Supervisors: Dr Rowena Packer, Dr Dan O’Neill, Prof Dave Brodbelt, Dr Sandra Guillen

Department: Clinical Science and Services/Pathobiology and Population Sciences

Background, aims and objectives:

End-of-life decision-making for dogs with osteosarcoma presents a significant challenge in veterinary care. Osteosarcoma is a relatively common, aggressive bone cancer in dogs characterized by high metastatic potential and severe, sometimes intractable pain. Despite treatments advances, survival rates remain low, and many cases end in emergency euthanasia due to complications e.g., pathological fractures. Osteosarcoma carries a poor prognosis, leading to complex end-of-life decisions, including the need for and timing of euthanasia. These decisions are influenced by clinical, emotional and pragmatic considerations of owners and veterinarians. Despite the severity of osteosarcoma, there is limited research on considerations around the timing of humane endpoints (i.e., deaths prior to significant suffering) and factors driving or preventing euthanasia decisions. These knowledge gaps impact care for affected dogs, particularly in avoiding suffering due to delayed euthanasia. This study aims to:

(1)         Use large-scale anonymised veterinary clinical records to estimate the proportions of unassisted deaths (e.g., due to metastatic disease), planned euthanasia (e.g., due to gradual deterioration in quality of life) and emergency euthanasia (e.g., due to pathological fracture or collapse as a result of osteosarcoma) and statistically identify risk factors for each outcome, including time since diagnosis or initial discussions of euthanasia, and type of treatment.

(2)         Glean deeper insights into the complexity of end-of-life decision making, by using qualitative approaches to interview veterinarians to understand how end-of-life decisions are made with owners, using reflexive thematic analysis to identify barriers to humane endpoints including perceptual, emotional and structural barriers. Findings will help guide more informed, welfare-focused decisions and improve end-of-life care for dogs with osteosarcoma.

References

O’Neill, D.G., et al., Dog breeds and conformations predisposed to osteosarcoma in the UK: a VetCompass study. Canine Medicine and Genetics, 2023. 10(1): p. 8. 

Gray, C. and A. Radford, Using electronic health records to explore negotiations around euthanasia decision making for dogs and cats in the UK. Veterinary Record, 2022. 190(9): p. e1379.  

Littlewood, K., et al., “What would you do?”: How cat owners make end-of-life decisions and implications for veterinary-client interactions. Animals, 2021. 11(4): p. 1114.  

Christiansen, S.B., et al., Veterinarians’ role in clients’ decision-making regarding seriously ill companion animal patients. Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica, 2015. 58: p. 1-14.

Requirements

Essential 

- Must meet our standard MRes entry requirements 

- Degree in veterinary medicine or veterinary nursing 

Desirable ·      

- Experience of UK companion animal veterinary practice        

- Experience with canine welfare        

- Prior experience of epidemiology, scientific writing, qualitative research and/or statistical analysis

This can be taken full-time (12 months) or part-time (24 months) project commencing in October 2025, based at RVC's Hawkshead campus with flexible/remote working possible for much of the project.

Fees and Funding

This MRes is partially funded: VetCompass will be covering the “Home” tuition fees (note – this does not apply to overseas tuition fees), an RVC laptop and relevant software and attendance at one UK conference. The MRes student expected to meet their living and travel expenses themselves and will not receive a stipend.

International applicants are welcome to apply but must be able to fund the difference between "Home" and "Overseas" tuition fees.

Please note that EU/EEA and Swiss national students may no longer be eligible for the “Home” rate of tuition fees, dependent on personal circumstances (including immigration status and residence history in the UK) and UK government rules which are currently being developed. For up-to-date information on fees for EU/EEA and Swiss national students following Brexit please see our fees and funding page.

How to Apply

For more information on the application process and English Language requirements see How to Apply.

Interviews will take place remotely (Teams, Zoom etc) within 4 weeks of the closing date. We welcome informal enquiries - these should be directed to rpacker@rvc.ac.uk