Should veterinary hospice and palliative care become a specialty?
Bottom line
A push to create a formally recognized veterinary specialty in hospice and palliative medicine is drawing support, skepticism, and broader questions about standards in end-of-life care. The International Association for Animal Hospice and Palliative Care said in May that it formally endorsed the proposed American College of Veterinary Hospice and Palliative Medicine, which is petitioning the AVMA and the American Board of Veterinary Specialties for recognition. Supporters argue the field has matured, pointing to published guidelines, growing in-home and end-of-life care services, and expanding continuing education. Critics, including evidence-focused veterinarian Brennen McKenzie, DVM, writing at SkeptVet, argue the evidence base is still limited and warn that specialty recognition could legitimize poorly supported modalities already present in parts of the hospice space. (iaahpc.org)
Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, the debate is really about who defines quality in one of practice’s most emotionally complex areas. Hospice and palliative care increasingly intersect with chronic disease management, pain control, in-home euthanasia, caregiver support, and team wellbeing. Recent reporting has highlighted both the clinical evolution of palliative tools, such as subanesthetic ketamine in selected cases, and the growing role of veterinary social work in helping clients and teams manage caregiver burden earlier in the illness course. A recognized specialty could eventually create clearer training pathways and referral standards, but it would also raise the stakes around evidence thresholds, scope, and how interdisciplinary services fit into mainstream practice. (veterinarypracticenews.com)
What to watch: Watch the ABVS review process, public comment input, and whether proponents can show that specialty recognition would strengthen science-based standards rather than simply formalize a fast-growing niche. (iaahpc.org)
A proposal to establish veterinary hospice and palliative medicine as a formally recognized specialty has opened a consequential debate about standards, evidence, and workforce needs in companion animal care. In May, the International Association for Animal Hospice and Palliative Care announced its endorsement of the proposed American College of Veterinary Hospice and Palliative Medicine, which is seeking recognition through the AVMA and its American Board of Veterinary Specialties. That move has triggered public discussion not just about whether the field has grown enough to merit specialty status, but about what kind of medicine the specialty would enshrine. (iaahpc.org)
The timing reflects a field that has clearly expanded. AAHA Trends reported in May that veterinary hospice and end-of-life care has roots stretching back decades, with formal milestones including the first animal hospice and palliative care guidelines in 2013, the AAHA/IAAHPC guidelines in 2016, and the 2023 AAFP/IAAHPC feline guidelines. The same reporting noted that directories of hospice and in-home euthanasia providers were already growing by 2009, and that demand has continued to accelerate. AAHA has also built an End-of-Life Care Accreditation Program, underscoring that end-of-life care is moving further into the professional mainstream. (aaha.org)
Supporters of specialty recognition can point to a more developed clinical ecosystem than existed a decade ago. The IAAHPC says hospice and palliative care is delivered by interdisciplinary teams that may include veterinarians, technicians, and social workers, and its guidelines emphasize ongoing professional education, collaboration, and continuing research. Recent coverage also shows the field broadening beyond euthanasia alone. Veterinary Practice News, for example, highlighted subanesthetic ketamine as one possible palliative tool in carefully selected patients, citing a 2025 Cornell retrospective case series of outpatient ketamine-lidocaine infusions in 114 animals with cancer-related pain. Meanwhile, dvm360 reported this week that caregiver burden can begin early in a pet’s illness, with presenters at Fetch National Harbor describing how veterinary social workers can support both clients and care teams. (iaahpc.org)
Still, the opposition is substantive, and it centers on evidence. In a June 14, 2026, commentary, McKenzie said he supports expanded, high-quality palliative care, but opposes specialty recognition at this stage because he believes questionable practices remain too prevalent in the field and the research base is not yet strong enough. He specifically argued that recognition by the ABVS carries scientific and symbolic weight, because AVMA policy says recognized specialty organizations must demonstrate a substantial body of scientific knowledge. That concern echoes an older ABVS precedent: AVMA reporting on a denied acupuncture specialty petition said the petition was rejected after the ABVS found a lack of scientific basis for such a specialty. (skeptvet.com)
Industry reaction, at least from within hospice and palliative care circles, has been supportive. The IAAHPC publicly called on the community to submit comments in favor of the proposed college, framing recognition as a step toward formalizing the field. At the same time, some of the field’s own materials acknowledge that animal hospice and palliative care is still evolving and that guidelines will need revision as evidence-based knowledge advances. That tension is likely the core issue before regulators: whether specialty recognition would accelerate rigor, or prematurely confer legitimacy on a field that is still standardizing its clinical foundations. (iaahpc.org)
Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, this is bigger than a credentialing debate. End-of-life care now touches general practice, oncology, pain management, mobile care, technician utilization, client communication, and mental health. A recognized specialty could create clearer referral pathways, training expectations, and perhaps a stronger home for research in symptom control, quality-of-life assessment, and caregiver support. But if the evidentiary bar is perceived as too low, the decision could also deepen confusion about which interventions are science-based, especially in a space where pet parents are vulnerable, time is limited, and clinicians are often balancing comfort, ethics, and grief in real time. (dvm360.com)
There’s also a workforce and practice-model angle. Hospice and palliative care often happens in the home, over longer visits, and with more sustained communication than many brick-and-mortar practices can provide. That makes the field attractive as both a service line and a career path, but it also means specialty recognition could influence who enters the space, how training is structured, and how practices partner with social workers, technicians, and mobile providers. In that sense, the question is not only whether the field deserves recognition now, but what kind of clinical culture recognition would help cement. (skeptvet.com)
What to watch: The next key markers are the ABVS review process, the content of public comments, and whether proponents can convincingly show that a new specialty would improve veterinary medical services while meeting AVMA expectations for a distinct field grounded in substantial scientific knowledge. (ebusiness.avma.org)