The impacts of vision-loss on dog and owner Quality of Life
We aim to investigate the impacts of canine blindness, on dog and owner quality of life (QoL) to improve the welfare of both
Challenge
The impacts of vision-loss on dog quality of life (QoL) are poorly understood, despite this being of great concern to owners. In humans, vision-loss affects normal daily activities and is associated with frustration, anxiety, depression and potentially aggression. Dogs are assumed to be able to adapt to vision-loss through sensory compensation but the limited available new evidence suggests that they may experience similar physical and emotional effects to humans with vision-loss, and that compromise of their welfare beyond the specific condition could be possible. There is also a growing body of scientific research suggesting that complex visual communication occurs between interacting dogs and owners and is potentially involved in reinforcement of dog-owner bonds and how this might alter for dogs with vision loss is unknown. Further, owners of pets with chronic health conditions often themselves experience challenges known as care-giver burden, where significant lifestyle adjustments, stress and emotional toll can affect their own welfare.
Solution
Vision loss in dogs occurs for many reasons and causes vary in predisposition across breeds. The overall number of dogs affected is unclear but it’s likely to be a significant proportion of the company dog population. Whilst the direct impacts on dog vision are well understood, evidence is sorely needed to establish how and to what extent dog and owner quality of life is affected. This MRes project will begin to address these gaps in knowledge using questionnaires, behavioural tests and a non-invasive measure of stress. As well as dogs diagnosed with visual impairment, we will recruit healthy dogs without visual impairment as controls to compare them with. Subject to consent, owners will be asked to complete a series of questionnaires asking about their dog’s health, daily life and behaviour, the impacts on their own lifestyle and wellbeing and their relationship with their dog. A subset of owners of case-matched control and visually impaired dogs will be invited to provide a fur sample from their dog for cortisol analysis and to allow their dog to participate in behavioural tests to assess cognitive bias (which provides information on the dog’s emotional state). In addition, a veterinary ophthalmic examination will be carried out by a veterinary specialist at our Hawkshead
Campus, who will communicate any ophthalmic findings. The welfare and comfort of dogs will be paramount and continuously monitored. This study is subject to the approval of the RVC Ethics and Welfare Committee.
Impact
The findings of this study will improve our understanding of how dog and owner QoL is affected by canine vision loss generating evidence to underpin provision of targeted adjunctive veterinary care for diagnosed dogs and advice and support to their owners to improve the welfare of both.
People
William Carter and Oliver Williams are primarily working on this project.
Participation
If you have a dog (with or without vision loss) and would like to participate in the study please consider completing our survey(s) which can be found via this link
If you have any questions or want to know more contact MRes student Bill Carter wcarter20@rvc.ac.uk or his supervisor Siobhan Abeyesinghe sabeyesinghe@rvc.ac.uk