One simple trick can improve comfort in seriously ill or terminal pets in minutes

After many years of hands-on work in animal hospice and palliative care, keeping pets comfortable who are in their final years-to-days is my jam. I’ve had the good fortune of discovering and learning many things along the way and helping families near or far. 

But I’m going to show you that you have the ability to provide an enhanced level of comfort for your own pet right now. 

Pets who are feeling unwell—especially those who are experiencing pain or nausea—really have a tough time. This includes those with liver disease, or late-stage cancer, and especially those with airway issues like Geriatric Onset Laryngeal Paralysis & Polyneuropathy (GOLPP) and primary or secondary lung masses. They experience trouble staying cool or more accurately, feeling cool. And in pets with airway issues, they can’t breathe and pant as efficiently and that can contribute to them working even harder to breathe, and as importantly, anxiety. This isn’t good for any patient, nor their caregivers and so mitigating that is a priority. 

A simple strategy to address that in warm, humid weather—and even in winter—is having a fan blowing to create air flow and a sense of being able to breathe with less effort. It’s recommended that allowing the fan to blow on them at a rate they appreciate is best, though, for some pets, just having it blowing in the room is quite helpful. 

But did you know why fans are helpful in caring for pets with certain diagnoses, like GOLPP? 

The moving air, when it’s directed at the face of dogs with the diagnoses I spoke about, triggers the upper airway cold receptors on the trigeminal nerve. 

It’s an easy way to provide physical comfort and reduce anxiety in these doggos. This is very helpful in comforting terminal patients, animal or human. 

As a Certified Animal Hospice Practitioner, I need to have a solid plan, and be ready to pivot on a dime when necessary. Being a planner and ‘what if’-er, I invested in a Venty Fan awhile back due to its portability and no-kidding—over two day run time on battery alone. (It runs on a plug, too.) With power outages becoming more common, being in a lurch with no power and a dog who is struggling to stay comfortable is not an option. Along with other strategies to keep pets in fragile health cool, this gives me a lot of peace of mind. It also has a built-in night light, it oscillates and telescopes for maximum benefit. This fan packs up small and is totally portable, a real win/win since my work largely involves my providing overnight stays and full hands on care to pets who are in delicate health in their own homes. 

With over 20 years of experience in pet care and the past 10 of those focused on animal hospice, Lorrie Shaw is a Certified Animal Hospice Practitioner, Certified Hospice and Palliative Care Advocate and Certified Fear Free Professional. She is CXO of Telos Companion Animal Services, LLC. She can be found at lorrieshaw.com.