Development and validation of a questionnaire to assess health-related quality-of-life in cats with hyperthyroidism

Owners' Experience and Satisfaction with Radioiodine Treatment in Hyperthyroid Cats-A Prospective Questionnaire Study

Radioiodine (RAI) treatment (RAIT) is considered the gold standard for treatment of feline hyperthyroidism. This study aimed to assess owners' motivation, concerns and satisfaction with RAIT and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) changes in RAI-treated cats. Two surveys (before and six months post-RAIT) were sent to owners of cats scheduled for RAIT between April 2023 and March 2024. The owners of 78 and 68 cats completed the first and the second surveys, respectively. The main reasons for choosing RAIT were that RAIT was considered the gold standard treatment (n = 27/78; 35%) and difficulties administering antithyroid drugs (n = 18/78; 23%). The primary care veterinarian (n = 50/78; 64%) and the internet (n = 33/78; 42%) were the main information sources about RAIT at the referral clinic. Owners were mostly concerned about the anaesthetic risk and hospitalisation, with the cat missing the owner and vice versa being the main worries. Most owners were satisfied with the outcome and their decision for RAIT. The HRQoL score improved within the first six months after RAIT (p < 0.01), with no difference between euthyroid and hypothyroid cats (p = 0.609). This study emphasises the role of the primary care veterinarian and the internet as primary sources of information regarding RAIT. The findings help to better understand owner concerns, improve owner counselling, and educate primary care veterinarians about RAIT.

Influence of Owner Personality and Other Owner-, Cat- and Treatment-Related Factors on the Perception of Quality of Life in Cats With Hyperthyroidism

BACKGROUND

Assessment of quality-of-life (QoL) is becoming increasingly important in veterinary medicine. In human medicine, it is known that the assessor's personality might affect QoL.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the impact of owner personality and other owner, cat, and treatment-related factors on the health-related QoL (HRQoL) of hyperthyroid cats.

ANIMALS

Five hundred hyperthyroid cats.

METHODS

A prospective, cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study, conducted between April 2023 and February 2024. Owners completed the HyperthyroidismQoL-cat and the Big Five Inventory-2 to assess the cat's HRQoL and owner's five personality domains, respectively. Additional information about owner-, cat-, and treatment-related factors was collected. Univariable and multivariable linear regression modeling was used to assess associations between owner personality, other factors, and the cat's HRQoL. Significance was p < 0.05.

RESULTS

In multivariable analysis, radioiodine treatment (RAIT; p = 0.001) and having a comorbidity (p ≤ 0.001) resulted in better HRQoL, whereas negative owner emotionality (p ≤ 0.001), having children ≤ 18 years of age (p = 0.04), treatment using a low iodine diet (LID; p = 0.023), no treatment (p = 0.03) and being hyperthyroid (p ≤ 0.001), hypothyroid (p = 0.004) or unknown thyroid status (p = 0.001) resulted in worse HRQoL.

CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE

When interpreting HRQoL data, the potential impact of the personality domain negative emotionality (tendency to experience anxiety, fear, negative emotions) should be considered. Based on HRQoL, RAIT is the treatment of choice, whereas LID or no treatment are the least favored options. These findings should be considered when counseling owners about their cats' hyperthyroidism and its management.