Zoonotic infections in UK and Irish veterinary students: a cross-sectional survey.

Background: Zoonotic infections are a recognised risk for the veterinary community. Veterinary students are at risk, due to the range of activities they participate with on training coupled with their inexperience; yet the prevalence and severity of infections in veterinary students has been little studied. In this study, a survey explored zoonotic infections in UK and Irish veterinary students.

BEVA primary care clinical guidelines: Equine parasite control.

Background: There is a lack of consensus on how best to balance our need to minimise the risk of parasite-associated disease in the individual horse, with the need to limit the use of anthelmintics in the population to preserve their efficacy through delaying further development of resistance.

Objectives: To develop evidence-based guidelines utilising a modified GRADE framework.

Methods: A panel of veterinary scientists with relevant expertise and experience was convened.

Used like Pawns or Treated like Kings? How Narratives around Racehorse Welfare in the 2023 Grand National May Affect Public Acceptance: An Informed Commentary.

The 2023 Grand National steeplechase race was delayed when protesters from the animal rights group, 'Animal Rising', gained access to the course just prior to the race. The international media spotlight was focused on what is already a high-profile event and the social licence of both this race and racing in general was scrutinised. Both at the time and for several days afterwards, the general public was exposed to two different narratives from pro- and anti-racing communities.

Motivating owners to change their behaviour to tackle obesity in their pets.

Research is revealing more about the risk factors for obesity in companion animals, particularly dogs, making it easier to target efforts to tackle this weighty problem. But, as Tamzin Furtado will explain at BVA Live, there is one fundamental thing that must happen to ensure success.

Exploring human behavior change in equine welfare: Insights from a COM-B analysis of the UK's equine obesity epidemic.

While equine obesity is understood by equine professionals to be a serious and widespread welfare problem, thus far approaches to reducing the prevalence of obesity in the UK's leisure horses have mainly been limited to educating owners about the dangers of obesity in their horses. In human health, approaches to behavior change encourage holistic thinking around human behavior, recognizing the importance of the connection between the individuals' knowledge, attitudes, habits, and the social and physical environments. This study used qualitative data from interviews with horse owners and professionals, open-access discussion fora and focus groups in order to collate extensive information about the factors shaping the UK's equine obesity crisis.

A Qualitative Exploration of UK Leisure Horse Owners' Perceptions of Equine Wellbeing.

Human assessment of equine wellbeing is fundamental to ensuring the optimal care of domestic horses. However, terminology associated with wellbeing is still not fully defined and there are currently no validated quality of life (QoL) assessment tools. Furthermore, little is known about what equine wellbeing or QoL means to horse owners, or how their beliefs impact on the management decisions they make for their horse.

Impacts of COVID-19 on Owner's Veterinary Healthcare Seeking Behavior for Dogs With Chronic Conditions: An Exploratory Mixed-Methods Study With a Convenience Sample.

This mixed-method study explored the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on owners' veterinary healthcare seeking, with particular focus on dogs with chronic conditions. A convenience sample of 719 UK dog owners completed an online survey (December 2020-January 2021). Differences in treatment provision and respondents' decisions to seek care across acute, preventative, chronic conditions and for end-of-life care were explored.

An Exploration of Environmentally Sustainable Practices Associated with Alternative Grazing Management System Use for Horses, Ponies, Donkeys and Mules in the UK.

Equestrian grazing management is a poorly researched area, despite potentially significant environmental impacts. This study explored keepers' use of alternative grazing systems in the care of UK horses, donkeys and mules through an internet survey. The survey was available during the summer of 2020 and comprised closed and open questions, which were analysed with descriptive statistics and iterative thematic analysis, respectively.

How Happy Are Equine Athletes? Stakeholder Perceptions of Equine Welfare Issues Associated with Equestrian Sport.

The international governing body for equestrian sports, the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI), states that the welfare of the horse must be paramount and never subordinated to competitive or commercial influences. However, there is growing unease about welfare issues from both within and outside the sport. The aim of this study was to understand stakeholder perceptions of current welfare issues within equestrian sport, determine whether there is scope for change, and explore attitudes towards welfare assessment.

Equine Management in UK Livery Yards during the COVID-19 Pandemic-"As Long As the Horses Are Happy, We Can Work Out the Rest Later".

Approximately 60% of the UK's leisure horses are kept at livery yards under the management and oversight of a livery yard owner or manager (LYO/M), yet their role has received little research attention. This study used the COVID-19 pandemic as a lens through which to view LYO/Ms' decisions around equine care and management at a time when changes to usual practice were necessary. Qualitative research methods were used.

Public Roads as Places of Interspecies Conflict: A Study of Horse-Human Interactions on UK Roads and Impacts on Equine Exercise.

Real or perceived traffic risk is a significant barrier to walking and cycling. To understand whether similar barriers influence equestrians, this study obtained exercise behaviours, road use and experiences of road-related incidents from UK equestrians ( = 6390) via an online questionnaire. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to identify factors associated with road use and experiencing a near-miss or injury-causing incident in the previous year.

Exploring horse owners' understanding of obese body condition and weight management in UK leisure horses.

Background: Equine obesity is considered one of the most serious welfare concerns in UK leisure horses, yet little is known about how horse owners conceptualise their horse's weight as part of its health, or how they plan and carry out weight management.

Objectives: This study aimed to further our understanding of leisure horse owners' perceptions of equine health and awareness of excess fat in order to clarify our understanding of successful strategies for managing equine weight.

Study Design: This study used a qualitative research methodology.

Developing a globally applicable evidence-informed competency framework to support capacity strengthening in clinical research.

Capacity development for clinical research is held back by a lack of recognition for the skills acquired through involvement in clinical trials and in other varied types of global health research studies. Although some competency frameworks and associated recognised career pathways exist for different clinical research roles, they mostly apply to a single role or study setting. Our experience supports the need for an integrated approach, looking at the many roles in parallel and at all types of clinical research beyond trials.

The translation and cultural adaptation of the Child Behavior Checklist for use in Israel (Hebrew), Korea, the US (Spanish), India (Malayalam and Kannada), and Spain.

Background: The Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) is a caregiver rating scale for assessing the behavioral profile of children. It was developed in the US, and has been extensively translated and used in a large number of studies internationally.

Objective: The objective of this study was to translate the CBCL into six languages using a rigorous translation methodology, placing particular emphasis on cultural adaptation and ensuring that the measure has content validity with carers of children with epilepsy.