Hospice and Palliative Care for Companion Animals Principles and Practice

Hospice and Palliative Care for Companion Animals: Principles and Practice offers the first comprehensive reference to veterinary hospice and palliative care, with practical guidance and best practices for caring for sick and dying animals.  

• Presents the first thorough resource to providing veterinary hospice and palliative care
• Offers practical guidance and best practices for caring for sick and dying animals
• Provides an interdisciplinary team approach, from a variety of different perspectives
• Gives concrete advice for easing pets more gently through their final stage of life
• Includes access to a companion website with client education handouts to use in practice

The editors
Amir Shanan, DVM, is the Founding President of the International Association for Animal Hospice and Palliative Care, www.iaahpc.org, and the owner of Compassionate Veterinary Hospice, a veterinary practice dedicated to providing end-of-life care services, in Chicago, Illinois, USA.

Jessica Pierce, BA, M.Div., PhD, is a bioethicist and affiliate faculty at the Center for Bioethics and Humanities, University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus, USA.

Tamara Shearer, DVM, CCRP, CVPP, CVA, is the owner of Western Carolina Animal Pain Clinic / Shearer Pet Health Hospital in Sylva, North Carolina, USA.

List of Contributors xix

About the Companion Website xxi

1 Introduction 1
Jessica Pierce

2 What is Animal Hospice and Palliative Care? 5
Amir Shanan and Tamara Shearer

3 The Interdisciplinary Team 15
Tammy Wynn and Amir Shanan

4 Quality of Life in the Animal Hospice and Palliative Care Patient 27
Jessica Pierce and Amir Shanan

5 Bond‐Centered Animal Hospice and Palliative Care 41
Laurel Lagoni and Amir Shanan

6 Ethical Decision Making in Animal Hospice and Palliative Care 57
Jessica Pierce and Amir Shanan

7 Animal Hospice Models of Care 73
Kathleen Cooney

8 Prevalence of Diseases, Causes of Death, and Common Disease Trajectories in Hospice and Palliative Care Patients 81
Tamara Shearer

9 Cancers in Dogs and Cats 89
Alice Villalobos

10 Chronic Kidney Disease 101
Shea Cox

11 Congestive Heart Failure 109
Shea Cox

12 Respiratory Distress 115
Cheryl Braswell

13 Gastrointestinal Conditions 123
Shea Cox

14 Musculoskeletal Disorders 129
Tamara Shearer

15 Nervous System Disease 137
Tamara Shearer

16 Cognitive Dysfunction 147
Tamara Shearer

17 Recognizing Distress 153
Suzanne Hetts and Kristina August

Stress, Distress, Emotions, and Suffering 153

18 Pharmacology Interventions for Symptom Management 165
Shea Cox

19 Physical Medicine, Rehabilitation, and Complementary and Integrative Medicine Treatment Modalities 181
Tamara Shearer and Kristina August

20 Balancing Efficacy of Treatments against Burdens of Care 199
Kristina August

21 Nursing Care for Seriously Ill Animals – Art and Techniques 211
Shea Cox and Mary Ellen Goldberg

22 Comfort Care during Active Dying 231
Gail Pope and Amir Shanan

23 Euthanasia in Animal Hospice 251
Kathleen Cooney

24 Mental Health Considerations in Caring for Animal Hospice and Palliative Caregivers and Providers 263
Amir Shanan

25 Addressing Spiritual Needs of Caregivers 285
Carol Rowehl

26 Supporting Other Needs 299
Shea Cox and Mary Ellen Goldberg

27 Aftercare 307
Coleen Ellis

Index 313 

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