Prevalence of mistreatment in dogs and cats attended in a private veterinary establishment
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.11606/issn.1678-4456.bjvras.2024.218009Keywords:
Animal abuse, Animal welfare, Negligence, Veterinary clinicAbstract
Animal abuse is considered a crime in Brazil. Veterinarians play an essential role in promoting animal welfare and tackling this crime. The objective was to know the cases of mistreatment of pets attended in veterinary clinics. Of the 10 veterinary clinics invited, only one followed the recommendations and was included. A segmented form was completed in four sections (general animal data, animal behavior, physical inspection of the animals, and the tutor’s conduct towards the animals) for each animal consulted. For three months, 148 animals, 77.70% dogs (115/148) and 22.30% cats (33/148) were treated; the majority had between 0 and 2 years; 66.1% (76/115) of dogs had a defined breed, and 97.0% (32/33) of cats had no defined breed. There was a significant statistical difference between species and breed (χ2 (1)=0.001; P<0.05) and between species and age (χ2 (1)=0.037; P<0.05). The most frequent physical conditions were periodontal disease grade III or IV (16.5% dogs and 3.0% cats), dehydration (7.8% dogs and 18.2% cats), and low body condition score (6.9% dogs and 15.2% cats). There was a significant statistical difference between species and periodontal disease grade III or IV (χ2 (1)=0.047; P=0.046). Regarding the conduct of the person responsible for the animal, the most frequent ones were the refusal of the tutor to perform complementary examinations (5.2% dogs and 18.2% cats) and delay in the search of the veterinarian (6.9% dogs and 3.0% cats). There was a statistical difference between species and refusal of the tutor to perform complementary examinations (χ2 (1)=0.027; P<0.05). The suspicion of mistreatment in dogs was associated with periodontal disease and delay in seeking treatment; in cats, dehydration, and refusal to perform additional tests.
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