A Commentary on
Comparing caregiver burden in owners of healthy dogs with and without limb amputation: a cross-sectional analysis by Pryjmak, J., Zablotski, Y., Mille, M. A., and Lauer, S. K. (2026). Front. Vet. Sci. 13:1754268. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2026.1754268

Pryjmak et al. (1) compared caregiver burden between owners of dogs with limb amputation (n = 76) and owners of healthy control dogs (n = 74). Employing standardized psychological tools to measure caregiver burden and psychosocial functioning in addition to general questions on daily life, the study found no significant differences between the two groups. Caregiver demographics (age, gender, relationship status, professional background etc.) and dog-related variables (age, age at amputation, reason for amputation, affected limb etc.) revealed no effect on caregiver burden scores. However, functional changes in the dog following amputation, particularly decline in shared activities like hiking and few other social and assistive factors did influence caregiver experience.