ArticleThe Veterinary record2025
Qualitative interview study exploring Maltese veterinarians' practice of behavioural medicine.
Article in The Veterinary record, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Small Animal Veterinarians' Perceptions and Practices in Dog Aggression Prevention in Italy: A National Survey.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2026Article
- Qualitative interview study exploring Maltese veterinarians' practice of behavioural medicine.The Veterinary record · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundVeterinary behavioural medicine (VBM) is an emerging discipline, and behavioural support offered by veterinarians has been shown to positively impact One Welfare. However, the practice of VBM by veterinarians is reportedly limited. Research in this field is scant and predominantly quantitative in nature. This qualitative study aimed to explore the attitudes of small animal veterinarians in Malta towards VBM and canine mental health, their practice of VBM and any related barriers.
methodsQualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted, and a template analysis approach was applied to the collected data.
resultsEleven Malta-based veterinarians were interviewed. Their responses suggest a positive regard towards canine mental health, with opportunities for improvement in VBM practice. Potential barriers to the practice of VBM included knowledge gaps, time constraints, difficulties in communicating with clients, limited availability of trusted behavioural service providers (BSPs), challenges in establishing effective working relationships with BSPs and lack of BSP regulation. LIMITATIONS: The generalisability of the findings is limited due to the nature of the study, and recruitment bias was possible.
conclusionThis study highlights avenues for changes in veterinary practices that could positively impact One Welfare. Improving veterinary knowledge of VBM and regulating BSPs are suggested as key factors in achieving this goal.
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