The Creed of
The Nikki Hospice Foundation for Pets

Frequently Asked Questions
About The Nikki Hospice Foundation for Pets

What does The Nikki Hospice Foundation for Pets seek to accomplish?

The Nikki Hospice Foundation for Pets was founded in response to a growing need among pet parents who wish to spend quality time with their dying companion animals in the comfort of their own homes. Traditional veterinary medicine generally offers aggressive diagnostic testing and treatments to terminally ill pets, frequently followed by euthanasia. But often, these are the only options available. By helping pet parents provide comfort care for their pets in their own familiar surroundings, through the extensive support services of hospice veterinarians and their staff, The NHFP gives dying animals and the people who love them the opportunity to spend meaningful time together in a true hospice setting. Pet parents who choose hospice care for their animals are thus given more time to come to terms with a euthanasia decision (The NHFP advocates home euthanasia for dying pets), although many pet parents do choose to pursue hospice until a comfortable death occurs.  

The NHFP primarily serves pet parents as a clearing-house in order to assist them in locating nation-wide veterinarians who currently offer veterinary hospice services for pets. Licensed veterinarians who wish to be included in The NHFP’s Hospice Veterinarian database must fill out a detailed questionnaire (which will be kept on file) attesting to their hospice experience or to their serious intent to offer such services. Those animal health care practitioners who do not have hospice experience but who wish to learn how to offer this essential service to their clients are invited to participate in The NHFP’s training seminars (offered at various locations), along with their veterinary technicians and other members of their staff who wish to become involved in this innovative yet highly rewarding endeavor. Ideally, veterinarians are urged to assemble “hospice teams” in their private practices or clinics, in order to better ascertain the hospice needs of their clients’ pets and be able to respond in the most adequate fashion. Among those who can join a responsible, qualified hospice team are animal health care specialists (AHTs), certified veterinary technicians (CVTs), veterinary students, mental health/hospice professionals, and trained hospice volunteers--all supervised by a licensed veterinarian(s).   

The NHFP believes that providing true palliative care for pets must necessarily involve a group of professionals working together for the comfort of the pet and the mental health of the pet parent. For this reason, a good hospice team will have a mental health professional on board to help pet parents deal with the impending trauma of losing their beloved animals and to guide them, along with their families, through a very difficult time of grieving and adjustment. Mental health professionals such as grief counselors and therapists specialized in bereavement work, hospice directors or administrators, nurses and volunteers--as well as those working in related fields--may also seek inclusion in The NHFP's Counseling and Hospice Professionals database, after filling out an appropriate questionnaire outlining their experience and their qualifications. Training sessions are also offered for these professionals at various locations (see Training Seminars and Events).

The NHFP focuses on disseminating information on veterinary hospice care to the entire veterinary community, as well as to veterinary technicians, animal health care specialists, mental health professionals, and of course, pet parents. By providing the public and these professional groups with much-needed information on the concept of veterinary hospice care, as well as on the pharmacological protocols involved, The NHFP ensures that everyone understands the value and importance of proper comfort care for terminally ill pets. Information is generally provided by means of customized informational packets, which may be requested by email.  The NHFP also maintains very active and on-going contacts with local and national media and is consistently laboring to ensure that the foundation remains in the public eye and is a front-runner at veterinary conferences and symposiums. Among other things, The NHFP relies heavily on networking. When veterinarians, mental health professionals or pet parents share their experiences with others, this helps promote the concept of veterinary hospice care and makes the animal-loving community at large increasingly aware of its importance and implications.   

Veterinarians who have not previously considered offering veterinary hospice care but who are willing to learn more about it in order to help a client in a crisis situation are urged to contact The NHFP’s veterinarian board and advisory board members, who will network with other doctors around the nation (by phone or by e-mail) in order to provide simple, up-to-date basic care for a dying animal. Often, this merely involves adjusting the dosage of a currently prescribed medication or suggesting a different pharmacological protocol that has proved efficacious in the past. Veterinarians who wish to become seriously involved in veterinary hospice care need to be willing to provide their clients with the necessary information that will allow pet parents to administer medication to their companion animals at home. A 24-hour on-call staff (even if it can only provide telephone consultations at best) is at the core of a true veterinary hospice team. It is through the concerted efforts of everyone involved that pet parents will be able to find the best in comforting, palliative care for their terminally ill companion animals.

