Veterinarians’ experiences of treating cases of animal abuse: An online questionnaire study

Abstract

Background: This study aimed to examine veterinarians' experiences of treating cases of nonaccidental injury and other forms of animal abuse and to assess their support needs and barriers to reporting cases. Methods: An online questionnaire was completed by 215 veterinarians. The survey included items on demographics and veterinary experience, experience of nonaccidental injuries during the last 12 months, case studies, perceptions of the roles of veterinarians in identifying and reporting cases, and barriers to reporting. Results: Fifty-three percent reported treating cases and 9% reported suspected cases of abuse in the last 12 months. Experience of abuse in the last 12 months did not vary in terms of veterinarians' age, sex or number of years in practice. The most commonly affected animals were dogs, cats and rabbits, and the most common forms of abuse were neglect and physical abuse. Case studies focused on physical abuse cases, but neglect cases more often resulted in death. Veterinarians showed high concern about animal abuse but varied in their confidence to intervene and perceived barriers to reporting. Conclusion: Experience of animal abuse is common, and veterinarians feel a strong moral duty to act, but can lack confidence in intervening. Abuse cases affect stress levels and compassion fatigue; therefore, support and training are needed.

Recognising and reporting cases of animal abuse

“…Dogs were the most common type of animal identified as victims of abuse in Williams and colleagues' study, followed by cats, rabbits, horses, small mammals, exotic animals and birds. 3 Bruising and fractures were the predominant injury patterns observed in these cases, which is consistent with previous research on abuse cases. 5 However, it should be noted that the reported injury patterns may be affected by injury survivability and hence whether the animal is likely to be presented to a veterinary practice.…”

“…Although dogs and cats make up the majority of cases of abuse reported in Williams and colleagues' study, it is of considerable interest to see horses also being reported as victims of intentional harm. 3 The profession often fails to recognise that non-accidental injury is not only a problem in companion animals but can also affect farm animals and equids. As such, any research drawing attention to the occurrence of abuse in these species is valuable.…”

“…However, the findings of Williams and colleagues' study suggest that veterinarians may not have the knowledge to effectively report concerns to agencies such as the police and social services, and further training is required to address this knowledge gap. 3 The study also refers to compassion fatigue and the mental stress of dealing with these challenging and disturbing cases as a barrier to reporting. 3 However, that mental stress can be reduced by discussing such cases with informed and experienced colleagues, thereby increasing effective reporting of suspected abuse.…”

“…3 The study also refers to compassion fatigue and the mental stress of dealing with these challenging and disturbing cases as a barrier to reporting. 3 However, that mental stress can be reduced by discussing such cases with informed and experienced colleagues, thereby increasing effective reporting of suspected abuse. Indeed, this was one of the major motivations when setting up the IVC Evidensia support line and opening it to the entire profession.…”

“…Williams and colleagues' study found that while nearly all of the veterinarians surveyed (98 per cent) recognise that animal abuse occurs, 26.6 per cent reported never having seen a case in their professional career. 3 This figure seems high, and further exploration is needed to understand whether this represents a failure to recognise abuse rather than it not being presented. It would have been interesting to know the number of years respondents had been in practice to establish if there was a correlation between years in practice and the number of respondents who have seen a case in their career.…”