At Home VetcareA guide for families

Thinking about your pet’s quality of life

When a pet we love is ageing, unwell, or living with a serious illness, the same questions tend to circle: Are they suffering? Are we doing enough? Is it time?

You don’t need to answer those alone. This guide gives you a gentle way to think about how your pet is doing, including a simple scorecard, used by vets around the world, that you can fill in at home. We’ll walk through it with you in your consult.

Before you decide anything

One thing we want to say up front: a number of things that look like end-of-life turn out to be treatable. Pets stop making it to the litter tray and it’s a urinary infection. They go off their food and it’s nausea from a medication that can be swapped. They stop jumping on the couch and arthritis relief gives them weeks or months they wouldn’t have had. If you haven’t had your pet seen recently, please get a vet to take a look, us or anyone else, before making big decisions.

What to watch for at home

Comfort. Are they resting peacefully, or shifting, panting, restless? Is breathing easy?
Eating and drinking. Hunger is a sign of vitality , even a smaller appetite, if it’s consistent, matters.
Joy. Do they still light up at the things they used to love, your voice, a walk, a favourite spot in the sun?
Dignity. Incontinence in a pet who’s been house-trained their whole life is hard on them, not just on you.
Mobility. Can they get up on their own? Do they want to?
Good days vs bad days. When the bad start to outnumber the good, that’s the conversation we’re here to help you have.

A weekly check-in you can do at home

This is the HHHHHMM scale, a simple framework developed by Dr Alice Villalobos, a veterinarian who pioneered quality-of-life care for pets with serious illness. Score each row from 1 (very poor) to 10 (excellent).

One score on its own doesn’t tell you much. Filling it in once a week and watching the trend tells you a lot.

	What we’re looking at	Score (1–10)
H	Hurt Is your pet's pain well controlled? Is breathing easy? Pain relief and comfort come first.	12345678910
H	Hunger Are they eating enough? Does hand-feeding or a favourite food still tempt them?	12345678910
H	Hydration Are they drinking? Gums should be moist; the skin between the shoulders should spring back when gently lifted.	12345678910
H	Hygiene Can they be kept clean and dry, especially after toileting? Are coat and skin in reasonable condition?	12345678910
H	Happiness Do they still respond to you, the family, the things they used to love? Or do they seem withdrawn, anxious, or flat?	12345678910
M	Mobility Can they get up and move on their own? Do they still want to? Stumbling, seizures, or being unable to stand are all worth noting.	12345678910
M	More good days than bad Honestly, week to week, are the good days still in the majority?	12345678910
	Total (a total above 35 is generally considered acceptable quality of life, but the direction matters more than the number)	/ 70

Adapted from the HHHHHMM Quality of Life Scale, Dr Alice Villalobos, DVM (2004), with our own plain-language prompts.

What to expect from our consult

Our vet comes to you. We set aside 45 minutes so there’s no rush. We do a full physical exam, walk through the scorecard with you, and talk through what we’re seeing in plain language.

You’ll leave the consult with three things:

An honest clinical view of where your pet is right now.
A short written summary you can refer back to, or share with family who couldn’t be there.
Clear options, a comfort-focused care plan, a follow-up to reassess, or, if your family decides today is the day, our vet is able to stay and help your pet pass peacefully at home.

A few things worth thinking about beforehand

None of these need answers before we arrive, they’re just things families often find helpful to have started turning over.

Who in your family would want to be present for the consult? Is there anyone who’d want a quiet moment with your pet beforehand?
Where in the home is your pet most comfortable? That’s usually the best place for us to be.
Have you given any thought to aftercare, cremation, a paw print, a lock of fur? We can talk you through the options either way.

When you’d like to talk

Phone

(03) 9115 1472

info@athomevetcare.com.au

Online

athomevetcare.com.au

We see clients across Melbourne. If you’d rather we call you, send a short note by email and we’ll get in touch at a time that suits.