Palliative and hospice care for terminally ill companion animals is a growing field that prioritizes comfort and quality of life over life extension.
Companion animal palliative care addresses a welfare gap between curative treatment and euthanasia. Animals with terminal diagnoses often spend their final weeks or months in poorly managed discomfort because their caregivers resist euthanasia and veterinarians lack specialist palliative expertise. Effective palliative care requires proactive pain management, nutritional support, mobility assistance, and regular quality-of-life assessment. Home-based palliative care reduces clinic stress for terminally ill animals. Quality palliative care maximizes positive welfare experiences and minimizes suffering in the final chapter of animal life.