Exotic pets in Ireland: 2. Provision of veterinary services and perspectives of veterinary professionals’ on responsible ownership

Abstract

Background There has been increasing concern expressed about the welfare of exotic pets worldwide. For the purposes of this article, an exotic pet is considered to be a non-domesticated species, where there are knowledge gaps on good practice (minimum standards of care), veterinary diagnostics and treatments. The categories of exotic pets included in this study were: small mammals (< 20 kg), large mammals (> 20 kg), birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish and invertebrates. Dogs, cats, rabbits, hamsters, gerbils, guinea pigs, mice, rats, and ferrets were excluded from the study. An online survey of veterinary professionals conducted between July and August 2020 provides the first empirical data for Ireland. In this pilot study (the second in this thematic series) we aim to characterise the provision of veterinary services to exotic pets from the veterinary professionals’ perspective, explore the main concerns of veterinary professionals towards exotic pet ownership, and their recommendations to support responsible exotic pet ownership. Results Using an online survey this pilot study gathered evidence from 63 veterinary professionals currently working in private practice in Ireland. The prevalence of veterinary services for exotic pets in Ireland was determined to be 82% of small and mixed animal clinics of respondents’ practices ranging from 9.1 to 100% for different categories of exotic pets. The most common issues encountered in practice with exotic pets were related to nutrition, environment, and behaviour followed by clinical diseases such as respiratory, infectious, and gastrointestinal issues. The most common concerns veterinary professionals had with exotic pet ownership related to the lack of owner knowledge as well as the lack of veterinary knowledge and accessible resources. The most common strategic initiatives indicated by veterinary professionals included black or white lists (to prohibit and permit the keeping of exotic pet species respectively), licensing for owners and increased availability of CPD for veterinary professionals. Conclusions More than four in every five veterinary professionals in small or mixed animal practices surveyed were willing to treat exotic pets and in many cases they already were. A scaffold for best practice is required to support the health and welfare of exotic pets and responsible ownership. Keystones include veterinary education to support veterinary professionals with daily practice, establishing a white list of exotic species that are suitable as pets, registration at the point of purchase to enable traceability for biosecurity purposes and research to identify care standards to support the health and welfare of exotic pets.

Pet Reptiles—Are We Meeting Their Needs?

“…Access to routine veterinary care, a family member bond and behavioral knowledge did not significantly impact the self-reported provision of basic husbandry needs. Veterinarians have acknowledged that the lack of information on the care of many exotic pets is so profound that even they are unable to provide owners with advice for some species [7].…”

“…While some authors question whether there is evidence to support a disproportionately high incidence of welfare problems in reptiles compared to other species [3], others suggest that reptile needs cannot be easily met in captivity [1,4]. Consequently, there has been an increasing interest in the assessment of the welfare of captive reptiles [5,6] and of the major barriers pet owners [1,4] and veterinarians [7] face in meeting their needs.…”

“…Consequently, pet owners often need to rely on the experience of others or on information disseminated by the pet industry to care for their animals. Even veterinarians refer lack of information as a major barrier to the provision of veterinary care to reptiles [7]. As a consequence, if we intend to move beyond reptile pets' basic needs and towards providing them with the conditions required for a life worth living-with full consideration of behavioral repertoire, affective states and emotions-more should be done to bridge the knowledge gaps directly related with captive welfare issues.…”

Veterinary Education and Training on Non-Traditional Companion Animals, Exotic, Zoo, and Wild Animals: Concepts Review and Challenging Perspective on Zoological Medicine

“…This particularity of requirements has led different organisations, such as the Federation of Veterinarians of Europe (FVE), to request the creation of white lists of animals that can be kept in captivity as pets. That has been reinforced by the general knowledge that most emerging infectious diseases worldwide are zoonotic [ 17 ]. Some European countries that have already implemented white lists are Belgium, Croatia, Luxembourg, Greece, the Netherlands, and Norway.…”

Drug prescription pattern in exotic pet and wildlife animal practice: a retrospective study in a Spanish veterinary teaching hospital from 2018 to 2022

“…However, the presence of other pets, mainly birds and fish, has increased considerably in the last years ( 43 ). In addition, according to a survey conducted at the University of Dublin with exotic pet veterinarians, birds occupied the largest number of their visits (96.4%), followed by small mammals (89.3%) and reptiles (78.6%) ( 44 ). Dogs and cats visited the veterinary at least once a year ( 45 , 46 ).…”