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The Dolittle factor: 'Talking to the animals' during veterinary consultations
Michael P McDermott1, Malcolm A Cobb2, Iain J Robbé3
1Circa Healthcare, Malvern, Pennsylvania, USA.
Background:
The aim of the study was to identify and analyse the frequency and types of dialogue directed to animals by veterinary surgeons (i.e. pet-directed speech) in 55 routine companion animal consultations in the United Kingdom and United States.
Methods:
Instances of pet-directed speech were identified from video transcripts, coded, and analysed for content.
Results:
All consultations included pet-directed speech, with 779 instances in total, 284 in the United Kingdom and 495 in the United States. There were 12 unique dialogue codes identified, the top three being 'praise,' 'small talk,' and 'explanation'.
Conclusion:
This study identified a wide variety of communication directed to the animal, which, combined with further research, could help enhance understanding of rapport built between the veterinary surgeon, animal, and owner during a consultation.
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