If your pet has an untreatable illness or is suffering the effects of old age, as a responsible and loving carer you’ll probably start to think about pet euthanasia. Quality of life isn’t measured by just one ‘thing’ – it takes into account both your pet’s mental and physical wellbeing. This means it can be difficult to measure.
The HHHHHMM Scale is a tool you can use to help you make an objective decision at such an emotional and difficult time. Knowing that you’re doing the right thing at the right time can bring you some peace of mind and comfort.
The HHHHHMM questionnaire focuses on 7 main factors which affect your pets quality of life and allows you to grade your pet on each of them. The questionnaire focuses on: pain, appetite, hydration, hygiene, happiness, mobility and the number of good days or bad days that your pet is currently having.
Each section is graded on a scale of 1-10 where 10 is 'ideal' and the best score (imagine your pet when they were young) with 1 being the worst. A total score of 35 or below is a cause for concern and we would encourage you to speak to us if your pet has a score in this region.
You can fill out the HHHHHMM questionnaire and get your score here.
You can also use the pointers below to regularly check on your pet’s quality of life. Doing this on a regular basis helps you to notice any changes:
Alternatively, you can download the PDF here:
If you feel concerned about your pets quality of life, talk to your vet or give us a call.