Development and validation of a questionnaire to assess owner and canine quality‐of‐life and treatment satisfaction in canine allergic dermatitis

Background Animal and owner quality‐of‐life (QoL) is pivotal in treatment decisions. Accurate measurement of owner‐reported QoL and treatment satisfaction (TS) supports disease burden and treatment benefit evaluation. Objectives Develop and evaluate an owner‐completed canine dermatitis QoL and TS questionnaire (CDQoL‐TSQ) in allergic dogs. Materials and Methods The CDQoL‐TSQ was drafted following review of existing measures and expert input. Content validity was assessed through interviews with owners of allergic dogs. Psychometric properties of the QoL domains (Canine QoL, Owner QoL) were evaluated. Score interpretation was derived. Results Twenty dog owners were interviewed. Item wording was amended following the first 10 interviews. Data from 211 owners were used in the psychometric evaluation. The Canine QoL domain demonstrated strong internal consistency (α = 0.89), test–retest reliability (ICC2,1 = 0.844), moderate convergent validity (r = 0.41) and moderate‐high known‐groups validity (effect size 0.37–0.64). The Owner QoL domain demonstrated strong internal consistency (α = 0.73), high convergent validity (r = 0.63) and moderate‐high known‐groups validity (0.43–0.63). Test–retest reliability approached moderate strength (ICC2,1 = 0.490). Group‐level interpretation analysis showed minimal important difference of 7.0–13.6 points for dogs and 13.0–13.6 for owners. For individual dogs a change of 6.3 or 12.5 points for dogs, and 12.5 or 18.8 for owners indicates a response. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance The CDQOL‐TSQ is a two‐part assessment to evaluate QoL and TS in canine allergic dermatitis. The QoL questionnaire demonstrated validity and reliability, and interpretation of scores was derived, making it suitable for use in research and practice. The TS module is suitable for clinical setting use to improve owner–veterinarian communication. Zusammenfassung Hintergrund Die Lebensqualität (QoL) von Tier und Besitzer ist bei Entscheidungen in Bezug auf die Behandlung ausschlaggebend. Genaue Messungen von QoL, die vom Besitzer beschrieben wird und die Behandlungszufriedenheit (TS) helfen bei der Evaluierung der Last der Krankheit und des Behandlungserfolges. Ziele Entwicklung und Evaluierung eines vom Besitzer ausgefüllten Fragebogens über die QoL und den TS bei caniner Dermatitis (CDQoL‐TSQ) bei allergischen Hunden. Materialien und Methoden Der CDQoL‐TSQ wurde nach einer Review von bestehenden Messungen und mittels Experten Input erstellt. Die Validi