The Bond is Back? Vets probe human-animal interactions at the London Vet Show
Dr John Bradshaw, renowned expert on human-animal interactions, will head discussions exploring the bond between humans and animals at the British Veterinary Association (BVA) Congress, part of London Vet Show (19 - 20 November) as new figures from BVA show vets top concerns about pets are rooted in owners misunderstanding of their animals needs.
Dr Bradshaw, author of bestsellers “Dog Sense”, “In Defence of Dogs” and “Cat Sense” will argue in Thursday’s Wooldridge Memorial Lecture that the bond formed when owners treat pets as ‘furry humans’ is essential but can also have severe repercussions when owners forget that pets are animals with distinct needs.
To coincide with the London Vet Show, BVA has released findings from its Voice of the Veterinary Profession survey that show owner misunderstanding of pets’ needs lie behind vets’ top welfare concerns: obesity and overfeeding was the number one concern of companion animal vets (64%) with owner misunderstanding of animal needs being the third most mentioned concern (19%).
Amongst vets who work with exotic animals, poor or inappropriate husbandry was the number one concern (56%) with owner misunderstanding of animal needs being the second most mentioned concern (48%).
Dr Bradshaw said:
“Dogs and cats are not what they were a century ago. Most are now kept solely for companionship and treated as part of the family by their owners. This anthropomorphism can blind owners to their pet’s priorities. In the UK alone, millions of dogs suffer every day due to fundamental misunderstandings of how their minds work. I hope to explore at BVA Congress how the veterinary profession could take a more all-encompassing approach to animal welfare, and help owners better understand what their pets need.”
The human-animal bond is also under the spotlight at BVA Congress session Human-animal bond: all take no give? where Professor Daniel Mills and Professor Peter Sandøe will discuss the significant health and welfare benefits of pets and question if humans are upholding their part of the bargain in our relationships with companion animals.
BVA President Sean Wensley said:
“Any vet who has worked with pets will know what strong bonds exist between owners and their loved animals. But evidence – including BVA’s own survey and the PDSA Animal Wellbeing (PAW) Report – points to welfare issues, such as obesity and poor socialisation, arising from owners’ misunderstanding of their animal’s needs.
“Owners’ good intentions do not always translate into good understanding of their animal’s welfare needs and vets and veterinary nurses can support owners to gain this understanding. This is why BVA feels it is so important to discuss the opportunities and challenges of the human-animal bond at one of the most important meetings in the veterinary profession’s year.”
