Helpful Links for Pet Hospice & End-of-Life Care
Whether you’re a veterinary professional navigating end-of-life care or a dedicated pet parent seeking solace, we hope our carefully curated collection of resources will assist you at every step.
Table of Contents
Quality-of-Life Tools
Lap of Love Scale
A quality-of-life scale from Lap of Love. Be sure to discuss your results with your veterinarian.
QOL Pyramid
A pyramid visual that explores the three facets that make up a pet’s quality of life: emotional, social, and physical.
Ohio State: How Will I Know?
A comprehensive guide created by Ohio State University that explores the difficult decisions surrounding a pet’s later years.
VetMetrica HRQL
An online questionnaire for pet parents that explores the four domains of QOL (energy, happiness, comfort, and calmness).
Blank Tracking Calendar
A printable tool from IAAHPC to help track treatments, events and trends in your aging pet’s quality of life.
The HHHHHMM Scale
A quality-of-life tool meant to help determine whether hospice care continues to be in a pet’s best interest.
JOURNEYS Scale
A quality-of-life tool meant to help you consider the factors that affect your pet’s happiness and sense of well-being.
Equine QOL Scale
A chart meant to help you visualize your horse’s quality of life and bring to light potential areas of concern.
Cognitive Dysfunction
An evaluation tool meant to identify certain behaviors in dogs that may indicate the presence of Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome (CDS).
Osteoarthritis in Dogs
Use this checklist and view the accompanying video to gauge if your dog has been showing signs of OA-related pain.
Osteoarthritis in Cats
Use this checklist and view the accompanying video to gauge if your cat has been showing signs of OA-related pain.
Disease-Specific Tools
Pain Scales
Chronic Pain
Chronic pain in pets can be difficult to recognize. Feel free to use these resources to work with your vet in assessing your pet’s symptoms and, ultimately, determining what course of action may be needed.
Acute Pain
Acute pain in pets, like chronic pain, can often go unnoticed. Pain and grimace scales can shed some light on evaluating an animal’s pain and serve as an important part of overall pain management efforts.
WASAVA 2022 Pain Guidelines
The World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) has designed this article to offer guidance on recognizing and treating pain in small animal veterinary settings.
IAAHPC Guidelines
Published by the International Association of Animal Hospice and Palliative Care (IAAHPC), these guidelines aim to define terminology and describe principles surrounding high-quality end-of-life care for animals.
IAAHPC/AAHA Guidelines
Authored in 2016 by AAHA/IAAHPC, these guidelines outline in detail the unique attributes and challenges that come with providing optimal end-of-life care.
IAAHPC/AAFP Guidelines
These guidelines, authored in 2023 by the AAFP/IAAHPC, discuss the ethical considerations behind feline hospice and palliative care.
End-of-Life Guidelines
Grief Support
How To Help A Child Grieving A Beloved Pet
The loss of a beloved pet is a major life experience for children and it is often their first introduction to death. The closer the bond and the longer the pet’s life, stronger the impact.
How to Memorialize a Beloved Pet
It’s hard to imagine life after a beloved pet dies, but when that time does come, it helps to find ways to honor your special bond and celebrate the love you’ll always share. Here are many ideas for memorializing your beloved friend.
How to Support a Grieving Pet
When a family member dies (or moves away), it’s a major life experience for everyone close to them, two and four-footed alike. Because our pets are sensitive to subtle nuances in our exchanges with them, they are also affected by the stress of the loss (along with our reactions to it), because pets grieve too.