Table 2.
Demographics (number of cases, percentage of cases) of sudden unexpected death cases occurring in cats and dogs between 1994 and 2021 across four veterinary schools in Australia. P values indicate the comparison of demographics between cases in cats versus dogs.
| Variable | Overall | Cats (n = 134) | Dogs (n = 424) | p-Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sex | ||||
| Female | 232 (41.6) | 45 (33.6) | 187 (44.1) | 0.035 |
| Male | 326 (58.4) | 89 (66.4) | 237 (55.9) | |
| Neuter status | ||||
| Entire | 227 (40.7) | 21 (15.7) | 206 (48.6) | <0.001 |
| Neutered | 331 (59.3) | 113 (84.3) | 218 (51.4) | |
| Age group | ||||
| <=4 years | 258 (46.2) | 64 (47.8) | 194 (45.7) | 0.635 |
| 5–9 years | 164 (29.4) | 34 (25.4) | 130 (30.7) | |
| >9 years | 91 (16.3) | 25 (18.6) | 66 (15.6) | |
| Unknown | 45 (8.1) | 11 (8.2) | 34 (8.0) | |
| Breed group | ||||
| Gundog | - | - | 39 (9.2) | N/A |
| Hound | - | - | 54 (12.7) | |
| Non-sporting | - | - | 37 (8.7) | |
| Terrier | - | - | 87 (20.5) | |
| Toy | - | - | 32 (7.5) | |
| Utility | - | - | 85 (20.0) | |
| Working dog | - | - | 90 (21.2) | |
| British | - | 8 (6.0) | - | |
| Burmese | - | 6 (4.5) | - | |
| Domestic | - | 87 (64.9) | - | |
| Foreign | - | 10 (7.5) | - | |
| Persian | - | 10 (7.5) | - | |
| Semi-longhair | - | 12 (9.0) | - | |
| Siamese/oriental | - | 1 (0.7) | - | |
| Season | ||||
| Summer | 144 (25.8) | 21 (15.7) | 123 (29.0) | 0.005 |
| Autumn | 132 (23.7) | 30 (22.4) | 102 (24.1) | |
| Winter | 150 (26.8) | 47 (35.0) | 103 (24.3) | |
| Spring | 132 (23.7) | 36 (26.9) | 96 (22.6) | |
| Institute (Location) | ||||
| UQ (QLD) | 329 (59.0) | 80 (59.7) | 249 (58.7) | 0.996 |
| UM (VIC) | 195 (35.0) | 46 (34.3) | 149 (35.1) | |
| CSU (NSW) | 21 (3.7) | 5 (3.7) | 16 (3.8) | |
| UA (SA) | 13 (2.3) | 3 (2.3) | 10 (2.4) | |