As a veterinarian, people often come to me for counsel on when it is time to euthanize their pet. These caring people face a tough dilemma. On the one hand, they do not want to rob their pet of life. On the other hand, they do not want their pet to suffer. It is a tough decision that often leads to the comment, “I wish they could tell me what they want.” Well, pets do tell us in subtle ways when they are suffering.
Dr. Alice Villalobos has developed an assessment tool to help people with this difficult decision. The HHHHHMM Scale assigns looks at 7 different areas; hurt, hunger, hydration, hygiene, happiness, mobility and more good days than bad. A number for 0 to 10 is assigned to each category then tallied. According to Dr. Villalobos a score greater than 35 is viewed as an acceptable quality of life and warrants continued hospice care. It is a wonderful tool that I recommend to my clients.
Here is the link: http://www.pawspice.com/downloads/QualityofLifeScale.pdf