Development, validation and reliability of a web-based questionnaire to measure health-related quality of life in dogs.

OBJECTIVES

To describe the development, preliminary validation and reliability testing of a shortened web-based form of GUVQuest, a structured questionnaire to measure health-related quality of life in dogs.

METHODS

The original 109 items were reduced using expert judgement and factor analysis. Validity was established by factor analysis and in a subsequent field trial using a "known groups" approach and classical test theory. Test-retest reliability was assessed using intraclass correlation coefficients.

RESULTS

The instrument comprises 46 items each of which is rated by dog owners using a 7-point Likert scale. Factor analysis revealed a sensible structure containing four health-related quality of life domains (vitality, pain, distress and anxiety) accounting for 64·1% of the variability in the data. The field test involving 125 dogs demonstrated very good discriminative properties and intraclass correlation coefficient values of greater than 0·6.

CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE

This is the first report of a valid and reliable companion animal health-related quality of life instrument, the contemporary approach to animal welfare measurement, which is presented in a web-based format, with automated production of a health-related quality of life profile. It offers major advantages to dog owners, practitioners and researchers.