Assessing quality of life in aging companion animals requires tools that help owners evaluate welfare objectively and support informed decisions about treatment and end-of-life care.
Quality of life assessment in aging companion animals addresses a fundamental welfare challenge: gradual decline is hard for closely bonded owners to perceive accurately. The adaptation to slowly deteriorating conditions means owners may not recognize significant welfare decline that would be obvious to an objective observer. Validated QoL tools provide a structured framework that catches this gradual change through repeated assessment. Introducing these tools while animals are healthy establishes a baseline and normalizes the conversation before crisis makes objective assessment difficult. Regular QoL monitoring is a welfare-positive practice for every aging companion animal.