In my case at least, the vet definitely advised home care. They didn't have the capacity to watch my guy around the clock, and we didn't want to stress him by having him in a hospital/boarding setting beyond what was necessary. As it turned out, had I boarded him, I would have had to give the order to euthanize by long distance and would have missed his last few days and the chance to say goodbye to him; it would have been like I just abandoned him. Obviously, situations vary, but sometimes boarding is not a good option. It may depend on the length of the trip, age of the dog, prognosis following surgery, etc.