Family Quality of Life: pet owners and veterinarians working together to reach the best outcomes

Friction can occur between veterinarians and their clients when they are not aligned on the goals of care for a pet and what constitutes the best outcome of a case. Veterinarians frequently concentrate on providing the diagnostic and treatment protocol that is perceived to result in the best medical outcome for their patient. Pet owners frequently consider a myriad of factors relating to the pet as well as how different diagnostic and treatment recommendations will affect individual family members and the family as a whole in both concrete and subjective terms. This misalignment can lead to veterinarians experiencing moral distress and families feeling guilt and shame about their pet's care decisions. In this paper we examine the interdependencies of families and their pets and the factors that pet owners may consider in making care decisions. These factors, adapted from the concept of Family Quality of Life as used in the human health field, can be divided into three domains including pet-centric factors, family-centric factors, and external factors. By better understanding that there are a multitude of considerations that influence owners' care decisions and communicating with owners in a nonjudgmental manner, veterinarians can more holistically support families, decrease their own moral distress, and arrive at diagnostic and treatment plans that represent the overall best approach for the family and the patient.