Palliative care for companion animals with terminal illness focuses on maximising quality of life through pain management, comfort measures, and owner support.
Palliative care welfare reflects the principle that quality of life matters throughout life, not only at its end. For companion animals with terminal cancer, cardiac disease, or progressive neurological conditions, palliative care extends the period of acceptable welfare by addressing pain, maintaining function, and supporting owners to recognise when quality of life has declined below an acceptable threshold. The growth of companion animal palliative care as a specialism reflects both advancing medical capability and evolving owner expectations. The welfare benefit of well-implemented palliative care is real and measurable — in reduced pain, maintained ability to perform enjoyable activities, and dignity in the final phase of life.