In-Home Comfort Care for Pets (Palliative & Hospice Services)
Bringing peace, comfort, and personalized veterinary care to pets and families facing serious illness or age-related decline—right at home, across our Colorado service area.
At Caring Pathways, we offer in-home Comfort Care for pets who are aging, seriously ill, or approaching the final stages of life. Whether your beloved companion is navigating a recent diagnosis or a gradual decline, our team is here to walk with you, providing clarity, compassion, and medical expertise every step of the way.
Combining palliative and hospice care, our approach prioritizes your pet’s comfort, supports meaningful time together, and helps your family feel confident and cared for in the home you share.
What is Comfort Care?
Comfort Care at Caring Pathways includes both palliative care and hospice care:
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Palliative care focuses on relieving pain and discomfort, managing symptoms, and enhancing quality of life for pets with chronic or life-limiting conditions.
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Hospice care provides compassionate, medically guided support as families prepare to say goodbye, ensuring a peaceful and dignified experience for both pet and family.
These services are provided in the comfort of your home, allowing for stress-free visits, personalized attention, and gentle support in a familiar setting.
Who Is Comfort Care For?
Comfort Care is specifically for pets with life-limiting conditions, such as:
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Terminal illnesses (e.g., cancer, organ failure)
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Advanced age and mobility decline
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Chronic progressive diseases (e.g., cognitive dysfunction, arthritis)
It is not general in-home veterinary care. This is specialized support for families walking through their pet’s final chapter—with an emphasis on peace, presence, and preparation.
What to Expect During a Comfort Care Visit
Each in-home visit is tailored to your pet’s medical and emotional needs. You can expect:
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A thorough review of your pet’s medical history and current condition
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A comprehensive physical exam
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A personalized care plan to support comfort and quality of life
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Pain management strategies and symptom relief
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Honest, compassionate guidance for what lies ahead
We also offer emotional support and counseling to help you prepare for difficult decisions, including when it may be time to consider in-home euthanasia.
Our Commitment to You
When you invite Caring Pathways into your home, you can expect:
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Gentle, professionally informed guidance tailored to your pet’s unique journey
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Clear communication about what to expect and how to prepare
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Emotional support for your family throughout the process
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An opportunity to honor your bond with your pet in a meaningful way
Five-Step Strategy for Comprehensive Comfort Care
Caring Pathways utilizes a five-step strategy for comprehensive comfort (palliative and hospice) care. These five steps help us complete a thorough assessment of each pet and pet family’s needs, while also allowing for the flexibility of tailoring care on a case-by-case basis. The steps include:
- Evaluation of the pet owner’s needs, beliefs, and goals for the pet
- Education about your pet’s disease processes
- Development of a personalized plan for the pet and their family
- Application of palliative and hospice care techniques
- Emotional support during your pet’s care process, as well as after death
What A Comfort Care Visit Looks Like
During a Comfort Care visit, your Caring Pathways veterinarian will take time to understand your pet’s history, current challenges, and your hopes and concerns for their care. This is a collaborative, supportive conversation guided by compassion and respect for your bond with your pet.
Your doctor will gently observe your pet in their home environment, noting their comfort levels, mobility, appetite, hydration, hygiene, and emotional well-being. We’ll also consider how your pet is engaging with your family and whether any adjustments could improve their quality of life.
Finally, we’ll walk you through the progression of your pet’s condition and answer any questions about what to expect, giving you clarity and peace of mind for the road ahead.
Caring Pathways: Your Partner in Comfort Care
Armed with the knowledge and observations gained, our veterinarians will be able to let you know if palliative and hospice care is indeed a humane and reasonable option for your pet and if so begin to formulate a personalized plan, knowing that you and your family’s capabilities and beliefs play a crucial role in the success of a palliative and hospice care plan.
Our veterinarians will teach you proper nursing and comfort care techniques, educate you about medical therapies used, and about appropriate environmental modifications in the home. We will assign your pet to a level of care that will guide your expectations for follow-up visits and communications. This aspect is key to making sure that we are continuing to provide you with and educate you about the most appropriate, compassionate, and humane care possible for your beloved companion.
- Comfort & Palliative Care: Pet needs care for comfort and pain management in daily activities.
- Early Hospice (Stage I Hospice): Your pet has had a diagnosis of a terminal illness. There is a more intensive need for monitoring and management of nutrition, hydration, pain, mobility, and nursing care.
- Advanced Hospice (Stage II Hospice): The last stage of life. Your pet may be unable to get up, needing to be cleaned and turned regularly. Intensive nursing care, monitoring, and pain management are required.
If you are unsure of what the best next step is for your pet right now, visit our Pathway to Care Assessment Page.
Client Testimonials
“My first beloved 9 y/o family member Tala, a blue merle Aussie/Blue Healer, contracted an aggressive splenic cancer with lung metastatic spread. She declined rather rapidly and I contacted Caring Pathways for a hospice visit. Not really knowing what to expect, Dr. Kelly came to our home and spent time discussing future options. But also, she was able to write a prescription for oral liquid prednisolone and gabaP to reduce in general my dog’s inflammatory response to tumor, and when needed, a sedative/pain reliever. Tala was able to live another 6 weeks with this fairly comfortably as well as our undivided attention to her daily needs. Finally, she experienced a sudden decline and I scheduled hospice a couple of days out. However that very next morning it became obvious that she was uncomfortable and ready to make her final journey. CP was able to arrange that afternoon rescheduling, for which I am grateful. We spent the final hours with her, then Dr. Suzie arrived to help her pass with dignity in our family’s loving arms. RIP Tala baby girl, and thank you for everything.”
James Piko