Hospice at Home: Comfort Care for Pets on the Panhandle

When a veterinarian tells you your pet's illness cannot be cured, the focus changes. The question is no longer how to fix things, but how to make the time that is left as comfortable and peaceful as possible. This is what hospice care means for animals, and many Panhandle families provide it at home.

It can be a tender, meaningful time. It is also demanding. Here is how to approach it.

Start with a plan from your veterinarian

Hospice at home works best when your vet is part of it. Ask for:

• A clear pain management plan, and what to do if pain gets worse at night or on a weekend
• Anti-nausea or appetite medication, if needed
• Guidance on what decline is likely to look like for your pet's condition
• A way to reach them, or an emergency hospital, if things change quickly

If you live out past Canyon, Pampa, Dumas or on a ranch in between, the drive to a clinic can be long. Ask whether your vet or a mobile vet can make house calls, especially toward the end.

Comfort in Panhandle weather

The weather here is hard on old and ill animals. A few small things make a difference:

• Wind. Keep your pet out of the wind as much as possible. A sheltered porch or an indoor bed by a window gives them fresh air and a view without the chill.
• Blue northers. Temperatures can drop fast when a cold front comes through. Bring outdoor dogs inside, and add a blanket or a well-covered heating pad on low for thin or elderly pets.
• Dry air. Keep fresh water close to their bed. A humidifier in the room can help pets with breathing problems.
• Hard floors. Rugs and yoga mats give traction to wobbly legs, and a thick, washable bed protects bony hips.

Everyday care

Hospice care is mostly small things done consistently. Offer favorite foods in small amounts. Keep your pet clean and dry; incontinence pads and gentle wipes help. Turn pets who cannot move every few hours to prevent sores. Keep them near the family, where they can see and hear what is going on.

And do the things they love while they still can: a slow ride in the truck with the window down, time in the yard in the afternoon sun, a spoonful of something they were never allowed before.

Keeping track of quality of life

It is hard to judge decline day by day. Many families keep a simple calendar and mark each day as good or bad. When bad days start to outnumber good ones, it is time to talk to your vet. Questions worth asking yourself:

• Is their pain controlled?
• Are they eating and drinking enough?
• Can they get up, move around and relieve themselves?
• Do they still show interest in you, and in the things they enjoy?

Planning for the end, before it arrives

It is easier to make decisions when you are not in crisis. While your pet is still comfortable, consider talking with your vet about how and where you would like the goodbye to happen, whether at home or at the clinic, and who should be there. Decide on aftercare too, such as private cremation and whether you would like a paw print or other keepsake. Write it down and share it with the family. When the day comes, you will be able to focus on your pet rather than on arrangements.

Taking care of yourself

Caring for a dying pet is exhausting, and it is common to feel grief long before the end. Share the care with others in the household when you can, and let yourself rest. It is not a failure to decide, with your vet, that it is time for a peaceful goodbye. For many pets, that is the final and kindest part of hospice care.

When that day comes, you will have given them something precious: time at home, surrounded by the people and places they knew.

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