Current estimates of the UK dog population vary, contain potential sources of bias and are based on expensive, large scale, public surveys. Here, we evaluate the potential of a variety of sources for estimation and monitoring of the companion dog population in the UK and associated demographic information. The sources considered were: a public survey; veterinary practices; pet insurance companies; micro-chip records; Kennel Club registrations; and the Pet Travel Scheme. The public survey and subpopulation estimates from veterinary practices, pet insurance companies and Kennel Club registrations, were combined to generate distinct estimates of the UK owned dog population using a Bayesian approach.

The ability to meet the needs of each species in captivity is at the heart of the ethical debate on the acceptability of keeping reptiles and other animals as pets. Little is known about the ability of reptile owners to understand their pets’ behavior and to meet their welfare requirements. In this study, we surveyed pet reptile owners in Portugal (N = 220) to assess their behavioral knowledge and the provision of essential husbandry needs. Although two-thirds of respondents (68%) scored very good to excellent in terms of knowledge of their pet reptile’s behaviors, only 15% of respondents met four essential reptile husbandry needs (temperature, lighting, diet and refuge) and 43% met two or less. None of the respondents reported their reptile’s welfare as very poor, and only a single respondent reported it as poor. Logistic regression model showed that while snake owners had fourteen times higher odds of reporting adequate husbandry provision, lizard owners had the highest odds of reporting good or very good welfare despite providing less of their animals’ basic husbandry needs. These results suggest that many pet reptiles in Portugal live in, at best, ‘controlled deprivation’ and are at risk of suffering poor welfare throughout their captive lives. Moreover, behaviors indicative of poor welfare and captivity stress were considered ‘normal’ by up to one quarter of respondents. We suggest that the frequency of these behaviors in pet reptiles has led to their acceptance as normal, precluding the search for ways to prevent them. These results suggest that campaigns aimed at challenging the current norm for adequate reptile welfare are warranted.

For a constructively aligned curriculum in veterinary professionalism, there is a need for well-designed higher order learning outcomes to support students' professional identity formation. A lack of uniformly accepted definitions of veterinary professionalism necessitates the defining and refining of current concepts of professionalism to inform teaching and assessment. A potential method for achieving such learning outcomes is to generate these from simulated professionalism teaching scenarios. A workshop was designed in which veterinary educators used role play to resolve a professional dilemma. Following discussion of the appropriate management approach, participants were asked to reflect on the learning outcomes that were required to resolve the scenario and that students would achieve by going through the same classroom-based process. Workshop participants identified several professionalism learning outcomes that are not currently defined in the literature: realizing that there is not a single correct answer to a professional dilemma, making a decision despite this uncertainty, communicating differences of opinion, and understanding the effect of differences in professional identity. Although the process described runs counter to traditional curricular design, it may offer a valuable contribution to the discourse surrounding professionalism learning outcomes. Furthermore, it has generated higher level learning outcomes than have been obtained through other methods.

This retrospective questionnaire study evaluates the perceptions of veterinary clients of the informed consent process and the consent form in a veterinary referral hospital. Replicating a validated perception survey from human medicine, 470 clients at the Queen Mother Hospital for Animals were surveyed on their perceptions during the consenting process through postal survey examining their understanding, experience and recall of informed consent. Of the 165 responses (35 per cent response rate), the majority of clients recalled the process and signing the form; however, half of the clients did not feel in control (51 per cent) or reassured (53 per cent) by the process. There was limited understanding of the purpose of consent, with 45 per cent thinking it removed their right to compensation for negligence and 31 per cent thought the veterinarian could do something different from the agreed procedure. Sixty per cent of clients did not read the form, as they trusted their veterinarian, but 33 per cent of clients felt frightened by the process. This survey highlights the need to understand the process of consent from the client's perspective, and adapt the consenting process to incorporate this into professional communication to ensure that the professional and contractual objectives of consent are met fully.

Dog fighting became unlawful in the UK in 1835, yet it continues today (as reported by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) and Crown Prosecution Service), although with an unknown prevalence. We used an online questionnaire to (1) determine the occurrence of dogs suspected of use in fighting in UK veterinary practices; (2) explore relative reporting of incidents to police, RSPCA or equivalent charity by registered veterinary nurses (RVN) and veterinarians; and (3) determine factors influencing reporting. Emails (n=2493) containing the questionnaire were sent to UK veterinary practices: 423 questionnaires (159 by RVNs, 264 by veterinarians) were completed. One or more cases of dog fighting were suspected by 14.4 per cent of respondents in 2015; 182 cases suspected in total. Proportionately more RVNs suspected dog fighting than veterinarians (P=0.0009). Thirty‐two respondents (7.6 per cent, n=422) claimed to have reported suspicions to the police, the RSPCA or equivalent charity previously; 59 respondents (14.2 per cent) had previously chosen not to. Reasons not to report included: uncertainty of illegal activity (81.4 per cent), fear of the client not returning to the practice (35.6 per cent) and concerns regarding client confidentiality (22.0 per cent). Further work is required to address under‐reporting of dog fighting by veterinary professionals.