Veterinary and owner approaches to end-of-life decisions for companion animals profoundly affect both animal welfare in final days and weeks, and owner grief outcomes.
End-of-life welfare for companion animals encompasses both the quality of living through terminal illness and the quality of dying when euthanasia is chosen. The availability of veterinary euthanasia is a profound welfare advantage for companion animals compared to wildlife, enabling peaceful death before suffering becomes severe. The challenge is supporting owners to make euthanasia decisions based on animal welfare rather than human grief avoidance — delaying euthanasia to avoid loss is one of the most common causes of unnecessary end-of-life suffering in companion animals. Palliative care approaches that maintain quality of life through terminal illness and enable death with dignity when the time comes represent the highest standard of end-of-life animal welfare practice.