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Proportion and risk factors for death by euthanasia in dogs in the UK

Authors :
Rowena M. A. Packer
David B. Church
Dan G. O’Neill
Camilla Pegram
Ysabelle Richards
Dave C. Brodbelt
Carol Gray
Source :
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS, Scientific Reports, Scientific Reports, Vol 11, Iss 1, Pp 1-12 (2021)
Publication Year :
2021
Publisher :
Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2021.

Abstract

The loss of a pet can be particularly distressing for owners, whether the method of death is euthanasia or is unassisted. Using primary-care clinical data, this study aimed to report the demographic and clinical factors associated with euthanasia, relative to unassisted death, in dogs. Method of death (euthanasia or unassisted) and clinical cause of death were extracted from a random sample of 29,865 dogs within the VetCompass Programme from a sampling frame of 905,544 dogs under UK veterinary care in 2016. Multivariable logistic regression modelling was used to evaluate associations between risk factors and method of death. Of the confirmed deaths, 26,676 (89.3%) were euthanased and 2,487 (8.3%) died unassisted. After accounting for confounding factors, 6 grouped-level disorders had higher odds in euthanased dogs (than dogs that died unassisted), using neoplasia as the baseline. The disorders with greatest odds included: poor quality of life (OR 16.28), undesirable behaviour (OR 11.36) and spinal cord disorder (OR 6.00). Breed, larger bodyweight and increasing age were additional risk factors for euthanasia. The results highlight that a large majority of owners will face euthanasia decisions and these findings can support veterinarians and owners to better prepare for such an eventuality.

Details

ISSN :
20452322
Volume :
11
Database :
OpenAIRE
Journal :
Scientific Reports
Accession number :
edsair.doi.dedup.....b5a5ee4fbd2d57f0a4a623e5837d69ac