What is Hospice?

Hospice refers to a philosophy that promotes an alternative to immediate euthanasia or a painful death. The idea is that death can be experienced with dignity, as an animal rests at home with its loving family.  We generally reserve this approach for pets in the final stage of a terminal illness and focus on giving animals a safe, caring, intimate end-of-life experience in their familiar environment. As such, it is not geared toward curing a patient's disease, but rather toward keeping the disease from causing any discomfort until the patient passes, either on its own, naturally, or with assistance. 

What is Palliative Care?

We generally use the terms "Palliative" or "Comfort Care" to refer to the provision of pain relief, nursing care, nutrition, and other methods of physical & emotional support that are intended to keep the pet comfortable until the end of it's life, either naturally or through euthanasia. In contrast, we try to reserve the term "hospice" for referring to the approach to end of life care where we do not intervene medically to hasten (euthanasia) or delay (through extraordinary measures) the pet's passing. This does not mean that we do nothing, it simply means that the intention is to allow the pet to pass in it's own time and in it's own way, while providing the same kinds of support as in palliative care. 

Is Hospice or Palliative Care right for my pet?

Many terminally ill patients can benefit from home hospice or palliative care. Some common conditions for which hospice may be appropriate include various types of cancer, organ failure (e.g. kidney, liver, or heart), debilitating arthritis, and neurological problems. Important things to consider before choosing hospice include whether or not any pain that is present can be controlled, what procedures caregivers are willing/able to perform at home, and the availability of family resources such as time, money, psychological/spiritual support, etc. When considering hospice care, here are some questions that you should consider:

- Does your pet still truly want to continue living or are you choosing hospice because you feel guilty
about or are unable to make a decision regarding euthanasia?

- Do you have the time, energy, and resources to commit to caring for your pet and
managing the medications and treatments necessary to keep him/her comfortable?
You may need to care for a pet that is unable to rise, is incontinent, needs frequent
cleaning, turning, and medication administration, and/or is not eating/drinking.

- Would you be comfortable giving your pet injections or learning to do this? (Many pets
will stop eating toward the end of their lives and the most effective way to provide
needed medications is often via injection)

- Can your pet's pain be managed effectively (we can help with this assessment)?

- Is everyone in your family in agreement about this course of care?

Additional Resources

PetHospice.com is a site developed by Dr. Shea Cox and our colleagues at Bluepearl Pet Hospice. It is an excellent one-stop site for all your questions about Hospice, Palliative Care, Quality of Life, Pain, etc. You can find, helpful resources, including videos on a wide variety of topics.