Planning for the end of a companion animal's life — including euthanasia decisions, palliative care, and grief support — is an important but often neglected aspect of responsible ownership.
End-of-life welfare is among the most important welfare decisions an animal owner makes. The ability to provide a peaceful, painless death through veterinary euthanasia is a significant welfare benefit of companion animal status compared to wild animals. However, this benefit is only realised if owners use it appropriately — not too early, but critically, not too late. Quality of life assessment tools that help owners evaluate their animal's wellbeing against objective criteria provide a framework for making euthanasia decisions based on the animal's experience rather than the owner's emotional difficulty. Delayed euthanasia in dying or severely ill animals is one of the most common welfare failures in companion animal care.