Epidemiological evaluation of dogs and cats with Cancer and their respective tutors attended in veterinary palliative care service

• Grant number: 21/12281-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Effective date (Start): March 01, 2022
• Effective date (End): February 28, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine - Animal Clinics and Surgery
• Principal Investigator: Andrigo Barboza de Nardi
• Grantee: Lucas Uccella
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias (FCAV). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Jaboticabal. Jaboticabal , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The incidence of cancer diseases in pet animals has increased in recent years. Therefore, it is expected that veterinarians be capacitated to assist their clients and patients and to ensure the welfare of pets with cancer, as well as their tutors. In this context, this study seeks to identify which epidemiological data may be related to the tutor's decision to adopt Veterinarian Palliative Care (VPC). Thereunto, it will be collected tutor´s socioeconomic data and information about diagnostic and dog and cat´s cancer staging with cancer, that is caring in VPC at Veterinarian Hospital "Governador Laudo Natel". The tutors will answer to "Modified Symptom Rating Scale" (MSRS) and to VPC Service Treatment, with the purpose to verify if the clinical signs or VPC previous knowledge were determinants to choose palliative care treatment. For data evaluation, the following analyzes will be performed: descriptive statistics, with mean and standard deviation for categorical variables of dogs, cats, and tutors; Chi-Square test, in order to assess the categorical variables of tutors and patients; and the Mann and Whitney test, to assess data related to patients in the first visit to VPC. The value of p<0.05 will be adopted as a statistically significant and 95% confidence interval. (AU)