Best practices for hygiene care for pets in advanced age or on hospice

The most important asset that I’ve been able to hone in my practice is that I’m deep in the trenches with providing hands-on care to pets with very special needs. That regular exposure as I tend to pets, no matter if they’re recovering from illness or injury, or senior, geriatric—even moving through their final months or days—it gives me a perspective that’s nuanced, rich and humbling. 

Working in the area of animal hospice, I feel like it’s really easy to tell a pet guardian, ‘Oh, use this product’ or ‘This is why XYZ is going to be beneficial’. Basically, ‘I’m an authority, and you should do this’.

The truth is that there isn’t anything that I recommend or dissuade a pet guardian from doing, a product that I don’t think would be useful in their case because I’m often doing it myself. I’m never too far removed from the caregiving experience of the families I’m connected to.

One of the topics that comes up has to do with hygiene care. It’s more important during these life events and life stages, and how its done is critical for the physical and emotional safety and well being of the pet—and ourselves as the caregiver. These interactions are intimate, and can not only be stressful for the pet but carry an inherent risk of disease transmission. Keeping these pets clean as they experience any incontinence probably springs to mind. But hygiene also encompasses tending to wounds, including cranky calluses (hygromas). Perhaps we're promptly tending to urinary or fecal incontinence soiling on the fur and skin, or addressing chafing from the use of assistive devices like harnesses. It can also mean tending to tumors, like soft tissue sarcomas that have reached a size where they develop a wound. Even dental brushing and the application of prescription comfort care like magic mouthwash or PerioVive for affected mouth and gum tissue due to stomatitis or paraneoplastic syndrome—the bacteria inside the mouth of these pets is often quite complicated—falls under the umbrella of hygiene. 

The hygiene isn’t just for the pet, but us as caregivers. 

Pets who are in these life stages aren’t as robust. And factoring in their age, their immune systems can often respond differently than when they were younger due to immunosenescence. That puts them and us as caregivers at risk for illness and infection, so adhering to best practices is top of mind. 

My core tips in keeping with that are:

• Scrupulous hand hygiene, including washing before and after each care interaction

• The use of nitrile gloves when tending to fecal or urinary incontinence clean up hygiene care, and other hygiene needs including treating urine scald that has developed, plus any wounds and dental care, changing gloves with each facet of care

• Washing and disinfection of pet food dishes & toothbrushes after every use and water dishes at least once daily 

• Laundering of soiled bedding 

• Proper handling of soiled items that are disposable 

• Taking part in free training in veterinary infectious disease management protocols

• The use of Fear Free strategies to reduce fear, anxiety and stress to promote safe interactions 

Realizing that it can feel like we’re treating pets like aliens, or like they’re dirty as we make this shift in exercising extra safety and mindfulness as we provide a higher level of care that they deserve, be assured that’s not the intention. In fact, with some practice, it just becomes second nature and I choose to see it as an act of intention, compassion and love as we protect the pets, and ourselves. 

My recommendations for all things related to hygiene can be found by clicking here.

With over 20 years of experience in pet care and the past 12 of  those focused on animal hospice, Lorrie Shaw is a Certified Animal Hospice Practitioner, Certified Hospice Palliative Care Advocate, and pet loss & grief companioning certified professional. She is founder of Telos Companion Animal Services, LLC & can be found at lorrieshaw.com.