Palliative Care Programs Boost Adoptions of Older Pets

It started out as just another day at Nova Scotia SPCA’s Dartmouth Shelter: animals needed food, play and potty, not necessarily in that order.

Then, the door to the cat adoption room swung open. A disheveled dog was shoved through. The frantic, fading patter of footsteps trailed the “dumper” as they escaped their life of responsibility.

Darla, a 14-year-old mixed breed was the casualty. She bore the brunt of her age, and multiple medical issues including the worst affliction of all: being old and unwanted. But the dumper’s trash proved to be the shelter’s treasured inspiration.

Fourteen years later, the shelter’s palliative care program is thriving. The program covers medical expenses and veterinary care for elder, ailing animals so that they can spend the rest of their lives in loving homes instead of shelters.

“It can be very difficult for senior dogs to find homes if people think they don’t have a lot of time left, their medical needs are extensive and they need a lot of veterinary care,” Sandra Flemming, NS SPCA Provincial Animal Care Director, told Global News. “Sometimes, people [can’t] afford those costs, especially if they haven’t had that pet their whole life and have been bonded to it.”

NS SPCA’s Palliative Care program assumes the financial burden that might otherwise deter potential fosters brimming with love to give. Other benefits of “retirement fostering” older animals are their lower energy demands and that most are housebroken and have had at least some training. On average, 75-100 animals live in retirement foster homes through the NS SPCA palliative care program.

Stephanie Hunter is fostering Buster, a 10-year-old stray Shih Tzu mix who arrived at the shelter with vision and hearing loss, GI issues and mange. Buster rarely interacted with staff. They were concerned that Buster’s will was shattered. Then Hunter literally came to the rescue.

“The Palliative Care Program is perfect for us as lower income young adults who can’t always afford the medical expenses that come along with having a pet,” Hunter told CBC News. “I’d highly recommend this amazing program. It gives animals in need a second chance to have a loving family and we’re so grateful the program brought Buster into our lives!”

The NS Palliative Care rightly touts its program’s success. Flemming noted how many animals rebound “when they're given just all of those little things that improve their overall quality and health . . . You think that they're on their last legs, but they actually end up being in the Palliative Care Program for years.”

Just as in human healthcare, palliative care for pets is often confused with hospice. Palliative care seeks to minimize pain and improve the quality of life for beings with chronic or acute medical issues, regardless of their life expectancy. Hospice care begins when curative options have been exhausted and death is approaching. Both palliative care and hospice are comfort-based.

“To many people the term ‘palliative care’ is associated with dying,” the NS SPCA’s Clochester Shelter wrote in a 2019 Facebook post. “Our program is all about living.”