Quality of life and canine atopic dermatitis

Article Outline

• Background
• Objectives
• Procedure
• Results
• Author Conclusion
• Inclusions
• Editor Annotation
• Uncited reference

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Background 

Atopic dermatitis is a chronic or chronically relapsing skin disease that adversely influences the quality of life of affected humans. Assessing quality of life in dogs is problematic, since there is no accepted definition or methodology for its assessment in companion animals. The discussion is further complicated by the unclear use of different terms, such as welfare or well-being.

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Objectives 

To describe the impact of canine atopic dermatitis on the health-related quality of life of affected dogs, the quality of life of their owners, and their confidence in the current and future treatment.

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Procedure 

Owners were asked to complete 3 questionnaires concerning their own quality of life, their perception of the treatment provided, and their pets' quality of life. Clinical features, such as severity index, pruritus score, and disease duration were evaluated in parallel and correlated with the questionnaire answers.

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Results 

Canine atopic dermatitis was determined to deeply influence the quality of life of the owners of affected dogs and in which aspects of life the impact was most severe.

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Author Conclusion 

It is important to measure health-related quality of life of dogs and quality of life of owners, not only in the context of clinical trials, but also in daily practice. Quality-of-life measurements could provide a means for better owner support and improved evaluation of treatment options.

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Inclusions 

Three tables, 9 references.

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Editor Annotation 

Veterinarians should be aware of the impact that atopic dermatitis has on the quality of life for the affected dog and its owners. Empathy with owners will promote higher client satisfaction as well as improved compliance with treatments. Importantly, 80% of owners of atopic dogs report being sad because of their dog's disease, 48% of owners report that atopic dermatitis has an impact on their own quality of life, and 32% consider the treatment is a major burden. However, only 7% of owners report being embarrassed by their pet's appearance and less than 1% regret having the dog or consider euthanasia as an viable option. Having an awareness of and using quality-of-life questionnaires, such as the ones in this article, will help veterinarians provide optimal moral support for owners and also provides a measure of the effectiveness of prescribed therapies.

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Uncited reference 

1. Linek M , Favrot C . Impact of canine atopic dermatitis on health-related quality of life of affected dogs and quality of life of their owners . Vet Dermatol . 2010;21:456–462