#university of nottingham
It’s a dog’s life…
You can probably think of several changes that would improve your quality of life. Maybe working fewer hours, spending more time outdoors or winning the lottery so you can buy that new car. It’s a very personal list.
For many people their dog’s quality of life is as important as any other family member’s. Many difficult veterinary decisions are made on the basis of quality of life judgements but the obvious challenge is that dogs can’t speak.
Doctors treating babies or adults with dementia face the same problem, so they ask someone who knows the patient well to complete a rigorously designed questionnaire on their behalf.
Similar questionnaires have been developed to assess quality of life in dogs. Zoe Belshaw and colleagues at the University of Nottingham’s Centre for Evidence-based Veterinary Medicine have reviewed many of these to identify the best ones and highlight areas for further improvement.
They hope their recommendations will help owners and vets assess canine quality of life with greater accuracy and confidence, making difficult decisions a little easier.
Images: Zoe Belshaw
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