What is hospice care? |
Disease or Conditions that warrant hospice care: |
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Hospice care should be considered anytime owners have a concern about their pet's quality of life. It begins the moment a pet has been diagnosed with a terminal condition and the family has decided not to pursue curative therapies.
Hospice care provides support and palliative care for patients in the last phase of an incurable disease, or at the natural end of life. The UVH team will help you to focus on caring not curing. We understand that serious illness profoundly impacts not only the patient but family as well. Our hospice team helps families and their pets during the last phase of the animal’s life. |
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Where do we start?Start with an initial consultation with our veterinarian. This consultation takes 60-90 minutes either at the Comfort Care Center at Lyons Veterinary Clinic or in your home.
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Initial Consult/ What to expect
You will meet with the consulting veterinarian to discuss:
* individualized plan based on a comprehensive assessment of the patient’s and family’s needs while taking into consideration the patient’s diagnosis, prognosis and care options.
You will meet with the consulting veterinarian to discuss:
* individualized plan based on a comprehensive assessment of the patient’s and family’s needs while taking into consideration the patient’s diagnosis, prognosis and care options.
- Review family caretaker skills and assistance that may be needed.
- Medical assessment, including a quality of life assessment and pain assessment.
- Plan of care: including treatments and prescriptions, household modifications, plan for follow ups.
Goals of Pet Hospice Care |
Hospice services |
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Provide our patients with a safe, caring, intimate end-of-life experience in a familiar environment surrounded by loved ones.
The focus is providing pain control and physical comfort to the pet, as well as educational and emotional support for the family until a natural death occurs or euthanasia is chosen.This gives families time to adjust to their pet’s disease and help prepare them to say goodbye. |
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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 with the assistance of a professional team.
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