Research into Caring for Companion Animals who are Ageing or Ill
My research focuses on what caregivers of ageing, ill, and dying companion animals actually need - and how various disciplines can work together to provide support.
Looking after a pet through illness or ageing, and experiencing the loss of a companion animal, can be one of the most isolating experiences a caregiver faces.
This research exists to change that - by listening directly to caregivers and vet/pet professionals, then turning what they say into practical, evidence-based support.
1
Supporting the human-companion animal bond: what do caregivers need?
Hosting institute: University of Portsmouth
Supervisor: Professor Leanne Proops
Funder: International Association for Animal Hospice and Palliative Care (IAAHPC)
Duration: September 2026 - August 2027 (12 months)
Mixed-species families gain real psychological and physical benefits from the human-animal bond. But caregivers of ageing and terminally ill pets often face disenfranchised grief and caregiver burden, with little support from professionals or their wider community.
In the UK, Veterinary Palliative and Hospice Care (VPHC) remains a medically focused, siloed, top-down domain - unlike the proactive, holistic model used in human palliative and hospice care.
Without this information, people are left feeling guilty, heartbroken, and as if their loss doesn't matter. Caregivers of ageing pets feel they could be doing more, but aren't sure where to turn. The vet is often the only person they can think of for support, but vets aren't always accessible - so caregivers end up asking Google or Chat GPT, or taking advice from people who may not have the right credentials to give it.
It takes a village to raise a baby. It takes just as much of a village to care for an ageing or terminal companion animal.
With the right interdisciplinary support, animals and their families are likely to have a better quality of life, and caregivers might forgo futile treatments that only prolong suffering. They feel able to ask questions when they don't understand something, rather than carrying that uncertainty alone. Death is inevitable - but there's a real opportunity to ensure the journey towards it feels more empowered, with far more quality of life for pets and people along the way.
This project listens directly to UK caregivers and VPHC professionals to find out what's actually needed, then turns that into recommendations for an interdisciplinary approach to UK VPHC.
Methods
Thirty semi-structured interviews:
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Ten caregivers of pets currently in treatment
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Ten bereaved caregivers (6-12 months post-loss)
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Ten VPHC professionals
Interviews will be analysed using thematic analysis, drawing on frameworks and questionnaires already used in human and veterinary care, to map caregiver needs and identify gaps between those needs and current UK VPHC provision.
What's next
This study is a pilot for two further projects, not yet funded: one where caregivers help co-design an interdisciplinary support toolkit, and a second where that toolkit is trialled.
2
Developing evidence-informed support for vulnerable caregivers as pets age.
This project includes a participatory co-design process with vulnerable caregivers, aiming to create an interdisciplinary support toolkit. I am currently looking for funding to start this project in 2027.
"Her analytical skills, methodological rigour and intellectual curiosity were evident from the start, and she consistently delivered work of high quality. Sieske excels at quickly grasping complex socio-ecological dynamics and translating them into clear, structured insights."
— A former colleague and manager of Sieske on a research project
"Working with Sieske has been immensely inspiring, because of her focus and perseverance, and her honest and respectful way of communication. Of the many students, with whom I have interacted over an almost ten-year period while teaching at universities in the Netherlands, Sieske has been one of the most goal-oriented young researchers with an immense commitment to her values and dedication to her research subject and aims."
— Sieske's MSc dissertation Supervisor
If you're a pet or vet professional, researcher, or organisation interested in this work, or you'd simply like to know more, I'd love to hear from you.