How can pet parents request veterinary hospice care through The NHFP? 

Through The NHFP’s website and publications, pet parents are encouraged to ask their veterinarians for this vital service in their hour of need and to feel empowered to share what they have learned from our organization with more traditional animal health care practitioners who do not know about veterinary hospice care or do not normally offer it as part of their regular services. The NHFP also urges all pet parents who wish to pursue veterinary hospice care to discuss this option not only with their own doctors, but with family and friends as well, so as to make the best decisions possible in regards to their terminally ill companion animals. Pet parents who feel they need help in administering medication to their pets should ask their veterinarians as to the availability of a certified veterinary technician or other trained staff member who can assist them with their home needs during hospicing. It is also crucial for pet parents to be given the necessary assistance in creating a home environment that is properly equipped to meet the special medical needs of their companion animals. This kind of support service can be readily provided by the assisting veterinarian and his or her staff.

Does The NHFP have an actual hospice unit where I can take my
terminally ill pet?

At present, The NHFP is avidly promoting the concept of home hospice care for terminally ill companion animals, which provides pet parents with in-home assistance with their pet’s needs as an alternative to traditional hospitalization. In this manner, pet parents who wish to remain actively involved in caring for their seriously ill pets can do so at home. In the future, through adequate funding, The NHFP hopes to establish veritable hospice units for those pet parents who cannot care for their sick animals in the home environment. At present, The NHFP is urging veterinary schools with teaching hospitals or larger veterinary clinics offering 24-hour care to seriously consider setting up a hospice unit where pet parents can remain with their animals in a quiet and comforting setting. Veterinary hospitals or clinics that have questions regarding this type of set-up may contact The NHFP for further assistance and information.   

What else does The NHFP do to promote veterinary hospice care?

Besides carrying out the goals and objectives listed in our brochure and on our website, The NHFP acts as an advocate and promoter for the concept of veterinary hospice care by conducting educational and informative programs geared toward the veterinary community, the mental health/hospice professions and the general public; by sponsoring research into the field of veterinary hospice care; by participating in public forums on animal welfare and on such issues as the legal status of non-human animals which can, in turn, provide wider recognition to veterinary hospice care within the framework of scientific understanding, public attitudes and fundamental principles of justice; by encouraging the extension of veterinary hospice care to all non-human animals; and by working for the inclusion of hospice principles into the broader veterinary health care system.

The  NHFP Logo

©AnnaGuillet1998

The very unique logo which has become the distinguishing emblem of The Nikki Hospice Foundation for Pets represents an angel in flight who is cradling a dog and cat in its arms--its halo a garland of roses. This special design was commissioned by the President and Founder of The Nikki Hospice Foundation for Pets and was drawn by Italian artist Anna Guillet Defilippi of Turin, Italy. Its inspirational message is that veterinary hospice care can extend its end-of-life comfort to all animals (the cat and dog being merely representative of the most common household pets), providing them solace in their hour of greatest need and reinforcing the human-animal bond that is such a vital part of our lives. 

Copyright Notice

The following notice applies to all of the information in the form of text, databases, photographs taken by NHFP board members and other materials posted on The Nikki Hospice Foundation for Pets (The NHFP) World Wide Web pages accessible at [http://www.pethospice.org] (this “Website”). Except where otherwise noted, the content of this Website, including but not limited to the text and images herein and their arrangement, is copyright ©TheNHFP2005. All rights reserved.

The content of this website may be reproduced by individuals or educational institutions for non-commercial educational or personal purposes only, in accordance with “fair use” principles under U.S. copyright law. Copies of any portion of the content of this Website must include a notice that such content is “Copyright ©TheNHFP2005.”  Except as set forth in this notice, the content of this Website may not be republished, reproduced, transmitted or distributed, whether mechanically, electronically or in any other medium, without prior written approval from The NHFP. Commercial reproduction and multiple distribution or publication, in any form or medium, is expressly prohibited, without prior written approval from The NHFP.

The NHFP angel logo is copyright ©AnnaGuillet1998 and may not be used without written authorization from the Guillet Defilippi family. The Creed of The Nikki Hospice Foundation for Pets is copyright ©TheNHFP1997 and may not be used without written authorization from The NHFP.