91做厙

Supervisors: Dr Rowena Packer, Dr Dan O’Neill, Prof Dave Brodbelt, Dr Sandra Guillen

Department: Clinical Science and Services/Pathobiology and Population Sciences

Background, aims and objectives:

End-of-life decision-making for dogs with osteosarcoma presents a significant challenge in veterinary care. Osteosarcoma is a relatively common, aggressive bone cancer in dogs characterized by high metastatic potential and severe, sometimes intractable pain. Despite treatments advances, survival rates remain low, and many cases end in emergency euthanasia due to complications e.g., pathological fractures. Osteosarcoma carries a poor prognosis, leading to complex end-of-life decisions, including the need for and timing of euthanasia. These decisions are influenced by clinical, emotional and pragmatic considerations of owners and veterinarians. Despite the severity of osteosarcoma, there is limited research on considerations around the timing of humane endpoints (i.e., deaths prior to significant suffering) and factors driving or preventing euthanasia decisions. These knowledge gaps impact care for affected dogs, particularly in avoiding suffering due to delayed euthanasia. This study aims to:

(1)         Use large-scale anonymised veterinary clinical records to estimate the proportions of unassisted deaths (e.g., due to metastatic disease), planned euthanasia (e.g., due to gradual deterioration in quality of life) and emergency euthanasia (e.g., due to pathological fracture or collapse as a result of osteosarcoma) and statistically identify risk factors for each outcome, including time since diagnosis or initial discussions of euthanasia, and type of treatment.

(2)         Glean deeper insights into the complexity of end-of-life decision making, by using qualitative approaches to interview veterinarians to understand how end-of-life decisions are made with owners, using reflexive thematic analysis to identify barriers to humane endpoints including perceptual, emotional and structural barriers. Findings will help guide more informed, welfare-focused decisions and improve end-of-life care for dogs with osteosarcoma.

References

O’Neill, D.G., et al., Dog breeds and conformations predisposed to osteosarcoma in the UK: a VetCompass study. Canine Medicine and Genetics, 2023. 10(1): p. 8. 

Gray, C. and A. Radford, Using electronic health records to explore negotiations around euthanasia decision making for dogs and cats in the UK. Veterinary Record, 2022. 190(9): p. e1379.  

Littlewood, K., et al., “What would you do?”: How cat owners make end-of-life decisions and implications for veterinary-client interactions. Animals, 2021. 11(4): p. 1114.  

Christiansen, S.B., et al., Veterinarians’ role in clients’ decision-making regarding seriously ill companion animal patients. Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica, 2015. 58: p. 1-14.

Requirements

Essential 

- Must meet our standard MRes