Pilot Study of Attitudes of Taiwanese Veterinarians and Undergraduate Veterinary Students toward Animal Abuse and Interpersonal Violence

SIMPLE SUMMARY: There is a strong association between animal abuse and interpersonal violence; therefore, veterinarians may encounter both. Dealing with animal abuse cases is beneficial for advancing animal welfare and the overall public health. Veterinarians play an important professional role in identifying and responding to this relationship. This is the first study in Taiwan to investigate the current situation of animal abuse from the perspective of veterinarians. Our results established that the incidence of suspected physical animal abuse encountered by veterinarians in Taiwan was 0.16 cases per 100 patients, and 63.9% of our respondents had seen suspected of animal physical abuse in the past five years. Approximately 10% of animal abuse cases were likely concurrent with human abuse. Most respondents (about 80%) agreed that animal abuse and human abuse frequently co-occur. However, it did not affect their willingness to assist or report abuse. In total, 88.7% of respondents supported mandatory reporting of animal abuse. The results of this study underscore the urgent advancement of education and the importance of the crucial veterinary role in both animal and interpersonal abuse cases. ABSTRACT: There is a strong association between animal abuse and interpersonal violence; therefore, veterinarians may encounter both. Dealing with animal abuse cases is beneficial for advancing animal welfare and the overall public health. Veterinarians play an important role in identifying and responding to this relationship. This study estimated the incidence of animal abuse encountered by veterinarians, examined veterinarians’ awareness of the relationship between animal abuse and human abuse, examined veterinarians’ attitudes towards how they deal with abuse cases, and related demographic characteristics to their attitudes of intervention and the frequency of encountering abuse cases. An anonymous self-administered questionnaire was designed and distributed through social media. Our results show that respondents’ motivation to interfere for animal abuse cases was positively related to their moral or legal responsibility, willingness to assist, and agreement of mandatory reporting. Our results indicated that respondents who believed they had been provided with adequate training were more willing to deal with animal abuse, more capable of distinguishing abuse cases, and did not believe that dealing with abuse cases was beyond their ability. However, more than 60% of our respondents self-evaluated that the animal cruelty awareness training courses were insufficient. Hence, in addition to the traditional role of veterinarians, identifying and responding to animal cruelty should be enhanced through education.