QUALITY OF LIFE checklist
QUALITY OF LIFE SCALE Pet caregivers can use this Quality of Life Scale to determine the success of Pawspice care.
Score patients using a scale of: 0 to 10 (10 being ideal). When we decide to make a commitment in taking on a pet we take on a huge responsibility and mantra to protect it in every way. The time may come when he or she grows sick or infirm, and it is our unavoidable duty to do what is best for our pet, despite the heartbreak that may bring to us, personally. In doing that, euthanasia is our last and most profound act of love and stewardship. In making that terrible moral decision we must step outside our own feelings, and do what is best for the pet. It all comes down to quality of life. One of the most common fears of people is that they may have waited too long , or not long enough before having their beloved companion animal euthanized. In these cases we can be too emotionally involved and subjective to be able to make a clear decision. The following Quality of Life Assessment System is a means designed to help you make a more objective evaluation. |
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It is strongly suggested that you do the Quality of life scale over a period of 3 days to get some sort of overall appraisal and then discuss co with your veterinarian, in deciding on what the best course of action is for your and your beloved pet.
Permission to print the following scale has been generously granted by the author, Alice Villalobos, DVM.
Original concept, Oncology Outlook, by Dr. Alice Villalobos, Quality of Life Scale Helps Make Final Call, VPN, 09/2004; scale format created for author’s book, Canine and Feline Geriatric Oncology: Honoring the Human-Animal Bond, Blackwell Publishing, 2007. Revised for the International Veterinary Association of Pain Management (IVAPM) 2011 Palliative Care and Hospice Guidelines. Reprinted with permission from Dr. Alice Villalobos & Wiley-Blackwell.
Alice Villalobos, DVM, DPNAP, USA, a renowned veterinary oncologist, introduced “Pawspice”, a quality of life program for terminally ill pets. Pawspice starts at diagnosis and includes symptom management, gentle standard care and transitions into hospice as the pet nears death. Dr. Villalobos developed this scoring system to help family members and veterinary teams assess a pet’s life quality.
Permission to print the following scale has been generously granted by the author, Alice Villalobos, DVM.
Original concept, Oncology Outlook, by Dr. Alice Villalobos, Quality of Life Scale Helps Make Final Call, VPN, 09/2004; scale format created for author’s book, Canine and Feline Geriatric Oncology: Honoring the Human-Animal Bond, Blackwell Publishing, 2007. Revised for the International Veterinary Association of Pain Management (IVAPM) 2011 Palliative Care and Hospice Guidelines. Reprinted with permission from Dr. Alice Villalobos & Wiley-Blackwell.
Alice Villalobos, DVM, DPNAP, USA, a renowned veterinary oncologist, introduced “Pawspice”, a quality of life program for terminally ill pets. Pawspice starts at diagnosis and includes symptom management, gentle standard care and transitions into hospice as the pet nears death. Dr. Villalobos developed this scoring system to help family members and veterinary teams assess a pet’s life quality.