Shared struggles: Parallels in caregiver burden between canine and paediatric epilepsy.

Caring for a dog with epilepsy causes substantial owner burden, especially with polytherapy or status epilepticus history.

This study investigated caregiver burden in owners of dogs with epilepsy, drawing parallels with established research on parents of children with epilepsy. Using an online questionnaire distributed internationally, the researchers developed and deployed a novel 10-item Caregiver Impact Assessment (CIA) tool combining qualitative and quantitative measures. A total of 590 respondents participated, and exploratory factor analysis was used to determine the underlying factor structure of the CIA. Results demonstrated a mean CIA score indicating overall negative impact on caregivers. The most significantly burdened groups were owners of dogs receiving anti-seizure drug polytherapy and those whose dogs had experienced status epilepticus. Key reported impacts included increased anxiety and worry (83.7%), poor sleep quality (68.6%), and tiredness (57.1%). A notable finding was that caregivers' fear of not being present during a seizure acted as a catalyst for multiple compounding burdens. The study highlights strong parallels between the experiences of pet owners caring for epileptic dogs and parents caring for children with epilepsy, suggesting that validated frameworks from human paediatric medicine may be translatable to veterinary contexts. Limitations include potential selection bias, as the most burdened caregivers may have been more likely to participate, reducing generalisability. The CIA tool shows promise for capturing disease-specific caregiver burden in clinical and research settings, and clinicians should consider proactively assessing and addressing owner wellbeing as part of managing canine epilepsy cases.

This summary was distilled by AI and may occasionally misinterpret data. Confirm critical details with the primary literature before clinical application.