine as it is in the human field, and in-home veterinary hospice care can provide the same level of comfort and peace to patients and families as the human model.

Sometimes in a hospice care situation, animals can achieve a peaceful, painless unassisted passing. Sometimes, we need to help the transition with a kind and gentle euthanasia. In either situation, hospice care can give pet-parents precious time to say good-bye, and allow patients to live fully, before they achieve a good death, whether assisted or natural. That’s a truly precious gift.