Validation of a Health-related Quality of Life (QoL) Questionnaire for Owners of Dogs with Heart Disease

In humans, heart disease is associated with high caregiver burden and stress, which can negatively affect the health-related quality of life (hrQoL) of both patient and caregiver. The effect of a dog's heart disease on owners' hrQoL has not been reported. Therefore, the objective of this study was to develop and validate a hrQoL questionnaire for owners of dogs with heart disease, with the hypothesis that heart disease would impact the hrQoL of owners. Owners of dogs with degenerative mitral valve disease, dilated cardiomyopathy, and arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy were eligible for the study. A 7-item questionnaire was developed, with a possible range of scores from 0-35 (higher scores indicated worse owner hrQoL). The questionnaire was self-administered by owners and results were analyzed to determine validity, test-retest reliability, and internal consistency. The Functional EvaluaTion of Cardiac Health (FETCH) questionnaire was used to assess dogs' hrQoL. Two hundred and seventeen owners of dogs with heart disease were enrolled. Median owner hrQoL score was 6 (range, 0-31) and median FETCH hrQoL score was 7 (range, 0-70). The owner hrQoL score was correlated with the FETCH score (r = 0.76, p < 0.001) and severity of dogs' disease (r = 0.53, p < 0.001). Test-retest reliability was high (r = 0.83, p < 0.001). These results suggest that the owner hrQoL questionnaire has good reliability and validity, and that further testing of this questionnaire is warranted to optimize communication with owners regarding the care of dogs with heart disease.