New Tool to Help Pet Owners Assess Ailing Pet's Quality of Life

A new tool designed by researchers at the Michigan State University will help pet owners assess their ailing pet's quality of life, which in turn will help them decide whether to opt for life-prolonging procedures for their pet.

In the new study, researchers created a survey that will make it easy for pet owners to monitor the quality of life of dogs who are undergoing chemotherapy for cancer.

According to lead author Maria lliopoulou, an MSU-trained veterinarian, based on years of training, experience and scientific knowledge, veterinarians can assess the quality of life of the animals in response to the treatment.

She continues to say that it is really impossible for a dog to tell how they feel, and not all pet owners are aware of which changes in canine behavior they should focus on. With the help of this tool, owners will be able identify what is happening with animal in order to improve their decision. 

To proceed with the finding, the dog owners were asked to complete a questionnaire during the time of diagnosis. It enquired about the animal's behavior and how they behaved six months prior to the condition. The questionnaires filled three and six weeks later had the changes noticed in the behavior of the dog that underwent chemo. Based on their observations, veterinarians filled out surveys.

"We wanted to see if the pet owner and the clinician would agree," said llipoulou, who is also a doctoral student in the Department of Community, agriculture, Recreation and Resource Studies. "The owner knows the pet and the clinician knows science. That's what the survey is all about, to identify components of a good quality of life and verbalize them in an understandable way to facilitate client and clinician communication regarding patient care decisions.

They noticed that the survey responses matched each other's and matched the scientific data medical records of the dogs.