Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog owners' worries about vet care access during COVID-19 in UK
By Owczarczak-Garstecka, Sara C et al.·Published in The Veterinary record·2022·Dogs Trust, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Accessing veterinary healthcare during the COVID-19 pandemic: A mixed-methods analysis of UK and Republic of Ireland dog owners' concerns and experiences.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
Many dog owners were worried about getting veterinary care during the COVID-19 pandemic. A survey showed that while 32% of owners were concerned about access to veterinary services, nearly all (99.5%) who needed to contact a vet were able to do so. However, some dogs faced delays in routine procedures like neutering and vaccinations, affecting about 28% and 34% of those planned, respectively. Overall, while emergency care was mostly available, routine treatments were often postponed due to safety measures.
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Abstract
BACKGROUND: This study explored dog owners' concerns and experiences related to accessing veterinary healthcare during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: Data were obtained through two cross-sectional owner-completed surveys conducted in May (first nationwide lockdown) and October 2020 and owner-completed diaries (April-November 2020). Diaries and relevant open-ended survey questions were analysed qualitatively to identify themes. Survey responses concerning veterinary healthcare access were summarised and compared using chi-square tests. RESULTS: During the initial months of the pandemic, veterinary healthcare availability worried 32.4% (n = 1431/4922) of respondents. However, between 23 March and 4 November 2020, 99.5% (n = 1794/1843) of those needing to contact a veterinarian managed to do so. Delays/cancellations of procedures affected 28.0% (n = 82/293) of dogs that owners planned to neuter and 34.2% (n = 460/1346) of dogs that owners intended to vaccinate. Qualitative themes included COVID-19 safety precautions, availability of veterinary healthcare and the veterinarian-client relationship. CONCLUSION: Veterinary healthcare availability concerned many owners during the COVID-19 pandemic. Access to veterinary healthcare for emergencies remained largely available, but prophylactic treatments were delayed for some dogs.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35514067/