National Pet Wellness Month: Continuing Education for Animal Welfare
By Tracy Brad
Director of Marketing & Communications, Animal Hospice Group

Photo: Brighthaven volunteer and Joey outdoors

As we close out October’s Pet Wellness month and approach National Animal Hospice Day in November, we love that these two important facets of pet ownership are adjacent. We’ll be honoring Animal Hospice Day throughout the month of November, with blogs about animal hospice education, quality of life for our sick and senior pets, and the relationship between pet wellness, animal hospice, and animal welfare. Pet wellness is integral to animal welfare, as it considers pet health across their lifespans. Animal hospice embraces what we know of animal welfare to provide a wonderful way to help your sick or senior pet’s final days be filled with dignity, support, and choices. We’ll discuss the who, what, when, where, how, and why of animal hospice more thoroughly in our November blog series, but a few pet wellness questions that we consistently hear from pet parents are:

Many of these conditions – arthritis, canine cancer, feline hypothyroid disease, canine cognitive dysfunction, renal failure, and dog kidney disease – can be common with senior pets. (Some of the terms, like renal failure and kidney disease, represent the same condition, which can also be confusing!) Veterinarians are always your first stop for veterinary care and advice, but there’s additional support that you can provide for your pet at home after the veterinary visit, including administering prescribed medications, participating in therapies, and knowing how to recognize and measure animal welfare. Your veterinarian can help you with your pet’s diagnosis and treatment plan, and continuing education in animal hospice and palliative care can help you implement your pet’s treatment plan.  

During the pandemic, many of us have turned to online continuing education to diversify our job skills, prepare for a career change, or improve our lives, including taking courses on animal welfare. The Animal Hospice Group is delighted to be a part of this continuing education trend, offering animal hospice education that can help you learn more about pet health and animal welfare and plan ahead for your pet’s end-of-life journey while focusing on their wellness across their lifespans. 

For many of us, thinking about our pets no longer being here – of them being older, or sick, or diagnosed with a terminal disease – is frightening, but Animal Hospice Group is here to assure you that planning ahead can be the key to optimal animal welfare and enjoying those final days, weeks, and months together. 

Our Animal Hospice Group certification program can help you become a Certified Animal Hospice Practitioner, or CAHP. With a unique curriculum of online continuing education, Animal Hospice Group’s certification program can help you learn more about pet health, animal welfare, and how to navigate conditions like arthritis, canine cancer, feline hypothyroid disease, canine cognitive dysfunction, renal failure, and so much more. With Animal Hospice Group’s continuing education and ongoing support, “pet wellness month” can be something that your family celebrates year-round. And as a CAHP, you can use your animal hospice education to help other pet parents, too. 

You can learn more about our animal hospice educational programs by clicking here. 

You can also help us continue to provide educational resources for hospice care. (And if you have a matching donation program from your company, you can double your impact today!) 

Please click here to donate to our work and help us support pet wellness throughout our pets’ lifetimes – including their end-of-life journeys. 

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