Quality of Life Consult
We help you evaluate and track your pet’s quality of life.
Virtual Quality of Life Conversation with our Hospice Nurse
Our virtual Quality of Life Conversation with our Hospice Nurse will help you to navigate the challenges of caring for your pet. We will have an in-depth conversation, usually about 45-60 minutes, discussing your pet’s condition, your concerns, goals, hopes, and expectations. We will help you to identify signs of pain and discomfort. We will review your pet’s medical history if available, and discuss the expected progression of their disease and potential complications and treatment options for managing any signs of discomfort you may be seeing. We discuss natural death and what we would expect, as well as the euthanasia process if indicated.
We do NOT perform a physical exam or make any medical recommendations, diagnoses, or prescribe medications during this type of consult. After the virtual consult, you may schedule an in-home visit with Dr. Dahlgren to perform a physical exam, provide medications, and ongoing management and care for you and your pet if you wish to pursue hospice or palliative care with our team, or we will provide a summary of our conversation to your primary vet to allow you to continue to pursue care with your vet. Completing this conversation with our team is the first step towards a Palliative Care Consult or a Hospice Consult.
In Home Quality of Life Consult
Our veterinarian will come to your home and spend about 60 minutes discussing quality of life considerations specific to your pet and their medical history. We will provide you with general information on end of life issues to help you better evaluate their pet’s condition and quality of life, discuss prognosis, and potential options for managing your pet’s discomfort. If you wish to pursue ongoing care with our team, you may schedule a hospice consultwith Dr. Dahlgren within 1 week of this quality of life visit, or you may return to your primary vet for medications and ongoing support.
During a Quality of Life consult, we will:
-Review their understanding of the pet’s disease/diagnosis (if one is available), including:
-prognosis and anticipated progression timeline
-expected effects on quality of life now and in the future
-possible treatment and management options
-differential diagnoses and potential additional diagnostics
-Help the family to understand how to evaluate their pet’s current quality of life, pain levels, and comfort
-Help define in detail the family’s desires for their pet’s end of life journey
-Discussion of euthanasia and what to expect
-Discussion of what a natural death may look like
-Provide pet loss and grief resources for families such as recommendations for local professionals, support groups, online resources, and emailing literature/handouts
We can NOT provide:
– a diagnosis: if you do not know why your pet doesn’t feel well, we strongly recommend seeing a full service veterinary hospital to obtain a diagnosis before making end of life decisions.
– medical treatments, medications, or ongoing support or care
– if a family chooses, they may schedule an in home visit with Dr. Dahlgren within one week of the Quality of Life Assessment to pursue hospice or palliative care.
– or they may choose to continue to manage their pet’s care independently or with their primary veterinarian.