Perceptions of Quality of Life and Priorities of Owners of Cats with Heart Disease

Reynolds, Caryn; Oyama, Mark A.; Rush, John E.; Rozanski, Elizabeth A.; Singletary, Gretchen E.; Brown, Dorothy Cimino; Cunningham, Suzanne M.; Fox, Philip R.; Bond, Betsy R.; Adin, Darcy B.; Williams, Regan M; MacDonald, Kristin A.; Malakoff, Rebecca L.; Sleeper, Meg M.; Schober, Karsten E.; Petrie, Jean-Paul; Hogan, Daniel F.

doi:10.1111/j.1939-1676.2010.0583.x

Cited by 50 publications

(52 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…Such concern can negatively impact quality of life and potentially lead or contribute to a decision for euthanasia. The findings in the current study and other studies23, 30, 31 reinforce the importance of open communication with owners regarding issues that are perceived as negatively affecting their pet's quality of life. If difficulties with administering medications are identified, strategies to improve adherence can be recommended.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 84%

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Association between Survival Time and Changes in NT‐proBNP in Cats Treated for Congestive Heart Failure

Pierce

Freeman

Cunningham

et al. 2017

Veterinary Internal Medicne

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BackgroundReductions in N‐terminal pro‐B‐type natriuretic peptide (NT‐proBNP) concentrations after treatment have been associated with improved survival in people with congestive heart failure (CHF), but have not been reported in cats with CHF.ObjectivesTo evaluate changes in NT‐proBNP concentrations in cats with CHF after treatment and determine whether serial NT‐proBNP measurements provide prognostic information.AnimalsThirty‐one client‐owned cats.MethodsProspective, observational study in cats with new onset CHF secondary to cardiomyopathy. Concentrations of NT‐proBNP were measured within 4 hours of admission to the hospital, on the day of discharge, and at re‐evaluation 7–10 days later.ResultsMedian NT‐proBNP concentrations decreased significantly from admission (1,713 pmol/L [range, 160–3,784 pmol/L]) to discharge (902 pmol/L [range, 147–3,223 pmol/L]); P = .005) and from admission to re‐evaluation (1,124 pmol/L [range, 111–2,727 pmol/L]; P = .024). Median survival time was 109 days (range, 1–709 days), with 5 cats still alive at the time of analysis. Cats with a larger percent decrease in NT‐proBNP from admission to discharge had a longer survival time (P = .048). Cats with evidence of active CHF at the time of re‐evaluation (P = .010) and cats whose owners had difficulty administering medications (P = .045) had shorter survival times.Conclusions and clinical importanceCats with a larger percent decrease in NT‐proBNP during hospitalization and no evidence of CHF at the time of re‐evaluation had longer survival times. Additional studies are needed to determine whether NT‐proBNP can help guide treatment in cats with CHF.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 84%

“…Administering medications can be distressing to cat owners. In a study by Reynolds et al, owners’ level of concern about medicating their cats increased as the number of medications and dosing frequencies increased 30. Such concern can negatively impact quality of life and potentially lead or contribute to a decision for euthanasia.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Association between Survival Time and Changes in NT‐proBNP in Cats Treated for Congestive Heart Failure

Pierce

Freeman

Cunningham

et al. 2017

Veterinary Internal Medicne

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“…These were complemented by the use of open questions to encourage participants to answer with unprompted responses to facilitate a truer expression of the emotions and feelings they had on the use of chemotherapy in animals [47]. Three key themes were adapted from previous research [39,40,43] and were embedded within the questionnaire: owner perception of the benefits and side effects of chemotherapy (Table 1), rating of quality of life (scale 1: low to 10: high) pre, peri and post chemotherapy, and views on survival times and life expectancy with and without chemotherapy treatment.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The quality of life process can also provide a baseline measure for subsequent assessments. Quality of life assessments, conducted via owner questionnaires, have been conducted in cats [39,42] and dogs undertaking chemotherapy [43,44]. Generally, owners across species were very perceptive to clinical changes in their pets but did not appear to demonstrate equal acuity when identifying QOL changes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Factors Which Influence Owners When Deciding to Use Chemotherapy in Terminally Ill Pets

