How to Measure Your Pet’s Quality of Life

Veterinarians take many things into consideration before recommending humane euthanasia for a sick, injured or elderly pet. When it comes to setting your own mind at ease, there are ways to rate or measure your pet’s overall well-being.

The Veterinary Medical Center at Ohio State University published a survey designed to illustrate your pet’s quality of life which was adapted from several other common methods. The survey asks you, the pet owner, to rate 25 different prompts on a scale from one to five. A score of one indicates strong agreement or a condition that is present all the time or is severe; a score of five indicates strong disagreement or a condition that is never present and nonexistent. Thus, higher scores indicate a better quality of life.

The Survey

Scale

1. Strongly Agree / All the Time / Severe
2. Agree / Most of the Time / Significant
3. Neutral / Sometimes / Mild
4. Disagree / Occasionally / Slight
5. Strongly Disagree / Never / None

My pet…

1. Does not want to play
2. Does not respond to my presence or doesn’t interact with me in the same way as before
3. Does not enjoy the same activities as before
4. Is hiding
5. Demeanor/behavior is not the same as it was prior to diagnosis/illness
6. Does not seem to enjoy life
7. Has more bad days than good days
8. Is sleeping more than usual
9. Seems dull and depressed
10. Seems to be or is experiencing pain
11. Is panting (even while resting)
12. Is trembling or shaking
13. Is vomiting and/or seems nauseous
14. Is not eating well (may only be eating treats or if fed by hand)
15. Is not drinking well
16. Is losing weight
17. Is having diarrhea often
18. Is not urinating well
19. Is not moving normally
20. Is not as active as normal
21. Does not move around as needed
22. Needs my help to move around normally
23. Is unable to keep self clean after soiling
24. Has coat that is greasy, matted or rough-looking
25. How is my pet’s overall health compared to the initial diagnosis/illness?

Once you have rated each prompt, tally up the number of responses for each number and then place an ‘X’ on a “Quality of Life line” labeled “Good” at one end and “Poor” at the other according to your most frequent response.

The purpose of this exercise is to help you better visualize your pet’s general well-being. Of course, not all pets are the same and what is rated poorly for one may not be so bad for another. For pets currently undergoing treatment, some poor ratings may be liked to symptoms and side effects which will subside. It is always important to discuss your concerns and your pet’s overall demeanor with your veterinarian, especially when considering humane euthanasia.