Lyngby Janne Graarup-Hansen, Nielsen Lise Nikolic, Ankerkilde Stine, Bentzen Amanda Wissendorf, Bjørnvad Charlotte, Lund Thomas Bøker, Sandøe Peter
Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark.
Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark.
Front Vet Sci. 2025 Jan 7;11:1488917. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2024.1488917. eCollection 2024.
Chronic disease is generally known to affect dogs' quality of life (QoL) as well as being associated with increased strain on their owners. Gastrointestinal (GI) disease is a common problem in companion animal practice, yet little is known about the QoL of dogs with chronic enteropathy (CE) and how their owners and veterinarians assess it.
The aim of this study was to explore: (i) how dog owners and veterinarians observed and evaluated QoL for dogs with chronic GI disease, (ii) how having a dog with CE affected the owner's QoL, and (iii) characteristics of the communication and relationship between the dog owner and veterinarian. Twenty owners of dogs with CE and 20 companion animal veterinarians were included in this qualitative, interview-based, exploratory study.
Owners evaluated QoL based on their dog's apparent emotional state, the presence of clinical signs, or restrictions in their daily life. In their assessments, veterinarians looked at the presence or absence of normal behavior, but also at disease severity and the emotional state of the dog. The majority of owners experienced many concerns and burdens that impacted their own QoL, including daily logistical challenges, implementing therapeutic regimens such as diet restriction, administering multiple daily medications, and the strain of nursing responsibilities on the owner-dog relationship. Dog owners generally felt that communication with their veterinarians was good, while veterinarians found the communication laborious and time-consuming.
In general, owners and veterinarians were aligned in their QoL assessments, and the majority of veterinarians relied heavily on the owners' input and observations. However, assessments were not done in a standardized fashion among either group. Logistical challenges of having a dog with a chronic GI disease often lead to lifestyle changes for the owners, including altering working hours and cancelling holidays or other social arrangements. Having a dog with CE therefore affected the owners' QoL even when the dogs were clinically stable. Providing owners with written material about the condition in addition to medical and feeding regimen instructions may help the owner, improve compliance, and decrease the non-billable hours the veterinarian must spend communicating with the owner about their dog's CE.
众所周知，慢性疾病会影响犬类的生活质量（QoL），同时也会给其主人带来更大压力。胃肠道（GI）疾病是伴侣动物临床实践中的常见问题，但对于患有慢性肠病（CE）的犬类的生活质量以及其主人和兽医如何评估这一问题，我们知之甚少。
本研究的目的是探讨：（i）犬主和兽医如何观察和评估患有慢性胃肠道疾病的犬类的生活质量；（ii）拥有一只患有CE的犬对主人生活质量的影响；（iii）犬主与兽医之间沟通及关系的特点。本项基于访谈的定性探索性研究纳入了20位患有CE的犬的主人和20位伴侣动物兽医。
主人根据犬的明显情绪状态、临床症状的存在与否或日常生活中的限制来评估生活质量。在评估过程中，兽医不仅关注犬是否有正常行为，还关注疾病的严重程度和犬的情绪状态。大多数主人经历了许多影响自身生活质量的担忧和负担，包括日常后勤挑战、实施诸如饮食限制等治疗方案、每天服用多种药物以及护理责任给主人与犬的关系带来的压力。犬主通常觉得与兽医的沟通良好，而兽医则认为沟通费力且耗时。
总体而言，主人和兽医在生活质量评估方面意见一致，且大多数兽医严重依赖主人的意见和观察结果。然而，两组在评估时都未采用标准化方式。饲养患有慢性胃肠道疾病的犬所面临的后勤挑战常常导致主人生活方式的改变，包括调整工作时间、取消假期或其他社交安排。因此，即使犬在临床上处于稳定状态，饲养患有CE的犬也会影响主人的生活质量。除了提供医疗和喂养方案说明外，为犬主提供有关病情的书面材料可能会对主人有所帮助，提高其依从性，并减少兽医与主人就其犬的CE进行沟通所需的非计费时间。
