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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Vet. Sci.
Sec. Veterinary Surgery
Volume 11 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fvets.2024.1466405
This article is part of the Research Topic Sports Medicine and Physical Rehabilitation, Volume III View all 12 articles

Caretaker-reported Quality of Life, Functionality, and Complications Associated with Assistive Mobility Cart Use in Companion Animals

Provisionally accepted
Melissa Narum Melissa Narum *Jennifer Repac Jennifer Repac *Erin Miscioscia Erin Miscioscia
  • University of Florida, Gainesville, United States

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Objective: To evaluate the impact of assistive mobility carts on companion animals and caretakers’ quality of life by investigating factors pertaining to caretaker satisfaction, the ability to perform daily tasks, and complication rates. Materials and Methods: A 23-question survey was distributed to caretakers of animals using carts to evaluate the animal and caretakers’ quality of life, acceptance, ability to complete functional tasks, and complications. Data from canine, feline, and rabbit responses were analyzed separately. Results: Dogs and cats had improved quality of life in 62% and 57% of responses and 61% and 60% for their caretakers, respectively. There was no improvement in the quality of life of rabbits or their caretakers. Regarding the complication rate, 64% were reported to have at least one complication associated with cart use, 53% of which were wounds. Across all species, there was a reported improvement in ability to perform daily tasks and activities. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance: Caretakers reported that assistive mobility carts improve both companion animals’ and caretakers’ quality of life, despite high prevalence of complications, including wounds. Future studies exploring specific disease conditions and long-term outcomes will be useful for guiding clinical recommendations.

    Keywords: CART, Wheelchair, mobility, Assistive device, Veterinary Rehabilitation, spinal cord injury

    Received: 17 Jul 2024; Accepted: 30 Aug 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Narum, Repac and Miscioscia. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Melissa Narum, University of Florida, Gainesville, United States
    Jennifer Repac, University of Florida, Gainesville, United States

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.