Quality of Life for Dogs

Caregivers, please use this Quality of Life Scale to assess your dog’s quality of life and guide decision making for Pawspice care. Use numbers from 1 to ten (10 being ideal) to score your pet’s condition.

HURT - Adequate pain control and breathing ability is top priority. Trouble breathing outweighs all concerns. Is pain being treated properly or not? Can the dog breathe properly? Is supplemental oxygen necessary? *

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HUNGER - Is the dog eating enough? Does hand feeding help? Does the dog need a feeding tube? *

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HYDRATION - Is the dog dehydrated? For dogs not drinking enough water, use subcutaneous fluids daily or twice daily to supplement fluid intake. *

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HYGIENE - The dog should be brushed and cleaned, particularly after eliminations. Avoid pressure sores with soft bedding and keep all wounds clean. *

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HAPPINESS - Does the dog express joy and interest? Is the dog responsive to family, toys, etc.? Is the dog depressed, lonely, anxious, bored or afraid? Can the dog's bed be moved to be close to family activities? *

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MOBILITY - Can the dog get up without assistance? Does the dog need human or mechanical help? Is the dog willing/able to go out for short walks? Is the dog having seizures or stumbling? Some feel euthanasia is preferable to amputation. But a companion animal with 3 legs or limited mobility can be alert, happy, and have a very good QoL only if the family is committed to helping their companion animal get around with: ramps, cart, harness, braces, rehabilitation, acupuncture, etc. *

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MORE GOOD DAYS THAN BAD - When bad days outnumber good days, QoL may be too compromised. When a healthy human-animal bond is no longer possible, the family must be made aware that the end is near. The decision for euthanasia needs to be made if the animal has pointless suffering. If death comes peacefully and painlessly at home, that is okay. *

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Alice Villalobos, DVM, DPNAP, a renowned veterinary oncologist, introduced “Pawspice,” a quality of life program based on a Quality of Life Scale for companion animals with terminal disease. Pawspice (rhymes with hospice) starts at diagnosis of a life-limiting condition. It addresses cancer with kinder gentler standard care, embraces palliative management for uncomfortable symptoms, and transitions into hospice (more intense care) as the patient declines toward death. The HHHHHMM Quality of Life Scale provides a scoring system of 1 to 10 for family members and veterinary teams to assess a pet’s condition during Pawspice. The Acronym’s five H’s stand for: Hurt, Hunger, Hydration, Hygiene, and Happiness. The two M’s stand for Mobility and More good days than bad days. The QoL scale is also a decision-making tool for family to face their responsibilities and prevent suffering with the gift of euthanasia to assure that their sick animal has a peaceful and painless passing.

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