End-of-life decisions for companion animals are among the most emotionally complex in veterinary practice, and quality palliative care options are expanding rapidly.
The ability to provide a peaceful, pain-free death through euthanasia is one of the most significant welfare advantages companion animals have over other categories. However, the decisions leading up to euthanasia, and the quality of palliative care in the period before it, are welfare-critical. Under-recognition of pain in senior animals is common. Quality-of-life frameworks give owners and veterinarians shared language for assessing when intervention is warranted. Home euthanasia, where the animal does not experience the stress of a final clinic visit, is increasingly available and valued.