Canine Health-Related Quality of Life Survey, 15-item form (CHQLS-15)

Overview

Developer

Lavan — University of Glasgow

Year published

2013

Species

Canine

Domain

Quality of life (general wellness)

Structure and administration

15 items in four subscales (happiness, physical functioning, hygiene, mental status). 5-point Likert (0-4), total range 0-60.

Owner-completed, 4-6 minutes

Cut-off and interpretation

Cut-off threshold

15

Source: Lavan 2013 emphasises change tracking over a single categorical cut-off. Sightline applies a four-band severity classification keyed off the total range: minimal 0-14, mild 15-29, moderate 30-44, severe 45-60, alongside per-subscale totals.

Citation and validation

Lavan RP. Development of a survey for owners to use to evaluate clinical signs of chronic pain and quality of life in their dogs. Vet J 2013;197:578-582.

Revisions

• v1.0 (Lavan 2013) — original development across the four domains. The 15-item structure has not been changed.

Target population

Adult dogs whose owners want a generic quality-of-life read rather than a disease-specific instrument. Particularly useful for healthy pet wellness tracking, post-treatment recovery, and ageing dogs not yet diagnosed with osteoarthritis.

Available languages

English (UK)

Licence

Free for research and clinical use with citation (University of Glasgow). Founder review confirms wording with Dr Lavan ahead of public launch.

Scoring algorithm version

sightline-chqls-15-v1.0.0

Strengths

• Four published subscales let clinicians and owners see which domain is shifting, not just whether things are better or worse.
• Free for research and clinical use with citation, no per-deployment licence fee. The leading commercial alternative (VetMetrica) is licensed and out of Phase 1 scope.
• Quarterly cadence (90 days default) keeps quality-of-life tracking realistic without overwhelming owners with weekly check-ins.
• Generic across breeds and ages, complementing disease-specific instruments like HCPI or LOAD.

Limitations

• Generic by design, so it cannot replace a disease-specific instrument when osteoarthritis or another condition is the focus.
• The published cut-offs are change-based, not categorical, so Sightline's four-band classification is a Sightline-side interpretation aid rather than a published clinical threshold.
• Validated in a single language (English); Sightline ships UK English only in Phase 1.

Why Sightline uses it

CHQLS-15 is the most practical free generic canine quality-of-life instrument with a published subscale structure. Pairing CHQLS-15 (broad QoL) with HCPI or LOAD (disease-specific chronic pain) gives Sightline a two-axis view: the QoL trajectory says how the dog is doing across the whole life, while the chronic-pain instrument says how the targeted condition is being managed. Quarterly CHQLS-15 keeps the broader view tractable for owners who would otherwise opt out of long-form surveys.