Exotic pets in Ireland: 2. Provision of veterinary services and perspectives of veterinary professionals' on responsible ownership.

ABSTRACT:

Background

There has been increasing concern expressed about the welfare of exotic pets worldwide. For the purposes of this article, an exotic pet is considered to be a non-domesticated species, where there are knowledge gaps on good practice (minimum standards of care), veterinary diagnostics and treatments. The categories of exotic pets included in this study were: small mammals (< 20 kg), large mammals (> 20 kg), birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish and invertebrates. Dogs, cats, rabbits, hamsters, gerbils, guinea pigs, mice, rats, and ferrets were excluded from the study. An online survey of veterinary professionals conducted between July and August 2020 provides the first empirical data for Ireland. In this pilot study (the second in this thematic series) we aim to characterise t

SUBMITTER: Goins M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8096126 | biostudies-literature | 2021 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature