Survival in feline epilepsy: the long and short of it

Both quality and quantity of life are of importance to the owners of companion animals,1 and in ideal circumstances, each veterinary treatment would ensure high quality of life and increase longevity.2 Understanding which disease- and treatment-related factors influence survival in diseased animals may help guide their management; for example, whether a treatment that compromises quality of life provides sufficient additional lifespan to justify its use. In animals with life-limiting diseases, mismatches may exist between owners’ expectations of survival versus reality. For example, in a study of dog and cat owners’ perceptions of medical treatment for cancer, a mismatch was observed between the number of owners expecting treatment to extend their pet’s lifespan (87.0 per cent) and the actual number that experienced this (60.9 per cent).3 As such, robust estimates of survival time are potentially valuable statistics for guiding owner expectations after diagnosis. Indeed,...
Source: Veterinary Record - Category: Veterinary Research Authors: Tags: Research Source Type: research