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Articles > HealthHospice Care For terminally ill dogs, hospice care gives owners an alternative to expensive medical procedures and early euthanasia by allowing them to nurse their pets at home. “Many dogs with a poor prognosis may still feel well enough to enjoy their life,” says Alice Villalobos, DVM, of Animal Oncology Consultation Service in Woodland Hills, California. “Just because they are arthritic, old and terminal, or painful does not mean that they have to be euthanized prematurely.” Villalobos has advocated in-home care, which she calls Pawspice, for more than 30 years. The goal isn’t to aggressively treat the disease. It’s to make pets as comfortable as possible during their remaining days on earth. Villalobos opened the country’s first Pawspice clinic this summer in Norwalk, California. The staff teaches owners how to provide their pets with the best end of life care; this includes pain control, good hygiene, and proper nutrition and hydration. Some procedures, like injections, make people squeamish at first but the staff’s gentle guidance puts them at ease. “We approach the fear of needles with cheerful teaching,” says Villalobos, who is also author of the newly released book, Canine and Feline Geriatric Oncology: Honoring the Human-Animal Bond. “We give demonstrations and ask the pet owner to actually give a mock injection until they acquire the skill.” Caring for an ill pet is hard work. While some dogs only survive a few days, she says, others have lived for years. The key to a successful Pawspice program is making sure the pet is not suffering. Clients are given a “quality of life scale” that rates such things as happiness, hurt and hunger. The scale is checked by owners daily or weekly. It helps them determine if they should continue with the program or if the time has finally come to have their pet humanely euthanized. “When the time comes to let the pet go,” she says, “owners feel satisfied knowing that they have given that pet what the pet gave to them, which is unconditional love.” If you pay close attention, dogs can teach you a wealth of valuable lessons. Here’s what two women have learned from their senior dogs. “When my daughter was in high school, we all got a little testy with each other,” says Susan Sweet of West Hartford, Connecticut. “I remember feeling that the only nice family member was Moe, our border collie. I tried to remember to be as cheerful and open as he was. He never held grudges, never got sullen, and was always kind. Of course, he never missed his curfew, either.” Mary Cline’s “fur kids” have taught her about forgiveness and unconditional love.”We all know how much our dogs forgive us on a daily basis,” says the Lansing, Michigan, resident. “They show such constancy of love, even when we are grouchy or moody or tired or sad. We may yell at them, but they never yell at us. They are eager to be with us, even if we just yelled at them.”
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