Moving through pets’ end of life: South Korean pet owners’ experiences and implications for veterinary practices

Many pet owners inevitably face their animals’ end-of-life stage and often struggle with the associated challenges. Understanding owners’ holistic lived experiences regarding end-of-life care and decision-making is crucial to supporting appropriate veterinary practices for all involved stakeholders. This study focuses on pet owners’ experiences of the complex interplay between emotional, practical, and ethical dimensions involved in moving through the end-of-life stage of their pets. It aims to support more compassionate and contextually sensitive veterinary practices and to contribute to the development of relational and ethically grounded approaches to caring for pets at the end of their lives. We used in-depth individual interviews to explore pet owners’ detailed experiences. Twenty-four participants were recruited; all were aged 19 or older, had lived with a dog and/or cat for at least 10 years, and had experienced the end-of-life stage of their pets. The interviews followed a semi-structured format, exploring personal anecdotes, daily caregiving routines, challenges, concerns, and positive aspects related to pet care, particularly in relation to pets’ aging, illness, and end of life. Thematic analysis was used to identify key patterns in the data using MAXQDA and Microsoft Excel. Pet owners’ experiences during their pets’ end-of-life stage were represented by four key thematic categories: Confronting the Pet’s End-of-Life Stage; Carrying the Weight of End-of-Life Care; Making Tough Decisions for the Final Moment; and Interacting with Veterinarians. The first theme includes participants’ experiences of facing their pets’ aging, illness, or turning points in the end-of-life stage. The second theme captures the experiential and multidimensional nature of living with and caring for pets in the end-of-life stage. The third theme discusses the complexities and dilemmas involved in the decision-making process regarding end-of-life care and death. The last theme focuses on the role of veterinarians and their influence during the end-of-life stage. Our findings reveal that caregiving during the end-of-life stage is not merely a source of sadness or stress, but a deeply transformative process in which owners navigate multidimensional challenges through their interactions with their pets. Veterinarians emerge not only as providers of clinical knowledge or guidance but also as ethical allies in this process. These insights underscore the need to reorient veterinary practice and education toward a relationship-centered, ethically grounded model of end-of-life care.