A case report: veterinary palliative care and hospice for a west highland terrier with transitional cell carcinoma.

In providing palliative care and hospice in a veterinary outpatient primary care setting it is important to manage all aspects of the patient's needs as well as the primary disease process, and to understand that veterinary palliative care and hospice do not require a special degree or board certification. They only require compassion for the terminally ill patient and the human family members, a commitment to keeping patients united with their families for as long as they are comfortable, and a willingness to keep a comprehensive perspective on the patient's changing needs as death nears.