2017 ACVIM Forum Research Abstract Program

An online questionnaire was made available to dog owners through social media and a selected group of veterinary clinics. To avoid an age-related selection-bias, the study was presented as an online tool for all dog owners to estimate the overall level of adaptation of a dog to its environment, with each participant being given a score for their dog (which we called the "global functioning score"). Questions were divided into 4 sections: demographic data (including age and weight, a validated scale to assess cognitive dysfunction ("Canine Cognitive Dysfunction Rating scale", Salvin et al), physical health conditions and how worried owners were about them, and how well the dog performed in a wide range of common situations (such interacting with people, family members and other dogs).