Canine epilepsy burden likened to paediatric care
Most caregivers (84.9 per cent) reported challenges to their emotional health.
Researchers have found that owning a dog with epilepsy can mirror the experiences of parents of children with epilepsy.
The study has called for an improved focus on caregiver wellbeing in the veterinary profession, as findings suggest owners of dogs with epilepsy face substantial emotional, physical, social and financial impacts.
Epilepsy, a common chronic neurological condition affecting humans and dogs, can cause dogs to experience recurrent seizures which vary in frequency and severity. The condition often requires lifelong treatment and monitoring.
However, while its impact on dogs has been widely studied, there has been less research on how it might affect the caregivers.
Researchers from the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) surveyed 590 caregivers of dogs with idiopathic epilepsy from 29 countries. An online questionnaire included a 10-item Caregiver Impact Assessment, which had been adapted from a framework for parents of children with epilepsy.
The assessment explored four domains of caregiver wellbeing: physical health; emotional health; social functioning; and work and finances.
The researchers utilised statistical analysis to identify key factors associated with caregiver burden. Meanwhile, free-text responses provided additional insight into caregivers’ lived experiences.
More than one in five caregivers reported experiencing negative impacts across all four domains of their life.
The most commonly affected area was caregivers’ emotional health, with 84.9 per cent of respondents reporting negative impacts. Meanwhile, the physical health of 77.6 per cent of caregivers was negatively affected.
Among the challenges faced by caregivers were increased anxiety/worry (83.7 per cent) and poorer sleep quality (68.8 per cent). Caregivers also reported worsening household finances (58.4 per cent) and tiredness (57.1 per cent).
The burden was significantly greater for caregivers of dogs with a history of status epilepticus and those receiving more than one anti-seizure drug at a time.
Researchers are now calling for caregiver burden to be better recognised as an component of canine epilepsy management. They suggest that improved veterinary communication, practical support and discussion of treatment-related lifestyle impacts might reduce the burden experienced by caregivers.
Rowena Packer, senior lecturer in Companion Animal Behaviour and Welfare Science at the RVC and senior author of the paper, said: “These results remind us that successful epilepsy management is not only about reducing seizures, but also about understanding and supporting the people who provide day-to-day care.
“We now need to think carefully about how veterinary teams can support caregiver wellbeing, whether through better information, practical advice, peer support networks or new technologies that reduce the burden of caring for dogs with epilepsy."
The full study can be found in the journal Vet Record.
Image © Gladskikh Tatiana/Shutterstock.com
Veterinary practices are being urged to help owners safely dispose of any unused and expired pet medicines - not just antibiotics - during November's Animal Medicines Amnesty. 
