Pet, Pest, Profit: Patient! How Attitudes Toward Animals Among Veterinary Students in the Netherlands Differ According to Animal Categories and Student-Related Variables
Veterinarians are not just animal health professionals; they are also considered animal welfare experts. Animal-directed empathy, the ability to understand and match an animal’s emotional state, is essential for recognizing animal welfare issues. It is therefore a vital competency for veterinarians....
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Animals |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/15/2222 |
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| author | Angelika V. Dijkstra Klaasse Monique R. E. Janssens Daniela C. F. Salvatori |
| author_facet | Angelika V. Dijkstra Klaasse Monique R. E. Janssens Daniela C. F. Salvatori |
| author_sort | Angelika V. Dijkstra Klaasse |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Veterinarians are not just animal health professionals; they are also considered animal welfare experts. Animal-directed empathy, the ability to understand and match an animal’s emotional state, is essential for recognizing animal welfare issues. It is therefore a vital competency for veterinarians. The factors that play a role in shaping this empathy are animal, personal, and cultural influences, as well as the categorization of animals based on their benefit or harm to people: pet, pest or profit (used for economic purposes). We conducted a survey among veterinary students in the Netherlands to assess their levels of animal-directed empathy by scoring their attitude toward animals with the “Pet, Pest, Profit Scale”. Analysis of 321 completed surveys revealed that students showed the highest empathy for pets, the second-highest levels for pest animals, and the lowest levels for profit animals. Empathy levels also differed depending on career choice, background, and diet. These findings indicate that categorizing animals influences veterinary students’ empathy levels, which can lead to unrecognized welfare issues, especially for pest and profit animals. It is important to enhance empathy for these categories through targeted educational interventions to help prepare veterinary students for their responsibility as veterinarians, ensuring the welfare of all animals, whether pet, pest or profit. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-8552e7656c1a47b78f59f9c4dccbcf11 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2076-2615 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Animals |
| spelling | doaj-art-8552e7656c1a47b78f59f9c4dccbcf112025-08-20T03:36:32ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152025-07-011515222210.3390/ani15152222Pet, Pest, Profit: Patient! How Attitudes Toward Animals Among Veterinary Students in the Netherlands Differ According to Animal Categories and Student-Related VariablesAngelika V. Dijkstra Klaasse0Monique R. E. Janssens1Daniela C. F. Salvatori2Anatomy and Physiology, Department Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, 3584 CL Utrecht, The NetherlandsAnatomy and Physiology, Department Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, 3584 CL Utrecht, The NetherlandsAnatomy and Physiology, Department Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, 3584 CL Utrecht, The NetherlandsVeterinarians are not just animal health professionals; they are also considered animal welfare experts. Animal-directed empathy, the ability to understand and match an animal’s emotional state, is essential for recognizing animal welfare issues. It is therefore a vital competency for veterinarians. The factors that play a role in shaping this empathy are animal, personal, and cultural influences, as well as the categorization of animals based on their benefit or harm to people: pet, pest or profit (used for economic purposes). We conducted a survey among veterinary students in the Netherlands to assess their levels of animal-directed empathy by scoring their attitude toward animals with the “Pet, Pest, Profit Scale”. Analysis of 321 completed surveys revealed that students showed the highest empathy for pets, the second-highest levels for pest animals, and the lowest levels for profit animals. Empathy levels also differed depending on career choice, background, and diet. These findings indicate that categorizing animals influences veterinary students’ empathy levels, which can lead to unrecognized welfare issues, especially for pest and profit animals. It is important to enhance empathy for these categories through targeted educational interventions to help prepare veterinary students for their responsibility as veterinarians, ensuring the welfare of all animals, whether pet, pest or profit.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/15/2222animal welfareattitude toward animalsveterinary studentsempathyanimal categoriespet pest profit |
| spellingShingle | Angelika V. Dijkstra Klaasse Monique R. E. Janssens Daniela C. F. Salvatori Pet, Pest, Profit: Patient! How Attitudes Toward Animals Among Veterinary Students in the Netherlands Differ According to Animal Categories and Student-Related Variables Animals animal welfare attitude toward animals veterinary students empathy animal categories pet pest profit |
| title | Pet, Pest, Profit: Patient! How Attitudes Toward Animals Among Veterinary Students in the Netherlands Differ According to Animal Categories and Student-Related Variables |
| title_full | Pet, Pest, Profit: Patient! How Attitudes Toward Animals Among Veterinary Students in the Netherlands Differ According to Animal Categories and Student-Related Variables |
| title_fullStr | Pet, Pest, Profit: Patient! How Attitudes Toward Animals Among Veterinary Students in the Netherlands Differ According to Animal Categories and Student-Related Variables |
| title_full_unstemmed | Pet, Pest, Profit: Patient! How Attitudes Toward Animals Among Veterinary Students in the Netherlands Differ According to Animal Categories and Student-Related Variables |
| title_short | Pet, Pest, Profit: Patient! How Attitudes Toward Animals Among Veterinary Students in the Netherlands Differ According to Animal Categories and Student-Related Variables |
| title_sort | pet pest profit patient how attitudes toward animals among veterinary students in the netherlands differ according to animal categories and student related variables |
| topic | animal welfare attitude toward animals veterinary students empathy animal categories pet pest profit |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/15/2222 |
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