Quality of Life Consult
We help you evaluate and track your pet’s quality of life.
“Live your life. Live your life. Live your life.”
Maurice Sendak
Our team will help you to evaluate and track your pet’s quality of life, anticipating changes in their illness before they occur. Managing pain and suffering are some of the biggest concerns a family has when caring for a pet at the end of life. We also have several forms to help you assess and track your pet’s quality of life. To learn more about how to evaluate your pet’s quality of life, please view our Quality of Life Guide. Don’t forget that quality of life is about more than managing symptoms and pain. The little joys, smelling the flowers, watching the birds, and being with a dear friend can sometimes be more comforting than any pain medication.
What to Expect in a Quality of Life Assessment Visit
This appointment will allow us to meet you face-to-face over Zoom, where we can safely have an in-depth conversation 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 to allow our doctor to perform a physical exam, provide medications, and ongoing management and care for you and your pet if you wish.
Whether we meet at your home or virtually over Google Meet, we have an in-depth conversation discussing your pet’s condition, 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. For virtual Quality of Life Consults, we do NOT perform a physical exam. We may make some medical recommendations to consider discussing with your primary veterinarian, but we do NOT provide diagnosis or prescribe medications during this type of consult, nor can we provide ongoing care and support. If you feel you need medical guidance and palliative care for your pet and would like us to provide ongoing care and support, we recommend scheduling a hospice or palliative care consult if available.