ArticlePloS one2026
To see or not to see the vet: A vignette-based study of decision-making by UK dog owners regarding seeking veterinary care for commonly presenting conditions.
Article in PloS one, 2026. 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
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
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.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- A solution right under our nose? Crossbreeding extreme brachycephalic dogs results in better health outcomes while preserving behavioural profiles and dog-owner relationship quality.Animal welfare (South Mimms, England) · 2026Article
- Sold a pup? Impact of purchasing practices, owner and dog demographics, and puppy early-life experiences on later canine health outcomes in the UK.Animal welfare (South Mimms, England) · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Barriers to accessing veterinary-care for dog-owners are diverse and dynamic, and widely accepted as major canine welfare threats because of potential non-, under- or delayed treatment. Owner knowledge and perceptions are recognised as key influences on decisions to seek veterinary-care but are currently understudied. This study aimed to explore decision-making by UK dog-owners around seeking veterinary-care for common conditions in dogs and identify influences upon these decisions prior to the introduction of Artificial Intelligence technologies. An online vignette-based survey collected responses from UK dog-owners regarding disorder vignettes (n = 3) randomly selected from a bank of n = 30, that were developed from anonymised VetCompass clinical histories to describe common canine conditions in general practice. Framed as being the dog-owner for each vignette, participants suggested (i) the condition they believed the dog was affected by, (ii) their perceived urgency for seeking veterinary-care and (iii) information-sources used to influence their decisions. Post-vignette questions explored participants' real-world dog-health information-sourcing behaviours for their own dog(s). Outcomes modelled included (1) accuracy of condition identification, and (2) appropriateness of urgency assessments compared to consensus from a panel of veterinary surgeons. Analyses included n = 5316 vignette responses from n = 1772 participants. Epilepsy, kennel cough, flea infestation and osteoarthritis were the most accurately identified disorders whereas mast cell tumour, glaucoma and gastrointestinal foreign body were the least accurately identified. Owners using internet-searching for health-information to aid vignette responses scored higher on accuracy than those who did not. Owners perceived conditions to require veterinary-care less urgently than veterinary surgeons in 28.4% of vignette responses; however, using online dog-health groups for information-sourcing reduced the risk of under-urgency. Owners were most accurate at identifying conditions with external clinical signs but often underestimated urgency of seeking veterinary care. Improved accessibility and utilisation of veterinary triage services, telemedicine and information-prescriptions for owners could improve canine welfare by supporting better dog-owner decision-making and optimising veterinary professional workload.
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