The decision to pursue additional medical treatments or consider euthanasia for
a sick
or chronically ill pet is a hard decision to make for many pet
owners. It is our hope that this questionnaire will help you in making the best decision for your family as well as your pet.
Answer each
of the questions in each section with a yes or
no.
PAIN
Pain control is essential. Many animals do
not complain in obvious, visible ways
when they hurt. Many animals will hide
their discomfort. Consider the following:
____My pet hurts.
____My pet
limps. (If it didn’t hurt, they wouldn’t limp.)
____My pet pants frequently,
even at rest.
____My pet’s respirations are forced, exaggerated, or otherwise
not normal.
____My pet licks repeatedly at one site on his/her body or at a
site of a cancer/tumor.
____My pet guards or protects and area of his/her
body and may snap if that area is
approached or touched.
____My animal’s
posture is abnormal or different than normal.
____My pet shakes or trembles
sometimes during rest.
____My pet is on pain medication and it doesn’t work.
Possible interventions for yes answers: start pain medication, change
pain medications,
combinations of pain medications from different drug
classes, surgical intervention,
non-traditional medicine (acupuncture,
etc.), treat the underlying disease/condition.
*never give your pet Tylenol, Aleve or Ibuprofen as these may cause additional problems.
APPETITE
Appetite is one of the most obvious
signs of wellness. Most animals are normally
vigorous eaters. Consider the
following:
____My pet doesn’t eat his/her normal food anymore.
____My pet
picks at his/her food now but never used to do this.
____My pet walks over to
his/her food and looks at it but won’t eat or walks away from
the
food.
____My pet doesn’t even want “good stuff” (treats, human foods, snacks)
anymore.
____My pet acts nauseated or vomits.
____My pet is losing
weight.
Possible interventions for yes answers: hand feeding, heating
food, adding moisture
by soaking food or using canned varieties, careful
addition of human foods, syringe
feeding,
medications for appetite stimulation, medications for nausea.
HYDRATION
Hydration status is equally
important as appetite. Without adequate water consumption,
your pet can
become dehydrated. Dehydration can contribute to weakness and not feeling well.
Consider the following:
____My pet doesn’t drink as much as he/she used
to.
____My pet frequently has dry, sticky gums.
____My pet is vomiting or
has diarrhea (fluid loss can also contribute to dehydration).
Possible
interventions for yes answers: add moisture to the diet, subcutaneous fluid
administration, medications to control vomiting or
diarrhea.
HYGIENE
Animals that don’t feel well,
especially cats, do not have the energy to maintain
normal hair and skin.
Consider the following:
____My cat doesn’t groom herself any more.
____My
pets hair is matted, greasy, rough looking, dull, or foul smelling.
____My
pet has stool pasted around his/her rectum or in his/her hair.
____My pet
smells like urine or has skin irritation from urine.
____My pet has pressure
sores/wounds that won’t heal.
Possible interventions for yes answers:
regular brushing and grooming, frequent bedding
changes, adequate padding
for areas where the pet spends a lot of time, appropriate
wound care, treat
the underlying
disease/condition.
ACTIVITY/MOBILITY
Changes in
normal activity can be due to mobility problems, pain, illness, or aging
(arthritis). Consider the following:
____My pet cannot get up without
assistance.
____My pet had a hard time getting around and/or limps.
____My
pet lays in one place all day long.
____My pet does not want to play ball, go
for walks, or do the things he/she used to do.
____My pet falls
frequently.
Possible interventions for yes answers: pain medication
addition or adjustment, therapeutic laser therapy.
HAPPINESS/MENTAL
STATUS
Another important area of consideration is the pet’s
mental status and happiness. Consider
the following:
____My pet does not
express joy and interest in life.
____My pet does not respond to the people
that he/she used to respond to.
____My pet does not want to play with toys or
do other things that he/she used to enjoy.
____My pet seems dull, not alert,
or depressed.
GENERAL BEHAVIOR PATTERNS
Changes
in normal behavioral patterns are often a key indicator of how well and animal
feels. Consider the following:
____My pet is hiding or sleeping in odd
places.
____My pet doesn’t greet me when I come home and he/she used
to.
____My pet is overly clingy and is following me around and he/she never
used to do this.
____My other pets are treating this pet differently—they are
overly attentive or ignoring
him/her completely.
____My pet doesn’t care
about what is going on around him/her.
OWNER
PERCEPTIONS
Many times an owner is aware that their pet is
suffering but does not want to give up
on their pet. Consider the
following:
____I wouldn’t want to live if I were in a similar
situation.
____I would be painful if I were in a similar situation.
____I
have made appointments for euthanasia for this pet cancelled or didn’t show
up.
____I am holding onto this pet for some sentimental reason. (ex. the pet
belonged to
a now deceased family member, the pet helped me through a hard
time in my life, etc.)
____ My pet is having more bad days than good
days.
Count the number of yes and no answers that you have marked.
____Yes ____No
Unfortunately, there isn’t a simple
point system or scale that will tell you exactly
what do for your
pet. However, the more yes answers you have, the more likely it is
that your
pet has a poor quality of life.
Please contact us anytime if you have additional questions or would like to discuss your pet's quality of life with a doctor.