A Mixed Methods Approach to Exploring Factors that Influence Veterinary Staff Interactions with Dog Patients During Routine Care
Year: 2026
Type: dissertation
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Fear and stress during veterinary visits are commonly experienced in dogs, which results in implications for animal welfare, clinical safety, and veterinary professional well-being. Guided by a One Welfare framework, this dissertation examined dog handling techniques used during routine veterinary examinations, the factors that influence handling decisions, and how individual and workplace characteristics relate to veterinary staff professional quality of life (ProQOL), including burnout (BO, secondary traumatic stress (STS), and compassion satisfaction (CS). First, we conducted a cross-sectional survey of veterinary staff across Canada and the United States (n = 691) to assess the frequency of different handling techniques used on calm, fearful, and aggressive dogs and identify risk factors for the use of minimal and full-body restraint on fearful and aggressive dogs of different sizes (small and large). The use of minimal restraint was reported across dog demeanors (calm, 82.7%; fearful; 73.1%; aggressive: 51.9%), whereas the use of full-body restraint was frequently reported for fearful (63.9%) and aggressive dogs (68.6%). Use of minimal restraint was associated with participant age, provision of treats during examinations, and holding a stress-reducing handling certification. In contrast, use of full-body restraint was associated with moderate or low levels of STS, staff perceptions and priorities during examinations, including the perceived importance of staff safety, completing examination components, and the influence of owner presence on handling decisions. Additional predictors of restraint practices identified in some models included participant gender, staff role, practice type, graduation year, and having a prior dog bite. Second, using the same cross-sectional sample (n = 691), we assessed the prevalence and predictors of veterinary professionals’ ProQOL. Most participants had moderate levels of BO (71.2%), STS (71.8%), and CS (74.3%). Below-average scores on Big Five personality traits, including extraversion, conscientiousness, openness, emotional stability, and agreeableness, were associated with BO and STS. Additional predictors of ProQOL identified in some models included staff role, and having a stress-reducing certification. The use of handling techniques was not associated with ProQOL. Third, we conducted qualitative semi-structured interviews with veterinarians (n = 17) to explore how handling decisions occur in practice and perceived challenges and benefits of stress-reducing practices. Inductive content analysis identified four categories: 1) approaches to dog handling; 2) factors affecting handling approaches; 3) veterinarian ProQOL; and 4) perceptions of stress-reducing practices. Veterinarians described handling as a negotiation among patient behavior and characteristics, safety, time and efficiency pressures, client and colleagues’ perceptions of stress-reducing practices, and their own well-being. Stress-reducing practices were valued among all participants but not consistently perceived as feasible due to limited time, staffing, and other workplace constraints. Finally, an observational study was conducted with veterinary students (n = 66) to explore relationships between students’ well-being and affective state, dog handling techniques used during simulated routine examinations, and behavioral and physiological indicators of dog fear and stress. Passive handling was associated with lower dog fear scores and fewer fear-related behaviors, whereas more restrictive techniques, including standing restraint, abdominal lift, and muzzle hold, were associated with higher dog fear scores and behaviors such as avoidance, reduced posture, lip/snout licking, and escape. Students rated dog fear lower than experimenter-rated fear scores (z = 3.66, p < 0.001), suggesting that students may have underestimated dogs’ fear during examinations. Handler mental well-being and pre-lab affective state were not associated with handling or dog fear outcomes; however, students’ negative affect decreased from pre- to post-lab, while positive affect remained unchanged. Results from this dissertation highlight the need to develop and evaluate training- and clinic-based interventions that support the consistent and feasible use of stress-reducing handling practices across veterinary education and clinical practice. These interventions should assess impacts on dog welfare outcomes, handler mental well-being, clinical efficiency, animal behavior recognition and handling skills. Future studies should also examine potential bidirectional relationships between veterinary professionals’ ProQOL and dog handling practices, as well as how these relationships emerge during veterinary training and evolve across the transition into clinical practice.
Author: Nakonechny, Lindsay Joelle
Language: English
Subfield: Speech and Hearing
Field: Health Professions
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7214133035