A cross-sectional survey of UK veterinary practices to determine prevalence of patient stress-reducing and welfare-enhancing approaches believed to be undertaken in companion animal practice

Feilberg, Erika; Corridan, Claire; Buckley, Louise

doi:10.1016/j.jveb.2021.01.001

Cited by 10 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 32 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Indeed, "protecting and promoting animal welfare" is described as the veterinarian's "raison d'etre" [40], and is embedded in codes of professional conduct for veterinarians, animal health technicians and veterinary nurses [41][42][43][44][45][46]. This focus on animal welfare has been accompanied by a recognition of the potential iatrogenic harms of veterinary care [47], and concerted efforts to minimise fear, anxiety and distress in veterinary patients [48][49][50][51][52]. For example, the European Veterinary Code of Conduct states that "euthanasia must be practiced with as little pain, distress and fear as possible" (1.2, Recommendation 4) [44].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Low and No-Contact Euthanasia: Associated Ethical Challenges Experienced by Veterinary Team Members during the Early Months of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Quain

Mullan

Ward

2022

Animals

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: During the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, many veterinary practices around the world have shifted to a low or no-contact consultation model to ensure the safety of their team members and clients, and comply with public health orders, while continuing to provide veterinary care. Methods: We performed reflexive thematic analysis on a subset of data collected using a mixed-methods survey of veterinary team members globally. Results: There were 540 valid responses available for analysis. Low and no-contact euthanasia we raised as a common and/or stressful ethical challenge for 22.8% of respondents. We identified five key themes: no-contact euthanasia as a unique ethical challenge; balancing veterinary team safety with the emotional needs of clients; low and no-contact protocols may cause or exacerbate fear, anxiety and distress in veterinary patients; physical distancing was more challenging during euthanasia consultations; and biosecurity measures complicated communication around euthanasia and end-of-life decision making. Recommendations: In light of concerns highlighted by respondents, we recommend the development of a toolkit of protocols that will assist veterinary team members in performing low-contact euthanasia in a range of circumstances, in alignment with their values and professional ethical codes. Professional bodies may be involved in developing, updating and disseminating this information, and ensuring a continuous supply chain of PPE.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Some respondents highlighted concerns around safety associated with separation of animals from their owners. Anxious and fearful animals are more likely to scratch, bite or otherwise injure veterinary team members, and may be more refractory to sedation [ 49 , 50 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Low and No-Contact Euthanasia: Associated Ethical Challenges Experienced by Veterinary Team Members during the Early Months of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Quain

Mullan

Ward

2022

Animals

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Tanto em salas de espera quanto em consultórios, o estímulo olfatório positivo pode ser utilizado para acalmar pacientes sob estresse (Greenfield, 2013). Como exemplo, têm-se o uso de feromônios relaxantes e calmantes que são utilizados amplamente em ambientes veterinários (Feilberg et al, 2021). Os feromônios podem ficar no difusor por todo o espaço veterinário, serem dispersados por spray em toalhas/mantas ou até mesmo nas roupas dos atendentes, 30 minutos antes do atendimento (Herron & Shreyer, 2014;Rodan et al, 2011).…”

Section: Preparo Do Ambiente Veterináriounclassified

Técnicas para reducción del estrés en el atendimiento clínico de perros y gatos durante la consulta veterinaria

Pozzatto¹,

Vieira²,

Moreira³

et al. 2022

Pubvet

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Cães e gatos podem sofrer estresse agudo durante atendimento clínico veterinário. Como consequência, o exame clínico do paciente pode ser prejudicado, e alguns exames complementares podem sofrer influência do estresse e apresentarem alterações, com prejuízo à sua interpretação. Além disso, a geração do estresse pode reduzir a frequência com que os pets são levados à consulta veterinária e a aderência do tutor ao tratamento. Além disso, aumenta o risco de acidentes, como mordidas e arranhões, e o animal é condicionado de forma negativa. Por este motivo é importante conhecer a linguagem corporal de cães e gatos na rotina clínica, saber interpretá-los de acordo com a situação, e saber como agir diante delas. O preparo do ambiente para receber os animais de forma mais amigável também é essencial para reduzir o nível de estresse de cães e gatos em atendimento veterinário. Logo, objetivou-se com este estudo realizar uma revisão de literatura sobre as técnicas para redução do estresse no atendimento clínico de cães e gatos.

show abstract

“…Increased attention has been paid to improving the experience of veterinary clinic visits with the goal of making these visits less stressful for the pets and their caregivers 7–9 . While changes in veterinary clinic design and staff behaviour (e.g., allowing dogs to sit for 10+ minutes in a quiet area before examination 2 ) may prevent or decrease anxiety during veterinary visits, anxiolytic medication is increasingly used to prevent or treat the behavioural and emotional signs of distress 10 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dexmedetomidine oromucosal gel reduces fear and anxiety in dogs during veterinary visits: A randomised, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled clinical pilot study

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Introduction Many dogs are anxious and/or fearful in veterinary clinics and exhibit avoidant and/or defensive behaviour. The purpose of pharmacological interventions is to reduce anxiety and to enable patient‐friendly, low stress physical examination and procedures. Materials and methods This was a randomised, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled, parallel‐group, multicentre, clinical‐field study. The eligible dogs (n = 76) were randomly assigned to receive dexmedetomidine 0.1 mg/g oromucosal gel at a dose of 125 μg/m2 (n = 27) or 250 μg/m2 (n = 24), or an equivalent volume of placebo gel (n = 23). Results The investigator's ability to perform the intended procedure (physical examination and 1 short minor veterinary or husbandry procedure) was excellent for 40.7% of the dogs that received dexmedetomidine 125 μg/m2 and 33.3% of those that received dexmedetomidine 250 μg/m2 compared to only 4.3% of the placebo dogs. The overall treatment effect was statistically significant (p = 0.03). In addition, the investigators subjective stress level assessments revealed that dexmedetomidine treated dogs showed significantly more commonly relaxed body posture (p < 0.01) and more relaxed behaviour when entering the examination room (p = 0.02). There were very few adverse events, and treated animals were not sedated. Conclusions This study indicated a beneficial treatment effect of dexmedetomidine gel in alleviation of canine fear and anxiety during minor veterinary or husbandry procedures in the clinic environment in dogs previously reported to suffer from fear and anxiety during veterinary visits. Both dexmedetomidine gel doses studied were effective, and no clinical safety concerns were noticed for either dose.

show abstract

A cross-sectional survey of UK veterinary practices to determine prevalence of patient stress-reducing and welfare-enhancing approaches believed to be undertaken in companion animal practice

Cited by 10 publications

References 32 publications

Low and No-Contact Euthanasia: Associated Ethical Challenges Experienced by Veterinary Team Members during the Early Months of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Low and No-Contact Euthanasia: Associated Ethical Challenges Experienced by Veterinary Team Members during the Early Months of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Técnicas para reducción del estrés en el atendimiento clínico de perros y gatos durante la consulta veterinaria

Dexmedetomidine oromucosal gel reduces fear and anxiety in dogs during veterinary visits: A randomised, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled clinical pilot study

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About