The 10 Acts of Love for Your Dog’s Final Days

10. Assess Your Dog’s Condition

First and foremost, you must assess your dog’s condition or quality of life. A tool that can help you determine how your dog is doing is the Quality of Life Scale, which a veterinarian developed. The HHHHHMM scale assesses the hurt, hunger, hydration, hygiene, happiness, mobility, and more, good than bad days. Doing the scale will help you prepare for the next action.

9. Medical Assessment

After you’ve assessed your dog, it’s important to check in with your veterinarian to get an explanation of your dog’s assessment. In this stage, you’ll know your next steps. You’ll get an idea of what your dog is currently feeling. It is also the stage when you get to decide whether putting your dog to sleep is the best action.

8. Be Patient and Understanding

Since your dog is nearly crossing the rainbow bridge, they won’t be the same active dog anymore. This is a big adjustment on your part as their owner, so patience and understanding are needed. With this, expect your dog to no longer control its bowel movements, so they will need extra cleaning. Also, feeding them would be an extra chore since they might lose their appetite. Consult your vet about their diet.

7. Give Your Dog The Space They Are Asking For

It’s completely normal for a dying dog to seek their own space and not mingle with their family. With this, you must understand and give your dog the space they’re asking for. While it’s understandable that you want to spend their last few days with you, a dying dog and a human are different. It’s one of the most compassionate things that you can do for your dog, but of course, it doesn’t mean that you don’t check up on them or touch them.

6. Talk to Them

While your dog is lying around, talk to them gently. While this may be hard on your part, you have to keep in mind that your priority is your dog. Tell them that everything is going to be okay and that you’ll be fine. Your soothing voice will comfort them and help ease the pain that they feel. Your voice is also telling them that you’re accepting it.

5. Take Them to Adventures

By adventure, we meant taking them on walks. But of course, you need to assess whether your dog can walk, and it won’t bring them stress. Bring them to their usual walk routine around the neighborhood and the park. It will bring them a sense of familiarity that they will always be in their favorite places, even in their weakness.

4. Offer Their Favorite Treats

Try to give your dog more of his favorite treats to let them savor them in their last few days. This isn’t about nutrition anymore, but more of comfort. This is also part of the familiarity that you can provide them with. As much as possible, try to treat them as normally as you can, as they are naturally tuned into what we feel.

3. Create a Comforting Space For Them

By comforting, we meant by surrounding them with their favorite things. This may be their favorite blanket or their toy. Place them in a corner where they always stay, to make them feel secured. Also, make sure to keep the noise level low and maintain a calm environment.

2. Support the Path They’re Meant to Take

Letting go also means trusting your dog that they have their own journey. Experts believe that dogs have a plan when it comes to death. They believe that it is a path they’re meant to take. This also means that you’re trusting your instincts when it comes to caring for them in their last few days on earth. All you can do is be supportive and trust them to do their thing.

1. Heal and Honor Their Memory

This last step is meant for owners after their dog has passed away. The pain of their absence is expected, but healing is important to move forward. Besides, your dog would want them to be a good memory once they departed. Do whatever helps your own healing as long as it’s good for you. Also, honor your dog’s memory by leaving a piece of them in your home, like a framed picture of them.