Perceptions of fourth-year veterinary students about the human-animal bond in veterinary practice and in veterinary college curricula

摘要

Data were collected via a brief questionnaire mailed during the summer of 1996 and returned by 552 senior veterinary students representing 21 of 27 veterinary colleges in the United States. Senior veterinary students believed that the human-animal bond should be a concern of practicing veterinarians, but most did not believe they were receiving adequate instruction about the human-animal bond in their veterinary colleges. Sex was significantly related to differences in perceptions; female studentsappeared to have more interest in addressing the human-animal bond than male students. Students in small animal programmes viewed the human-animal bond differently than those in large animal programmes. Finally, students attending schools with extensivehuman-animal bond or human relations curricula were more likely to believe they were receiving adequate instruction in this area than students in other schools. It is concluded that curricula addressing the human-animal bond need to be developed and implemented in veterinary colleges in the United States.