Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, United States of America.
Biostatistics Administrative Department, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, United States of America.
PLoS One. 2024 Sep 4;19(9):e0301181. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0301181. eCollection 2024.
Advancements in veterinary medicine have resulted in increased life spans for dogs, necessitating a better understanding of quality of life for older dogs. This study aimed to evaluate quality of life (QoL) progression and its potential association with mortality in senior and geriatric dogs. The Canine Owner-Reported Quality of Life Questionnaire (CORQ), consisting of 17 questions across four domains (vitality, companionship, pain, and mobility) was employed. Higher scores indicated better quality of life, with 7 as the highest potential score for each question. In a cross-sectional analysis including 92 dogs, we found an inverse correlation between overall CORQ (and all domain scores) and fractional lifespan. The domain of vitality demonstrated the lowest scores, while companionship exhibited the highest. A longitudinal analysis, including 34 dogs, revealed that when dogs reach the geriatric stage (100% of their calculated lifespan), their expected overall CORQ is 5.95 out of 7, and dogs are expected to have a monthly decline of 0.05 units in the score. Cox proportional hazard analysis demonstrated a significant association between overall CORQ scores and mortality, with dogs scoring below 5.35 being at a higher risk of mortality. This study underscores the association between aging, declining quality of life, and increased mortality risk in aging dogs.
兽医领域的进步使狗的寿命延长，这就需要更好地了解老年犬的生活质量。本研究旨在评估老年犬和老年犬的生活质量（QoL）进展及其与死亡率的潜在关联。使用了犬主报告的生活质量问卷（CORQ），该问卷由四个领域（活力、陪伴、疼痛和活动能力）的 17 个问题组成。得分越高表示生活质量越好，每个问题的最高潜在得分为 7 分。在一项包括 92 只狗的横断面分析中，我们发现总体 CORQ（和所有领域得分）与寿命分数呈负相关。活力领域得分最低，而陪伴领域得分最高。一项包括 34 只狗的纵向分析表明，当狗进入老年期（达到其计算寿命的 100%）时，其预期的总体 CORQ 为 7 分中的 5.95 分，并且预计得分每月下降 0.05 分。Cox 比例风险分析表明，总体 CORQ 得分与死亡率之间存在显著关联，得分低于 5.35 的狗死亡风险更高。这项研究强调了衰老、生活质量下降和衰老犬死亡风险增加之间的关联。
