There are a number of resources available to help assess your pet’s quality of life. There is not one “perfect” scale but any one of these can help to provide some insight and guidance during the end-of-life decision process.
“How Do I Know When it’s Time?” – Ohio State
- This chart may help pet owners to visualize “general well-being”.
- Higher scores on this chart indicate a better quality of life.
HHHHHMM Scale – Dr. Alice Villalobos
HHHHHMM stands for: Hurt, Hunger, Hydration, Hygiene, Happiness, Mobility, and More Good Days than Bad.
Quality of life scale for dogs – Download PDF
Quality of life scale for cats – Download PDF
Dr. Villalobos is a Veterinarian who started a quality of life program for terminally ill pets and published this QOL scoring system.