Table 2 Causes of end-of-life for 39 dogs
Cause of death | N | (%) | Median age at death, in years (min–max) | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Cancer | 16 | (41%) | 13.9 (9.7–17.9) | 5 hemangiosarcoma, 2 hepatocellular carcinoma, 1 mast cell tumour + 1 mast cell tumour, 2 urinary tract cancer and 1 each of lymphosarcoma, osteosarcoma, plasma cell tumour, adenocarcinoma and prostatic cancer |
Gastrointestinal disease | 4 | (10%) | 13.5 (12.8–14.1) | 1 each of mega-oesophagus, gastrointestinal (GI) inflammation, gastric dilatation volvulus and found dead in kennel [enteritis, colitis + protein-losing enteropathy (PLE)] |
Heart, kidney, liver and/or pancreas disease | 5 | (13%) | 15.2 (13.6–17.6) | 2 chronic kidney disease, 1 myocardial fibrosis + 1 other heart disease + 1 renal, GI, liver and pancreatic pathology |
Musculoskeletal | 8 | (20%) | 13.8 (12.1–15.8) | 7 osteoarthritis + 1 intervertebral disc disease |
Other | 3 | (8%) | 13.9 (11.7–15.2) | 2 seizures + 1 septicaemia |
Quality of life | 3 | (8%) | 15.8 (14.8–17.0) | With no proximate cause identified on post-mortem examination |