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Dogs + Palliative Care

  • Palliative care can be as easy or complex as necessary, to meet the needs of the pet and human family. Some palliative care patients benefit from massage, therapeutic laser, temperature therapy (heating or cooling devices), acupuncture, chiropractic, and physical rehabilitation techniques. Palliative care creates a bridge of care to support a pet as the time for humane euthanasia approaches. It is not a substitute for euthanasia, but it often helps us postpone euthanasia, allowing our pets to remain with us for whatever quality time remains for them.

  • Palliative medicine is care that is delivered as a dog approaches the end of life. The first step in creating a palliative care plan is to discuss with your veterinarian the expected course of the disease and how it will affect your dog's quality of life. Once a dog's activities of daily living have been identified, it is important to define family beliefs, family needs as care unfolds, and the goals for the dog as death approaches. An essential part of establishing goals of palliative therapy is understanding the expected course of the life-limiting disease. Knowledge about disease allows for the development of a personalized palliative care plan.



Pet Health Checker
Use our Pet Health Checker tool to help you decide if your pet's symptoms require immediate attention or if you should continue to monitor those symptoms at home.



Location Hours
Monday8:00am – 5:00pm
Tuesday8:00am – 8:00pm
Wednesday8:00am – 5:00pm
Thursday8:00am – 8:00pm
Friday8:00am – 2:00pm
Saturday8:00am – 2:00pm
SundayClosed



Pet Health Library
We share the same goal – ensuring your animal companion is healthy and happy!