Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How dog owners rate their pet's itching using a visual scale
By Young, Amanda J et al.·Published in Veterinary dermatology·2019·University of Minnesota, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Canine Pruritus Visual Analog Scale: how does it capture owners' perception of their pet's itching level?
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study involving 192 dogs with itching problems looked at how well owners could assess their pet's itching severity using a special scale. The results showed that when owners were reminded of previous scores, they rated their dog's itching more consistently. This suggests that showing owners past scores can help them better understand their dog's itching level. Overall, the study highlights the importance of owner input in managing itching in dogs, which can lead to better treatment decisions.
People also search for: dog itching treatment · how to measure dog pruritus · dog skin problems owner perception
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Accurate measurement of pruritus severity is difficult in veterinary medicine. OBJECTIVES: To determine how the changes in Pruritus Visual Analog Scale (PVAS) scores at follow-up visits agree with the owners' perceptions of improvement of their pet's pruritus. ANIMALS: One hundred and ninety two pruritic dogs were included in the prospective study and 196 in the retrospective study. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Owners were randomly assigned into five groups and PVAS scores were recorded during two consecutive visits. Group A: previous scores were shown before completing the PVAS; Group B: PVAS was completed then owners were shown previous scores and asked to repeat the PVAS; Group C: PVAS was completed as reported previously; Group D: PVAS and a 0-10 verbal scale (VS) were completed. Retrospectively, PVAS scores were analysed during at least three consecutive visits. The average percentage and kappa agreements were calculated for all groups. In addition, PVAS and VS scores were compared in Group D. RESULTS: The average percentage and kappa agreements were higher in groups A (96%; 0.81), B [before (80%; 0.54), after (82%; 0.59) previous score] and D (85%; 0.47). Group C (79%; 0.37) had the lowest agreement. PVAS and VS scores were not significantly different (P = 0.56) in Group D. The average percentage and kappa agreements for the retrospective study were 50.8% and 0.25. The highest values (63%; 0.355) were noted at 30-60 day visit intervals. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Showing owners previous scores could improve how PVAS captures the owner's perception of their dog's itching level.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31144402/