Williams

Phillips

Byrd

2017

Animals

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Simple SummaryCancer is as common amongst pets as it in humans. Chemotherapy can be integrated into treatment regimes for terminally ill pets to attempt to shrink tumours to extend life expectancy, but it does not cure cancer and it can have negative side effects including vomiting, depression and behavioral changes. To date, little research has been undertaken to explore owners’ decisions whether or not to treat their animals with chemotherapy. Seventy-eight dog and cat owners completed an online questionnaire to determine if they would opt for chemotherapy if their pet was diagnosed with cancer, and asked how they thought their pet’s quality of life would be affected. Fifty-eight percent of respondents would not use chemotherapy largely due to their previous experience of it. Seventy-two percent over estimated pet survival time post chemotherapy, with most people believing it would lead to remission or a cure. Owners expected their pets to be less active, sleep more and play less, reducing their quality of life. Common side effects associated with chemotherapy were not rated as acceptable. The results suggest pet owners would benefit from an increased understanding of the positive and negative impacts of chemotherapy when initially discussing treatment options with the veterinary team.AbstractChemotherapy is a commonly integrated treatment option within human and animal oncology regimes. Limited research has investigated pet owners’ treatment decision-making in animals diagnosed with malignant neoplasia. Dog and cat owners were asked to complete an online questionnaire to elucidate factors which are key to the decision making process. Seventy-eight respondents completed the questionnaire in full. Fifty-eight percent of pet owners would not elect to treat pets with chemotherapy due to the negative impact of the associated side effects. Seventy-two percent of respondents over estimated pet survival time post chemotherapy, indicating a general perception that it would lead to remission or a cure. Vomiting was considered an acceptable side effect but inappetence, weight loss and depression were considered unacceptable. Owners did expect animals’ to be less active, sleep more and play less, but common side effects were not rated as acceptable despite the potential benefits of chemotherapy. Based on the results, veterinary teams involved with oncology consultations should establish if clients have prior experience of cancer treatments and their expectations of survival time. Quality of life assessments should also be implemented during initial oncology consultations and conducted regularly during chemotherapy courses to inform client decision making and to safe guard animal welfare.

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“…These principles also apply in veterinary oncology. Owners of pets with terminal illness tend to value QOL over longevity, and are willing to trade survival time to preserve QOL . In order for pet owners and veterinary care teams to choose treatments based on outcomes they value most, clinical oncology studies should measure and report patient‐centered outcomes such as QOL.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Quality of Life Measurement in Prospective Studies of Cancer Treatments in Dogs and Cats

Giuffrida

Kerrigan

2014

Veterinary Internal Medicne

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BackgroundQuality of life (QOL) is an important consideration in healthcare decision‐making for pets with cancer. To determine the effect of disease and treatment on pet QOL, this important variable should be objectively measured as an outcome in veterinary cancer studies.ObjectivesTo determine the prevalence and methodology of QOL measurement in a sample of recently published reports of prospective studies evaluating cancer treatments in client‐owned dogs and cats; to characterize reporting of QOL outcomes and to identify article characteristics associated with QOL measurement.MethodsEnglish‐language reports of prospective studies of cancer treatments in dogs and cats published from 2008 to 2013 were identified using medical research databases combined with a hand‐searching strategy. Data pertaining to general article characteristics and QOL measurement were abstracted and summarized.ResultsReports of 144 eligible studies were identified. QOL was measured in 16 (11.1%) studies, with 8 (5.6%) reporting the results. All studies that measured QOL reported using unvalidated instruments, or did not report how QOL was assessed. Only 1 study provided sufficient information for QOL measurements to be replicated. Recently published articles (2011–2013) were significantly more likely to report measuring QOL, compared with earlier articles.ConclusionsQuality of life of pets undergoing cancer treatment is largely unreported and cannot be meaningfully compared across treatments or disease states using the existing literature. Reliable, validated instruments are needed to facilitate the measurement and comparison of pet QOL in veterinary cancer research. Consistent reporting practices could improve transparency and interpretation of QOL results.

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Perceptions of Quality of Life and Priorities of Owners of Cats with Heart Disease

Abstract: These results indicated that QoL is more important to owners of cats with heart disease than longevity. The various priorities and concerns of cat owners should be taken into account in order to provide optimal care.

Cited by 50 publications

References 12 publications

Association between Survival Time and Changes in NT‐proBNP in Cats Treated for Congestive Heart Failure

Association between Survival Time and Changes in NT‐proBNP in Cats Treated for Congestive Heart Failure

Factors Which Influence Owners When Deciding to Use Chemotherapy in Terminally Ill Pets

Quality of Life Measurement in Prospective Studies of Cancer Treatments in Dogs and Cats

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