FRTheir body
- pain
- eating and drinking
- cleanliness
- moving
- a safe place
Your dog or cat is living with an illness that will not be cured, and you want them to be well at home. Here is this kind of care, their comfort plan, your daily routine, and who to call if their condition changes.
This kind of care
Comfort becomes the goal
Palliative care has one aim: to ease what is making your pet suffer and keep their life pleasant, even when the illness will not be cured. It is active care: controlling pain, supporting appetite, easing breathing, keeping up hydration, protecting sleep.
It can start at diagnosis and go alongside treatment: palliative does not mean "no treatment". Choosing comfort is not giving up. Their comfort rests on three areas: their body, their life with you and their emotional well-being.
Their life with you
- family
- company
- other animals
- a little play
Their emotional well-being
- calm
- their place and routines
- dignity
- interest in what is around them
The three areas of comfort draw on the 2016 AAHA/IAAHPC and 2023 AAFP/IAAHPC guidelines.
The plan
The comfort plan, built with us
The comfort plan is built with our team, for your pet and their illness. Part of it happens here, during our opening hours: follow-up exams and samples, pain-relief injections, fluids under the skin, hygiene care, dressings. The rest you do at home.
The plan takes into account what you can manage, in time, energy and means, and what your pet will accept. If a treatment turns into a struggle, tell us: there is often another way. The plan is reviewed whenever their condition changes.
Each evening, note whether the day was good or bad, and now and then film what worries you.
Hidden pain
A cat in pain does not complain: they withdraw, stop jumping as high, groom less, and may still purr. A dog whimpers, gets up with difficulty, avoids the stairs or is restless at night. If you see that, tell us the same day, even if you are not sure. Between visits, during our hours, a phone call may be enough to take stock, but some changes mean we need to see your pet; outside our hours, a 24/7 emergency centre answers.
See alsoEnd of life and euthanasia
The signature card
Give no home medications
Nothing from your own medicine cabinet: several ordinary products are dangerous for them.
Acetaminophen (Tylenol)
deadly to cats, even a single tablet. There is no safe dose. In dogs it attacks the liver. If your pet has swallowed some, that is an immediate emergency.
Ibuprofen (Advil), naproxen (Aleve), aspirin
stomach ulcers and kidney damage, in dogs as well as cats, and cats are affected at smaller amounts than dogs. Never a human anti-inflammatory, whatever the reason.
Leftover prescriptions, another animal's medication
a prescription is worked out for one animal, one problem and one weight; it does not transfer. What relieves a dog can kill a cat.
Supplements, natural products, CBD
start nothing without asking us first.
Do not stop or change any current treatment without speaking to us. A dose refused, vomited or poorly tolerated: call us before the next one, and never double it; outside our hours, a 24/7 emergency centre answers.
If they are in pain
What they need is not a tablet from your medicine cabinet but a phone call: to us during our hours, to a 24/7 emergency centre outside them.
Every day
Everyday life at home
Eating. Their usual food, in small portions, several times a day, somewhere quiet. Warming wet food can help, unless they are nauseous. Take away what they refuse. For a cat, a wide, shallow bowl, away from the litter box. Do not change their food or prescription diet without us, and never force them to eat or drink, even by syringe, unless our team has told you to.
Drinking. Fresh water in several easy-to-reach places. Fluids under the skin are given on prescription only.
Staying clean. Skin and bedding clean and dry: an absorbent pad or towel on their bed, lukewarm water for cleaning, gentle brushing if they no longer groom. If they lie down for long periods, thick bedding and changes of position.
Moving around. Non-slip rugs, and everything on one floor. For a cat, a low-sided litter box, within reach; for a dog, more frequent trips outside to relieve themselves.
A spot of their own. Somewhere cosy and quiet, close to the family, keeping their usual routines. Keep a dog close to you rather than shut away. A cat may want company or may want to hide: let them choose, with water and food close by, and the litter box within reach but a little apart.
If their condition changes
The crisis plan: knowing in advance who to call
The crisis plan is prepared at the start, with our team, while things are calm. It fits on the "My comfort plan" sheet below.
Go now if any one of these signs appears
- They breathe with effort, the belly pushing with each breath, or open-mouthed (in a cat).
- Their gums, seen without forcing the mouth open, are very pale, grey or bluish: do not wait for this late sign to leave.
- They have a seizure, collapse even briefly, suddenly lose the use of their legs or stop responding normally.
- They are bleeding and it will not stop.
- Their belly swells suddenly, or they retch and nothing comes up.
- They strain to urinate and almost nothing comes out.
- They seem to be in pain with no letup.
Where to go. Go to a 24/7 emergency centre near you; call them on the way. During our opening hours (shown live on our emergency page), call us on the way instead: we will tell you where to go. Outside our hours, including evenings, nights, weekends and holidays, we have no emergency service. At the wheel, no phone in your hand: let a passenger call, or use hands-free.
Call the same day
If they eat less, vomit, seem to be in pain, breathe faster than usual at rest, hide more than before, refuse a medication, have restless nights, or the bad days start to outnumber the good: call us the same day; outside our hours, a 24/7 emergency centre answers.
Prescriptions, refills, what might run low before the weekend: that is here, during our opening hours.
If their condition becomes critical
At an emergency centre, if their heart or breathing stops, the team may try to resuscitate them unless you have asked them not to. If you wish, we can talk it through ahead of time; write your choice on your sheet and tell the emergency team as soon as you arrive. You can change your mind.
If they die at home, our end-of-life guide explains what to do.
You too
You, the caregiver
Caring for a seriously ill animal is tiring, sometimes from the day of diagnosis. The plan has to fit into your life: if it is too much, say so, and we will look together at what can be simplified. Sharing the care with someone close can help; taking a break is not selfish. Crying before they are gone is normal: it is called anticipatory grief. If tiredness or worry becomes too much, Info-Social 811 (option 2) offers confidential psychosocial support, 24 hours a day.
