Follow-up study of owner attitudes toward home care of paraplegic dogs.
A questionnaire was mailed to 30 owners of paraplegic dogs who had been caring for their dogs at home for 3 to 72 months. It was designed to collect information on demographic variables, duration of ownership and paralysis, age of the pet, pet/owner relationship, owner expectations and perceptions of the pet's quality of life, problems the pet experienced, effect that maintaining a paralyzed pet had on the owners' quality of life, and whether use of a cart was beneficial. Significant correlation was found between prior expectations that the pet would lead a high-quality life and perception that the pet, in fact, had a high quality of life during paralysis (r2 = 0.61, P = 0.01). Owners who had anticipated that extra work would be necessary to care for their paraplegic dog had a more positive attitude toward home care (r2 = 0.55, P = 0.03). Overall, owners involved in the study were satisfied with all aspects of maintaining paraplegic dogs at home. Our findings support the feasibility of dedicated owners successfully maintaining small (average body weight, 9 kg) paraplegic dogs at home for extended periods.
Bauer
M
M
Center for Paralysis Research, Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907-7403.
Glickman
N
N
Glickman
L
L
Toombs
J
J
Golden
S
S
Skowronek
C
C
D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000451:nursing*; D004285:Dogs; D006701:Home Nursing; D001841:Human-Animal Bond; D009989:Orthotic Devices / Q000662:veterinary; D010264:Paraplegia / Q000150:complications / Q000451:nursing / Q000662:veterinary*; D003668:Pressure Ulcer / Q000209:etiology / Q000662:veterinary; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014552:Urinary Tract Infections / Q000209:etiology / Q000662:veterinary