Table 2 . Record sheet completed by keepers for assessment of the serval ’ s activity , enclosure usage and engagement .
Date : 01 / 06 / 2020
Before medications
11 am On lawn 2 pm Lock up
Mark all that apply |
|
|
|
Lying down , stationary in bed |
X |
|
X |
|
Moving all limbs , tracking normally |
|
X X X |
|
Moving stiffly on one or more limbs |
X |
|
Moving with limp on one or more limbs |
X |
Climbing up / down ramp |
X |
Enrichment / activity
Engaged X X X X X Did not engage How long to go in box ?
2 min
NA none offered |
|
|
|
Notes e . g . which limb stiff , what activity affected |
Slow to get up , mild lameness left fore |
PBMT session with VN |
Food enrichment |
likely caused by a decrease in grooming . This is common in OA cases , secondary to pain and reduced flexibility ( Moses , 2016 ). Pharmacological treatments had been titrated to meet the patient ' s needs , which is often required in disease processes associated with pain ( Robertson & Lascelles , 2010 ). All medications were at the maximum dose , with clinical signs still present , indicating end-stage disease .
Repeated quality of life ( QOL ) assessments during illness and disease are critical in determining how the disease impacts the total wellbeing of the individual and the effectiveness of the care plan ( Hellyer et al ., 2007 ; Robertson & Lascelles , 2010 ). These assessments were carried out at frequent intervals because of the degenerative condition . The comparison of QOL outcomes in March 2020 and June 2020 identified a
March 2020 outcomes
June 2020 outcomes
Figure 3 . March 2020 and June 2020 quality of life outcomes for a 10-year-old African serval with progressive OA , completed by animal husbandry staff , the veterinary team and the animal welfare officer with the use of supplementary monitoring tools ( activity level observations , gait analysis and enclosure usage ). Scale : affecting QOL to not affecting QOL – red , orange , blue , green , respectively .
52 Veterinary Nursing Journal