Survey to gather owner opinions regarding treatment of osteosarcoma in Great Danes

This survey is for owners who have had a Great Dane with osteosarcoma and who have chosen treatment rather than immediate euthanasia. We are attempting to establish what treatment owners have experienced or had recommended to them. From this we hope to determine the optimal treatment for osteosarcoma in Great Danes. By optimal we mean that which gives the dog the best quality of life for as long as possible. As advice on treatment varies, finding the best one for your dog can be confusing when faced with the news that your dog has osteosarcoma.

We need to do this, as whilst we are trying to understand more about this condition we need to understand what owner’s perceptions are towards the current treatment of this disease. At present there is very little reported about the optimal treatment for Great Danes and we are keen that we can begin to answer this question where possible with any developments regarding the genetics of the condition.

We would therefore appreciate your continued support with our breed health programme by consenting to be involved on the basis of this being an anonymised study where the details of participants (both dog and owners) will not be revealed. Only the researchers at the University of Nottingham will know those people taking part. It is hoped that by maintaining a strictly anonymous project we will encourage all owners and breeders to get involved. Participation in this research is entirely voluntary and there is no obligation to take part. Your details and the information you provide will be anonymised. This study has been approved by the School of Veterinary Medicine and Science’s ethics committee and by the breed group health committee. Information collected will be used for research and for the benefit of the breed via updates and social media. We would therefore appreciate your continued support with our breed health programme by consenting to be involved on this basis.

For any questions about this survey please contact Dr Mark Dunning sv-dogs@nottingham.ac.uk

Question Title

* 1. This question is with regard to consent to use the information contained in this study anonymously for research purposes (please select all consent boxes)

I understand that participation in this study is voluntary and that I may choose to no longer be part of the study at any time (without needing to provide reasons for doing so)

I agree that information I give during the study can be used in a report, a published paper or a conference or meeting presentation.

I understand that the study is being conducted for the purposes of research.

I understand that I can request to see a summary of the findings, and I can also request to see any notes made during the process of my data collection.

Question Title

* 2. Please provide us with your details (these are confidential, only known to the research team and never shared)

Name

Address

Address 2

City/Town

ZIP/Postal Code

Country

Email Address

Phone Number

Question Title

* 3. Details of your dog

Dog's name

KC registered name

Date of birth

How many Great Danes do you have at home

Do you breed Great Danes

Do you show `Great Danes

Do you rescue Great Danes

Question Title

* 4. Gender

Question Title

* 5. Is your dog neutered

Yes

Question Title

* 6. At what age was your dog neutered

Question Title

* 7. At what age did your dog develop it's osteosarcoma

Question Title

* 8. Where was the tumour?

Question Title

* 9. How long was it between the onset of the clinical signs and the diagnosis of the tumour?

Question Title

* 10. How was the tumour diagnosed (e.g. X rays, CT scan, biopsies - please give details)

Question Title

* 11. What advice were you given by your vet regarding treatment of the condition?

Question Title

* 12. How long after the diagnosis was treatment introduced?

Question Title

* 13. If the tumour was in a limb, was this a fore- or hind leg?

Question Title

* 14. Did this affect the decision on which treatment option to choose? Please answer yes or no and how which limb was affected changed your decision

Question Title

* 15. If in a limb, was this subsequently amputated? If not what treatment option did you select? For example palliative (tumour left in place), removal of the tumour or limb sparing surgery.

Question Title

* 16. If you opted for limb sparing surgery instead of amputation, pelase give reasons behind your decision

Question Title

* 17. If you opted for limb sparing surgery please give details ot the veterinary practice where the procedure was carried out

Name

Address

Address 2

City/Town

Zip/ Postcode

Country

Email address

Phone Number

Question Title

* 18. If you selected limb sparing surgery do you know which implant method was used? For example a metal implant or a bony scaffold.

Question Title

* 19. If your dog had it's affected limb amputated how was this tolerated?

Please give details for your answer above

Question Title

* 20. If you selected to have the affected limb spared, how well did your dog tolerate this?

Other (please specify)

Question Title

* 21. Did your dog experience any post-operative complication following their treatment? For example: infection, fracture of the site (post limb sparing surgery), excessive pain

Question Title

* 22. Did your dog have chemotherapy?

Question Title

* 23. If so, please give as many details as you can about the drug used and the number of treatments received

Question Title

* 24. Please give details of whether the chemotherapy was well or poorly tolerated

Question Title

* 25. Based on your experience, would you recommend amputation as a treatment for this tumour to another Great Dane/dog owner and why?

please give details as to why your choice is as it is

Question Title

* 26. Based on your experience, would you recomment limb sparing surgery as a treatment option for this type of tumour to another Great Dane/ dog owner and why?

Other (please specify)

Question Title

* 27. Based on your experience, would you recommend chemotherapy as a treatment for this tumour to another Great Dane/dog owner and why?

please give details as to why your choice is as it is

Question Title

* 28. Would you have this treatment again for another of your dogs?

please give details as to why your choice is as it is

Question Title

* 29. If amputation was not performed and the tumour was on a limb or if the tumour was not on a limb, did your dog have radiotherapy?

If so please give as many details as possible of the radiotherapy treatment

Question Title

* 30. Did this help with pain control?

Question Title

* 31. Do you think your dog tolerated this well or not

please give details

Question Title

* 32. Based on your experience would you recommend radiotherapy as a treatment for this tumour to another Great Dane/ dog owner and why?

Yes

Undecided

Please give details as to why your choice is as it is.

Question Title

* 33. Did your dog receive bisphosphonates (along with it’s other treatments)?

If so, which drug was used, at what dosage and at what intervals was it given?

Question Title

* 34. Did your dog tolerate the bisphosphonate therapy well (please give details)?

Question Title

* 35. Was additional medication provided to control the pain?

If yes, which medications and at what dose

Question Title

* 36. Was any complementary therapy used (herbal, homoeopathy etc)?

If yes, please provide details of this

Question Title

* 37. How long after conventional treatment was introduced did you introduce complementary therapy?

Question Title

* 38. Did you notice any complications or changes in your dogs condition following the introduction of the complementary therapies?

please give details of any changes you noticed

Question Title

* 39. How long did your dog live after diagnosis?

Question Title

* 40. If your dog is still alive, how long ago was treatment started?

Many thanks for taking the time to complete this survey, it is very much appreciated.
The results of this survey will help understand owners views on treatment for this unpleasant disease and help us determine the most appropriate ways to undertake research into this condition.

if you have any questions or queries regarding this survey please feel free to email the Nottingham breeder research team on: sv-crt@nottingham.ac.uk