Editorial Type:
Special Report

Follow-up study of owner attitudes toward home care of paraplegic dogs

Michael Bauer From the Center for Paralysis Research (Bauer, Toombs, Golden, Skowronek), Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences (Bauer, Toombs), Center for Applied Ethology and Human-Animal Interaction (N. Glickman) and Department of Veterinary Pathology (L. Glickman), School of Veterinary Medicine, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907-7403.

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 DVM
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Nita Glickman From the Center for Paralysis Research (Bauer, Toombs, Golden, Skowronek), Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences (Bauer, Toombs), Center for Applied Ethology and Human-Animal Interaction (N. Glickman) and Department of Veterinary Pathology (L. Glickman), School of Veterinary Medicine, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907-7403.

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 MS, MPH
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Larry Glickman From the Center for Paralysis Research (Bauer, Toombs, Golden, Skowronek), Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences (Bauer, Toombs), Center for Applied Ethology and Human-Animal Interaction (N. Glickman) and Department of Veterinary Pathology (L. Glickman), School of Veterinary Medicine, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907-7403.

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James Toombs From the Center for Paralysis Research (Bauer, Toombs, Golden, Skowronek), Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences (Bauer, Toombs), Center for Applied Ethology and Human-Animal Interaction (N. Glickman) and Department of Veterinary Pathology (L. Glickman), School of Veterinary Medicine, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907-7403.

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Scott Golden From the Center for Paralysis Research (Bauer, Toombs, Golden, Skowronek), Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences (Bauer, Toombs), Center for Applied Ethology and Human-Animal Interaction (N. Glickman) and Department of Veterinary Pathology (L. Glickman), School of Veterinary Medicine, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907-7403.

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Cindy Skowronek From the Center for Paralysis Research (Bauer, Toombs, Golden, Skowronek), Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences (Bauer, Toombs), Center for Applied Ethology and Human-Animal Interaction (N. Glickman) and Department of Veterinary Pathology (L. Glickman), School of Veterinary Medicine, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907-7403.

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Free access

Summary

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.

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Cover Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association
Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association
Issue:
15 Jun 1992
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