Can I Trust Pet Hospice with My Cat and My Kids?

Q:  "Our family cat is in her last days and we'd like to her to die at home.  A neighbor told me there's a pet hospice program in Fort Collins.  I never heard of such a thing!  I had experience with Hospice when my dad died, but didn't know we could do this for pets.  Is the program good?  Would they help me figure out what to say to my kids?" --Shari B., Fort Collins

A:  Yes, Shari, the Pet Hospice program here in Fort Collins is very good.  Coordinated through the CSU Veterinary Hospital, they offer palliative care, as well as grief education and emotional support.  They could definitely help you with your children and assess your cat's medical needs.  You can reach them by contacting the CSU veterinary hospital or visiting them online at www.argusinstitute.colostate.edu/pethospice.htm   You can also ask your veterinarian for more information.  Many of the local veterinary practices are involved with the program.

The CSU program has several requirements you need to meet in order to become a 'client'.  You must have a diagnosis, your cat must have three months or less to live, and you must be committed to providing comfort for your pet rather than to actively seeking a cure.

Keep in mind that there may be several differences between the human hospice program you experienced and a pet hospice program.  These may include:

*  24/7 'on-call' access may not be available, at least for medical care

*  at some point, euthanasia may be a preferable way for a pet to die and is a legal option in veterinary medicine

*  the cost of human hospice care is usually covered by medicare/medicaid, HMOs, insurance, etc., but costs are not covered in pet hospice

*  a basic tenet of human hospice is that, with the right kind of guidance and emotional support, great personal growth and insight can be achieved during the last days, weeks, and months of life by both patients and caregivers.  Our pets probably don't possess the same level of consciousness we have (or fear death in the same way we humans do), so time for personal growth may not be desirable for them

The pet hospice movement is gaining momentum in veterinary medicine.  One of the controversies being debated is whether or not euthanasia should be part of hospice care.  Many non-veterinary hospice care team members believe euthanasia should not be allowed while vets feel euthanasia can be a gift, sparing a beloved animal many final days of unnecessary pain and suffering.

What do you think?  Would you use pet hospice care?

--Laurel

Comments

[Chris]

I've never used a pet hospice program. However the folks at the Argus Institute http://www.argusinstitute.colostate.edu/ who helped start and I believe still help run the hospice program are very good at understanding the emotional needs of families who are dealing with sick animals. I recommend them highly to help you and your children through this difficult time.

[turtlecookie]

I wasn't aware that we had a pet hospice program here in Fort Collins. Depending on the situation and the cost, I would consider it. I have not yet had to euthanize a pet as an adult, so emotional support would be helpful. And palliative care would be good for the pet. The hard part would be deciding when to stop seeking medical treatment. For my cat, Tiffany, who died at home of cancer, I stopped seeking treatment when it was clear that the cancer had metastasized beyond what surgery could cure and that chemo would be more of a delay than a cure. It was a very fast growing cancer. Hospice care would have been helpful at that time. I think it's good to have euthanasia as an option.

Turtlecookie

[Laurel]

Thanks for commenting. All perspectives and recommendations are helpful to other readers with a topic of this type. Facing the dying process of any family member takes us caregivers out of our normal daily routines into another surreal world of attending to, anticipating, and meeting the needs of the pet or person who is dying. There is work that is more unselfish or more lonely and depleting. I think having help is essential during those times. I'm happy pet hospice as a formalized support program is gaining momentum

[Dana]

I probably have a biased perspective about euthanasia since we own a pet hospital, but I think it can be a very important component of hospice care. Unfortunately, the process of "natural" death is not always kind and painless. Depending upon the disease, euthanasia can be a gift that prevents needless suffering and pain. Many factors contribute to this issue and there are no hard and fast answers. Along with everyone else, I highly recommend the program at CSU as well.

[Ingrid]

I love that programs such as this exist, and I wish they were more common across the country.

The only part of the program I don't like is the requirement that your pet must have "less than three months to live." I'm not a fan of this kind of prognosis. None of us really know when we, or our pets, are going to transition. These prognoses are only based on statistics and a veterinarian's best judgment - not to say that those can't be helpful in getting a pet owner to accept that a pet is very ill. However, they can also become self-fulfilling prophecies and lead a pet owner to considering euthanasia before it's really time. Additionally, I think there are animals with "terminal" illnesses who might be good candidates for a program such as this even if they are - arbitrarily - given more than three months to live.

Just my $0.02. Otherwise, I think this is a wonderful program. Is it a popular program with area pet owners?

[Laurel]

I think the program is popular, Ingrid, although not enough really know about it or understand the details of how it works. I think it's true value right now lies in the experience and exposure the vet students who volunteer get in this area of their profession. It enables CSU to train them to be even more understanding and sensitive to end of life issues.

As for the 3 mos. diagnosis. I do understand your point, Ingrid, but I think it's a somewhat arbitrary time frame, mostly in place so people can't use the program for "home" care when their pet and they are still able to seek traditional clinical appointments and care. Hospice programs simply aren't staffed and funded well enough to care for anyone other than those who truly, truly need and benefit from them.

[Tammy]

I think I would definitely utilize a program like pet hospice if I was in a situation to need it! I worked at Argus (CSU) back when this program was just getting started in Fort Collins. I know that the students who volunteer get so much out of it. I think that is the most important piece for me in thinking about the Argus program. They learn so much about grief and pet loss during their volunteer time. That is a HUGE thing for their education in my opinion!

[Ingrid]

Laurel, that's a good point about the potential for abuse of the program by people who would use it as an easy way to obtain in-home care for their pet even if they're still able to care for the pet themselves without hospice assistance.

As for the euthanasia component - I think it most definitely should be a part of the program. It's interesting to me that non-veterinary hospice members oppose the idea of euthanasia being a part of the program. I think veterinary medicine is so fortunate to legally have this option. I know many hospice workers in human hospice care who wish they had this option for their patients.