Risk Factors Regarding Dog Euthanasia and Causes of Death at a Veterinary Teaching Hospital in Italy: Preliminary Results

Abstract

The decision to request and proceed with euthanasia in a dog is complex and predictors of such decisions are important. This study investigates the risk factors (demographic and clinical) associated with the main clinical causes and methods of death (euthanasia or unassisted death) in a population of dogs. By comparing euthanasia to unassisted deaths, the authors assess causes of death to evaluate their relative impacts on decision-making to choose euthanasia compared with an unassisted death. For this, goal data from electronic medical records of dogs who had died (unassisted death and euthanasia), obtained from an Italian referral veterinary teaching hospital from 2010 to 2020, were analyzed. The causes of death were categorized by pathophysiological process and the organ system. Univariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to identify the factors that significantly affect the probability of undergoing euthanasia and to individuate independent significant predictors of euthanasia and unassisted death, respectively. Death rate by euthanasia was 40.7% (125/307), by died unassisted 50.8% (156/307), whilst only 8.5% of dogs (26/307) died accidentally. The main causes of death for euthanasia were due to neoplastic (75.6%), degenerative (64.3%), and congenital (60%) diseases. Furthermore, the findings reveal that in deaths by euthanasia, the significant risk predictors were female gender, age, and neoplastic and degenerative processes; while in unassisted deaths, the significant risk predictors were male gender, age, and infection/inflammatory conditions. These preliminary outcomes highlight the information of this study which may be used to evaluate strategic interventions and health promotion strategies to be implemented, with consequent welfare gains for the canine population.

Canine Euthanasia’s Trend Analysis during Thirty Years (1990–2020) in Italy: A Veterinary Hospital as Case Study

“…In analyzing the trend over the last thirty years, the results have shown evidence of a substantial increase. In recent years, there has been a great focus on mortality and longevity in canine populations [5,[7][8][9]. The process of making decisions regarding euthanasia can pose a moral dilemma for veterinarians and evoke emotional distress for pet owners [1,10].…”

“…Data extracted from electronic clinical records included breed, age, gender (male/female), neuter status, manner of death [euthanasia (E), unassisted (UD) or accidental (AD)], and cause of death, categorized into one of the following six physiopathological processes (PPs) [5]: infectious/inflammatory conditions, degenerative diseases, neoplastic processes, toxins, traumatic events, and other (including congenital diseases, metabolic disorders, and vascular diseases).…”

Euthanasia and Pain in Canine Patients with Terminal and Chronic-Degenerative Diseases: Ethical and Legal Aspects

“…In the case of animals with cardiovascular, renal, hepatic, neurologic, and cancer diseases where the treatment is no longer providing adequate results, there are ethics questions regarding whether it is correct to extend the suffering of an animal, and until which point. A comparative study conducted by Pugliese et al [ 34 ] evaluated the causes that led guardians to choose euthanasia in comparison to an unassisted death. They found that 40.7% and 50.8% of the cases were due to euthanasia and unassisted deaths, respectively.…”

Factors associated with behavioral euthanasia in pet dogs

“…Problem behaviors that increase the risk of harm or decrease welfare for the dog or others around them may result in euthanasia of the dog, despite the dog being physically healthy ( 41 , 42 ). This is commonly known as behavioral euthanasia (BE).…”