Assessing quality of life for pets with heart disease

Quality of life has become accepted as an important predictor of survival among human patients with heart failure. Now American veterinarians at Tufts University in Massachusetts have developed two surveys that can help evaluate quality of life for dogs and cats with heart disease, according to a new study published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association.

Sick as a dog
Having a sick pet is one of the worst things a pet parent can experience. Your once lively, energetic dog or cat has become listless, so much so that you start to think about making a call to the vet. If you’re fortunate, it’s just a bug and Rover or Kitty is back to their old self in a few days.

If the fatigue does not go away, it’s time for a visit to the vet. Some of the symptoms associated with heart failure include shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, persistent coughing in dogs (but not cats), especially for smaller dogs, fatigue, and decreased muscle mass as animals slow down to mask their illness. The symptoms of heart failure may not appear until the condition has progressed to an advanced state.

Your vet may suspect the presence of heart disease based on the history, age, breed and gender of your pet along with the physical examination findings. By listening to the heart with a stethoscope, they may detect the presence of abnormal heart sounds or heart murmurs or the presence of a rhythm abnormality. Further tests can help define the exact nature and cause of heart disease.

New tools help determine if more medical treatment is best
Known as FETCH (Functional Evaluation of Cardiac Health) and CATCH (Cats’ Assessment Tool for Cardiac Health), the Tufts University surveys ask owners to rank aspects of their dog’s or cat’s health on a scale of 0 to 5. Your veterinarian is then able to assess the animal’s perceived quality of life, which can help both you and the vet make decisions about treatment, nutrition or even euthanasia.

“Studies have indicated that pet owners value quality of life much more than longevity in their animals,” said Professor of Clinical Sciences Lisa M. Freeman. “We want our dogs and cats to have happy lives, and we believe this tool is a helpful in evaluating whether our pets still do.”

Developed by Freeman and Professor John E. Rush, they set out to create and evaluate a tool for pets similar to the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire, one of the most widely used evaluation tools in human cardiology. The CATCH tool was validated through a study of 275 cats. The FETCH tool was an earlier study of 360 dogs.

Owners are asked to compare their pets’ behavior before the onset of heart disease to determine how much the disease has negatively affected the dog or cat’s comfort or sociability over the past seven days. Sample questions include issues like breathing difficulties, low energy level, changes in personality, as well as notable changes in daily habits for eating, urination, and defecation.

Work on the tools will continue to measure responsiveness to medical treatment and create a clinical and research tool for clinicians. Hopefully, your pet only had a virus and is now in tip-top shape, but it’s good to be aware of the symptoms of heart disease, particularly as your pet gets older.

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