Towards the development of day one competences in veterinary behaviour medicine: survey of veterinary professionals experience in companion animal practice in Ireland

Abstract

BackgroundVeterinary behaviour medicine should be a foundation subject of the veterinary curriculum because of its wide scope of applications to veterinary practice. Private practitioners are likely to be the primary source of information on animal behaviour for most pet owners, however studies indicate that behavioural issues are not frequently discussed during companion animal consultations and many practitioners lack confidence in dealing with behavioural problems, likely due to poor coverage of this subject in veterinary education.There is a need to identify learning outcomes to support day one competences in veterinary behaviour medicine and these should be informed by practice-based evidence. This study aimed to investigate the nature and frequency of behavioural queries experienced by veterinary professionals in Ireland, the provision of behavioural services at companion animal practices, behaviour referral practices and challenges associated with providing a behaviour service.MethodsTwo online surveys were developed, one for private veterinary practitioners (PVP) and one for veterinary nurses (VN). Invitations to participate were distributed using contact details from the Premises Accreditation Scheme database on the Veterinary Council of Ireland website. Thirty-eight PVPs and 69 VNs completed the survey.ResultsResults indicated that less than half of companion animal practices offer behavioural consults and under a third of practices provide training and socialization events. Over half of the practices surveyed have referred cases to a behavioural specialist.The majority of respondents encountered behavioural queries weekly. Ninety-eight percent reported receiving queries regarding dog behaviour. Toilet training and unruly behaviour were two issues encountered frequently. Behavioural issues in cats were also common. House soiling and destructive behaviour were the problems most frequently encountered by respondents.The two most commonly cited barriers to providing behavioural consultations were lack of in-house or personal expertise, and that clients were not willing to pay for these services.Furthermore over half of all veterinary professionals surveyed indicated that they had received inadequate undergraduate training in veterinary behaviour medicine.ConclusionsBehavioural problems in companion animals can affect the quality of life of pets and their owners. Our survey findings indicate that many veterinary professionals frequently encounter behavioural problems and identify an opportunity for improved provision in behaviour medicine in veterinary education.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s13620-018-0123-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Veterinary Professionals’ Understanding of Common Feline Behavioural Problems and the Availability of “Cat Friendly” Practices in Ireland

“…Section two presented 10 vignettes, which depicted advice from a veterinary professional (VP or VN) regarding a common feline behaviour. The behavioural problems used in the vignettes were selected by drawing upon recent research by Golden and Hanlon [1] as well as current literature [7,[10][11][12] and the authors' experience. Vignette development is described in Section 2.2.…”

“…Veterinary behavioural medicine (VBM) is an integral aspect of veterinary practice; in particular, for companion animal welfare. However, Golden and Hanlon [1] found that the majority of the veterinary professionals they surveyed in Ireland considered their training to be inadequate in VBM. This was a view shared by respondents in a study by Kogen et al [2] in which only 42.8% reported "a significant amount" of veterinary behaviour training as veterinary students while 39.4% and 17.8% reported receiving "a few hours" and no training respectively, despite the fact that the majority (99.4%) had seen canines or felines with behavioural issues while working in practice.…”

“…Veterinary practice continues to evolve with the emergence of cat-only clinics corresponding to an increase in cat ownership and a greater demand for services to support this demographic. Golden and Hanlon [1] found that veterinary professionals in Ireland routinely received queries regarding feline behaviour. Additionally, the People's Dispensary for Sick Animals [7] reported that a majority of cat owners (77%) surveyed in the UK stated that their cat displayed a behaviour that they would like to change and 89% of cats expressed a fear-related behaviour.…”

“…Whilst Golden and Hanlon [1] demonstrate a client interest in feline behaviour, there are relatively few "cat friendly clinics" registered in Ireland, which may reflect a divergence between client demand and clinical provision of feline VBM. The aim of this project was to explore veterinary professionals' understanding of advice to support the best outcome for common feline behavioural problems where the best outcome was defined as one which provided a resolution to the behavioural problem while not compromising the animal's welfare [8].…”

“…An additional project aim was to capture the prevalence of "cat friendly" initiatives in veterinary practice in Ireland. This survey serves as the third part of a broader research aim to develop day-one competencies for VBM and to inform training in veterinary medicine and veterinary nursing in Ireland [1,9].…”