Supportive Care – for chronic illness and chronic pain management

Supportive Care is the management of the symptoms of a disease.

It is very similar to palliative care, but is more applicable for conditions that are not (yet) life-threatening (e.g. in the earlier stages of a chronic illness).

Chronic conditions, such as osteoarthritis and chronic kidney disease, are common in older animals and can affect their quality of life. Early attention to symptoms helps preserve function and quality of life both now and into the future.

Supportive care is available for your pet if it has:
– osteoarthritis
– other mobility problems (due to neurological, muscle or skeletal disorders)
– chronic kidney disease
– heart disease
– and many other chronic progressive conditions

These conditions usually come on gradually, but may develop suddenly after acute injury or illness. The rate of progression of chronic diseases is variable. Some progress slowly, such as osteoarthritis; others rapidly, such as some forms of heart disease.

The impact on your pet’s quality of life may be minor early on, but in the advancing stages results in progressive decline in well-being and/or disability.

Understanding how your pet’s condition affects him/her, both now and into the future, and being informed of all the care options available (medications, diet, environmental, physical and complementary therapies), including how to implement them and when to adjust them, can help you optimally support your pet’s quality of life, and help prepare you for future events.

Our Supportive Care consultations are a 1 hour in-home consultation