2020 journal article
Veterinary Behavior: Assessment of Veterinarians' Training, Experience, and Comfort Level with Cases
JOURNAL OF VETERINARY MEDICAL EDUCATION, 47(2), 158–169.
author keywords: animal behavior; behavioral medicine; animal welfare; shelter medicine; veterinary curriculum
MeSH headings : Animals; Education, Veterinary / standards; Humans; Life Change Events; Veterinarians / statistics & numerical data
TL;DR:
This study explored veterinarians' training in animal behavior and behavioral medicine, along with their level of comfort in treating common behavioral problems, and found that participants felt most comfortable discussing inappropriate elimination and begging for food but were least comfortable treating issues involving aggression.
(via Semantic Scholar)
UN Sustainable Development Goal Categories
3. Good Health and Well-being
(Web of Science)
Source: Web Of Science
Added: April 14, 2020
Studies of US animal shelters consistently indicate that behavior is often a major reason for relinquishment and, thereby, euthanasia of millions of dogs and cats annually. Even though this is an area in which veterinarians can intervene to support the human–animal bond, prior research has documented that they frequently do not bring the topic up during appointments. This study explored veterinarians’ training in animal behavior and behavioral medicine, along with their level of comfort in treating common behavioral problems. An online survey of practicing veterinarians ( N = 1,085) found that only 42.8% felt they’d received a significant amount of training in this field during veterinary school, but the majority reported participating in continuing education sessions about behavior. Almost all respondents reported seeing patients with behavioral issues (99.6%), even when the initial appointment was made for other reasons. Participants felt most comfortable discussing inappropriate elimination and begging for food but were least comfortable treating issues involving aggression. Most veterinarians treat their own behavior cases, using a combination of behavior modification techniques and medication. Only 22.1% refer cases needing behavioral therapy to a specialist. Given the prevalence of behavioral problems in companion animals and the potential for early veterinary intervention to play a significant role in animal health, it is important for veterinary schools to include this topic in their curricula. At present, 73% of schools require a course in animal behavior. The release of the new Competency-Based Veterinary Education framework is anticipated to support a greater teaching emphasis in this area.