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ABOUT the study
Knowledge is the power to overcome Pet Pain.
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Teaching people how to live well with osteoarthritis has become a cornerstone of the treatment of painful chronic osteoarthritis. With this study, we want to see whether the same approach may be used to help parents of pets with painful osteoarthritis get more out of their medical care.
The Animal Physiotherapy Group of the South African Society of Physiotherapy are inviting Pet Parents to participate in a programme that aims to empower you with the knowledge you need to help your dog live well with arthritis. The Primary Researcher conducting this study will be Ansi van der Walt (MScPhysio).
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Participation in the study will not replace any of your dog's current veterinary care, and will not involve any treatments for your pet. The purpose of the study is to evaluate how pet-parents can best be supported with education programmes that can help you manage your pet's pain better at home.
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This study has ethics approval from the University of Cape Town Faculty of Health Sciences Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC REF: 548/2022)
what is involved?
Once you have signed up, you will be enrolled in one of two 5-week online programmes that you can complete in your own time. Depending on which programme you are allocated to, you may also be asked to participate in live Zoom group discussions to further your understanding of canine joint disease. Different time slots will be available, so you will have several opportunities to attend the Zoom sessions.
At the start of the online course you will be asked to answer some questions about your pet's pain and mobility. Each course will empower you with knowledge and skills to help your pet cope better with their osteoarthritis. At the end of the course you will be asked to answer the same questions again, so that we can see how well each of our programmes worked.
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You do not need to pay any money to participate in the study.
who should enroll?
If your dog has been diagnosed with osteoarthritis, this programme is for you!
The diagnosis of osteoarthritis should have been made by a veterinarian, preferably after taking x-rays of your dog. Your dog should have a treatment plan in place as recommended by your veterinarian, which may or may not include supplementary treatment such as physiotherapy, hydrotherapy or other therapies.
Are there risks and benefits to me in taking part in this study?
There are no foreseen risks to your participation in this study. You will benefit from getting more knowledge about your pet's condition, regardless of which group you are allocated to. Should one programme prove to be more beneficial than the other, you will be given the opportunity to also complete that programme at no charge.
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Your participation in this study will help us develop better ways of supporting pet parents in the care of their pets with osteoarthritis.
How is this study being paid for?
This study is not receiving any funding, but is being supported by the following organisations:
1. The South African Society of Physiotherapy (SASP) - Provision of IT infrastructure and administrative support
2. Hill's Pet Nutrition - Provision of Lucky draw prizes.
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These organisations will have no input in the research results.
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Will taking part in this study cost me anything, and will I be paid?
There are no costs or payments for participating in this survey and your participation is voluntary. You will not be paid for participating in the study, but you will receive educational resources to keep.
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Participation in this research is entirely your choice. Only those people who give their informed consent will be included. Whether or not you decide to participate is your decision and not doing so will not disadvantage you in any way.
You may choose to stop participating at any point.
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How will confidentiality be protected?
Participants will need to provide their contact details (phone number and email address) when enrolling into the study. This information will not be used for any purpose unrelated to the study, and all data will be kept by the SASP according to the SASP privacy policy.
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Only the SASP Privacy Officer will have access to your information, it will be kept on a secure server on the EduSASP Education Platform site. You will receive information related to this study ONLY, and your information will never be shared with any third party.
What will happen to the information that you give us about your dog's pain?
The data collected will be analysed and the findings used to decide how best to empower pet-parents to better manage their pet's painful osteoarthritis at home. The results will be submitted as part of Ansi van der Walt's PhD thesis. Further to this, the research findings may be presented at conferences or published as articles in peer-reviewed journals. Individuals will not be identified.
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If you would like to discuss this study further before you decide, or have any concerns, please contact Ansi van der Walt via email
stand a chance to win!
10 lucky participants will win a 3 (three) months’ supply of Hill’s Prescription Diet j/d or Hill’s Prescription Diet Metabolic + Mobility dry dog food. Lucky Draw Terms and Conditions are available to read here.