Michelle Farrow, Dan O’Neill, Rowena Packer

Royal Veterinary College, London, United Kingdom

Objectives

Barriers to accessing veterinary care are recognised threats to canine welfare because they can result in delayed, reduced or absent treatment. Owner knowledge and perceptions are key influences on decisions to seek veterinary care but remain understudied. This study investigated how UK dog owners interpret common canine clinical presentations and determine whether and when to seek veterinary care.

Methods

An online vignette-based survey presented UK dog owners with three scenarios randomly selected from a bank of 30 vignettes derived from anonymised VetCompass clinical records representing common canine conditions encountered in primary practice. Participants identified the condition they believed the dog had, assessed the urgency of seeking veterinary care, and reported information sources used to inform their decisions. Post-vignette questions explored routine health-information behaviours for participants’ own dogs. Outcomes included accuracy of condition identification and appropriateness of urgency assessments compared with consensus ratings from a panel of veterinary surgeons. Multivariable models explored factors associated with diagnostic accuracy and urgency assessment.

Results

A total of 5316 vignette responses were obtained from 1772 UK dog owners. Epilepsy, kennel cough, flea infestation and osteoarthritis were most accurately identified, while mast cell tumour, glaucoma and gastrointestinal foreign body were least accurately recognised. Owners who used internet searching to inform decisions showed higher condition identification accuracy (OR 1.63, 95% CI 1.39–1.91). Owners assessed the need for veterinary care as less urgent than veterinary surgeons in 28.4% of responses.

Statement: Impact/ Clinical Significance

Owners were most accurate at identifying conditions with visible clinical signs but frequently underestimated urgency for veterinary care. Improving access to veterinary triage services, telemedicine and information-prescriptions may support welfare-focused owner decision-making. Future study could explore the influence of AI on owner decision-making.