As our loving pets approach the end of their beautifully full lives, it’s important to take all the necessary steps to ensure they are comfortable, happy and pain-free as they approach their final days with us.
Palliative care focuses on managing pain and other symptoms to extend the wonderful quality of life that our pets have. Each family is different and there is no right or wrong way to cope knowing that our pets are approaching end of life, however, with our help and all options considered, we can help you to make the right, informed decision for your family.
If your loving pet is approaching their final days, there are subtle adjustments that can be made to ensure they’re comfortable at home – and help to avoid stressful visits to the vets for tests or treatments.
Here are some changes that you can make in your home…
- Place littler trays and food bowls in an easy-to-access area close to your pet.
- Raise food and water bowls so that your pet doesn’t have to strain or bend over. Changing to a shallower bowl can also help.
- Offer food by hand, this can help to comfort your loving pet and you can adjust food placement easily.
- Cat’s can lose their appetites, so try offering small amounts of food at a time in smaller plates or saucers.
- Try warming your pets’ meals, this has been known to help appetites in many cases.
- Make sure your pets are nice and warm, very poorly cats, especially those of age are not as good at maintaining body temperature so making sure that your cat has a warm and comfortable place to rest is really important.
- Try changing to beds or shelters that are lower to the ground and maintain heat well.
- Maintaining your pets’ familiar routines will also help to keep them comfortable. Avoid any major changes or disruptions to this, for example, moving furniture.
- Your cat spends a lot of time making sure they’re prim and proper but as they become unwell, they may be unable to do this – especially pets that are in pain. Grooming and cleaning your cat will help to keep them happy and comfortable.
Cats can be tricky to understand, but that’s what makes them so special and is one of the many reasons why we love them so unconditionally. This is one of the reasons why pain can be hard to appreciate in cats, but makes it all the more important and subtle behaviour changes may be your only clue that something is wrong.
Pain in cats is best managed from a multimodal perspective, meaning using various techniques with both medication and subtle home adjustments helping your loving pet have maximum comfort in their final weeks and months.
If your loved one is suffering from a terminal illness, degenerative disease or symptoms related to old age, there are many ways of managing this to keep them comfortable and happy at home.
Our team at VetCare@Home takes pride in treating pets as family and are on hand, 24/7 to help in any way we can. So, if you are at all unsure, or have any questions, or need a little advice, then please don’t hesitate to speak to one of our compassionate team members.