Dog Owner Perceptions of Veterinary Handling Techniques

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Medicine
• Animal Behavior

Background:

• Veterinary visits can cause stress for dogs and owners, potentially impacting health and visit frequency.
• Owner satisfaction is crucial for regular veterinary care and positive animal welfare outcomes.
• Understanding owner perspectives on handling techniques can improve the veterinary experience.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess owner agreement with 13 recommended dog handling techniques during veterinary appointments.
• To investigate how pet attachment and owner demographics influence agreement with handling techniques.
• To identify factors affecting owner satisfaction with veterinary handling procedures.

Main Methods:

• An online cross-sectional survey was distributed to 1176 dog owners in Canada and the United States.
• Owners rated their agreement with handling techniques based on their dog's demeanor (calm, fearful, aggressive).
• Logistic regression analyzed the impact of pet attachment (Lexington Attachment to Pets Scale - LAPS) and demographics on owner agreement.

Main Results:

• Most owners disagreed with high-restraint techniques (e.g., full body restraint, muzzles) and agreed with low-restraint methods.
• For medium/large dogs, veterinary experience correlated with less agreement on minimal restraint and more agreement on full restraint for fearful dogs.
• Small dog owners with higher LAPS scores favored minimal restraint for fearful dogs; those with veterinary experience or identifying as male favored full restraint.

Conclusions:

• Owner preferences generally align with low-stress handling recommendations.
• Incorporating owner perspectives on handling methods can enhance satisfaction and dog welfare during veterinary care.
• Tailoring handling approaches based on dog size and owner factors may improve the veterinary experience.