Research priorities in veterinary palliative care

Abstract

Veterinary palliative care consists of end-of-life care of companion animals suffering from terminal or life-limiting diseases. Despite the growing need for veterinary palliative care, little research has been conducted on this topic. This perspective intends to provide an overview of the existing concerns and identify knowledge gaps to motivate further research. As a result, three main areas of research have been identified, namely: i) how to provide palliative care considering welfare implications of different diseases (e.g., pain management); ii) what can be considered a "good death", depending on the individual situation of the animal and its caregiver; iii) how to support caregivers' needs during their companion animal's end-of-life. Therefore, veterinary palliative care involves medical, ethical, and sociological considerations that should be addressed through guidelines and training.

Keywords: End-of-life; Euthanasia; Pain management; Palliated natural death; Quality of life; Veterinary hospice care.