Your safety
Even a gentle animal in pain can bite or scratch: approach calmly, wash your hands after giving care, get help to lift a large dog. Bitten or scratched? Call Info-Santé at 811.
See alsoEnd of life and euthanasia
Time to talk
When comfort is no longer enough
No one can predict when the end will come: ask us what to expect with their illness, including crises. One bad day is not a verdict; the trend is what counts. But pain that will not ease or laboured breathing cannot wait: go now to a 24/7 emergency centre (crisis plan, above). If they stop eating despite the plan, can no longer get up or lose interest in you, call us the same day; outside our hours, a 24/7 emergency centre answers.
There will come a time when comfort is no longer enough. You will not have to work that out alone: it is a conversation we will have together, and it starts well before the last day; you will not be judged. An end without euthanasia is only acceptable if pain and discomfort stay relieved to the very end, under a veterinarian's supervision: if you are thinking about it, talk to us early, and we will tell you what is possible here.
To print
My comfort plan
Fill this in with our team, then keep it near the phone.
My comfort planHôpital Vétérinaire Métro Iberville · montreal.vet
Fill this in with our team, then keep it near the phone.
- My pet (name, illness in one line):
- During the clinic's hours : Hôpital Vétérinaire Métro Iberville, 514 223-1197.
- Monday9am – 5pm
- Tuesday9am – 5pm
- Wednesday9am – 5pm
- Thursday9am – 5pm
- Friday9am – 3pm
- SaturdayClosed
- SundayClosed
- Outside its hours (evenings, nights, weekends, holidays): my 24/7 emergency centre, its number, how to get there:
- Their medications, as prescribed : Nothing is changed, stopped or added without the team.
- Their usual baseline, noted with the team (appetite, water, breathing at rest, getting around, cleanliness, mood):
- I call the clinic the same day if they eat less, vomit, seem to be in pain, breathe faster than usual at rest, hide more than before, refuse a medication, have restless nights, or the bad days outnumber the good. Outside its hours: my 24/7 centre.
- I leave right away for my 24/7 centre if they breathe with effort, belly pushing, or open-mouthed (cat); their gums are very pale, grey or bluish; they have a seizure, collapse even briefly, suddenly lose the use of their legs or stop responding; they bleed without stopping; their belly swells suddenly or they retch and nothing comes up; they strain to urinate and almost nothing comes out; they seem to be in pain with no letup. During the clinic's hours, I call it on the way, never phone in hand.
- Our wishes if their condition becomes critical (optional, with the team, can be changed): if their heart or breathing stops, we would like ☐ the team to try to resuscitate them ☐ the team not to try ☐ we have not decided yet. What matters to us:
- Who can help me (drive, carry, take over):
Show this sheet to the emergency team and tell them your wishes as soon as you arrive. Hôpital Vétérinaire Métro Iberville · 514 223-1197 · montreal.vet
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
They have almost stopped eating: what can I do at home?
Call us the same day: nausea or pain may be behind it and can be eased, and in a cat, not eating should not drag on. In the meantime, offer their usual food in small portions, somewhere quiet, and take away what they refuse. Do not force them, not even by syringe unless we have told you to, and do not change their food without us. Outside our hours, a 24/7 emergency centre answers.
Things change at night or on the weekend: who do I call?
We have no emergency service outside our opening hours: in the evening, overnight, on weekends and holidays, a 24/7 emergency centre answers. Find it ahead of time, with the route, and call them before you leave, or on the way if every minute counts. During our hours, call us: preparing this plan with us saves searching in the middle of the night.
How can I tell if they are suffering when they do not complain?
Pain hides. A cat in pain withdraws, stops jumping as high, grooms less, and may still purr. A dog whimpers, gets up with difficulty, avoids the stairs or is restless at night. Give nothing from your medicine cabinet: note what changes and tell us the same day, even if you are not sure; outside our hours, a 24/7 emergency centre answers. If they seem to be in pain with no letup, go to a 24/7 emergency centre; during our hours, call us on the way instead.
They are hiding and want to be alone: should I leave them be?
A cat may need to withdraw: give them a quiet, warm hiding spot with water and food close by, the litter box within reach but a little apart, and check on them gently. A dog does better kept close to the family than left alone. But hiding more than before can be a sign of pain: call us the same day; outside our hours, a 24/7 emergency centre answers.
They can no longer get up and are soiling themselves: how do I keep them clean and comfortable?
If they suddenly stopped being able to get up, go to a 24/7 emergency centre; during our hours, call us on the way instead. Otherwise, call us the same day, and in the meantime: thick, clean, dry bedding, with an absorbent pad or towel changed often, lukewarm water for their skin, and changes of position. To lift them, get help. For redness, a sore or skin irritated by urine, come and see us during our hours; outside them, a 24/7 emergency centre answers.
I am exhausted and I feel guilty: is that normal?
Yes. Caring for a seriously ill animal weighs on the whole family, sometimes from the day of diagnosis, and crying before they are gone is normal. If the plan is too much, say so: we will look together at what can be simplified. Share the care, take breaks, and talk about it: Info-Social 811 (option 2) offers confidential psychosocial support, 24 hours a day. Whatever you decide, you will not be judged.
This guide is provided for information and support. It does not replace your veterinarian's personalized advice: every illness and every animal are different. At the slightest doubt, talk to our team; that is exactly what we are here for. Outside our hours, a 24/7 emergency centre answers.
Updated October 16, 2026
A question about your pet's comfort?
During our opening hours, call us or book an appointment to review their plan. Outside our hours, a 24/7 emergency centre answers.