How to Care for Our Pets through End of Life

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This episode will inform your journey if you are facing an end of life time with your pet. They don't have words, so we will dive into how to assess their quality of life, their joy or pain, and how best to nurture them through their final days.

It's a subject I know intimately; I’m in the midst of this for the third time, and wanted to share the experience in case you face this in the future. Because our pets don’t have voices, we must make the best guesses we can about their pain, their will to live, and their desire to cross the rainbow bridge. I don’t have all the answers, far from it, but I’d still like to offer up my experiences so that you don’t feel alone when you face this.

I’m currently in the throes of pet hospice for our 19-year-old Maine Coon, Romeo. He’s been losing weight fast these last few months. His body has a tough time tolerating food. At his last check up, the just-out-of-vet-school-doctor couldn’t wrap her brain around end of life care. When she noted his feather weight and tooth situation she began to write down a litany of tests she’s recommend to get to the bottom of Romeo’s poor health. “He’s nineteen years old.” That didn’t sink in. We asked about quality of life. How, since Romeo can’t speak, do we know that he’s not suffering more than he’s thriving?

Show Creators and Social Media Links:

Art Director: @NorasUnnamedPhotos (on Instagram)

Curious Cat on Twitter

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Host, Jennifer Hotes, on Twitter

Show Resources and Materials:

https://www.lapoflove.com/blog/end-of-life-care-and-euthanasia/quality-of-life-assessment-a-critical-tool-for-your-senior-pet 

https://www.cinderrockvetclinic.com/site/blog/2021/09/27/assessing-senior-pet-quality-of-life

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3760804/After-Bel-Mooney-revealed-dog-came-death-sceptics-ask-dead-pets-really-come-comfort-owners.html

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