End-of-life decisions for senior dogs are among the most difficult a pet owner faces. Evidence-based quality of life assessment helps owners make compassionate decisions that prevent prolonged suffering.
End-of-life care for dogs represents the last major welfare intervention available to owners. The decision to euthanize is profoundly difficult precisely because it is an act of profound love - choosing to end suffering before it becomes unendurable. The cultural tendency toward 'waiting too long' - hoping for improvement that cannot come - means many dogs spend their final days or weeks in preventable suffering. Quality of life scales provide objective frameworks that help owners assess welfare independently of their emotional need for more time. In-home euthanasia services allow dogs to pass in their familiar environment, on their favorite bed, surrounded by family - a welfare improvement over the clinical environment. The veterinary profession's embrace of euthanasia as compassionate care rather than failure is a welfare advance.