Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
End-of-life health issues in aging cats and dogs in New Zealand
By Gates, M C et al.·Published in New Zealand veterinary journal·2017·a Institute of Veterinary·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Preliminary description of aging cats and dogs presented to a New Zealand first-opinion veterinary clinic at end-of-life.
Plain-English summary
A study looked at older cats and dogs in New Zealand who were nearing the end of their lives. Most of the pets were around 15 years old for cats and 12 years old for dogs when they were euthanized, often due to chronic health issues like heart disease, kidney failure, or cancer. Common signs that their quality of life was declining included not eating and general weakness. The findings suggest that many aging pets suffer from serious health problems, and it may be helpful for veterinarians to provide more support to pet owners when making end-of-life decisions.
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Abstract
AIMS To conduct a preliminary investigation into the chronic disease conditions and clinical signs present in aging New Zealand companion animals at end-of-life and to describe the timing, circumstances, and manner of death. METHODS The medical records database of a first-opinion, companion animal, veterinary practice in Auckland, New Zealand was searched to identify all canine and feline patients ≥7 years of age that were subjected to euthanasia or cremated in the period between July 2012-June 2014. The free-text medical notes were analysed for information on the circumstances surrounding the death, previous diagnoses of chronic disease conditions, and the presence of clinical signs associated with decreased quality-of-life at the time of euthanasia. RESULTS The median age at death was 15 (max 22) years for the 130 cats and 12 (max 17) years for the 68 dogs in the study sample. Euthanasia at the clinic was carried out for 119/130 (91%) cats and 62/68 (91%) dogs, with the remainder recorded as having an unassisted death. The frequency of deaths was highest during December for both cats and dogs. Cost was mentioned as an issue in the medical records for 39/181 (21.6%) patients that were subjected to euthanasia. At the time of euthanasia, 92/119 (77.3%) cats and 43/62 (69.4%) dogs were recorded as having >1 clinical sign associated with a decreased quality-of-life. Inappetence and non-specific decline were the two most commonly recorded clinical signs for both dogs and cats. Cardiovascular disease (44/130, 34%), renal failure (40/130, 31%), and malignant neoplasia (36/130, 28%) were the most common chronic disease conditions recorded for cats. Degenerative joint disease (22/68, 32%), malignant neoplasia (14/68, 21%), and cardiovascular disease (8/68, 12%) were the most common chronic disease conditions recorded for dogs. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE These preliminary findings highlight that aging companion animals in New Zealand frequently have chronic disease conditions and clinical signs that may potentially be associated with decreased quality-of-life at the time of death. Further in-depth studies are required to determine whether there is a greater role for veterinarians in counselling owners about end-of-life care and euthanasia decisions.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28747096/