Rabbit welfare: determining priority welfare issues for pet rabbits using a modified Delphi method.
behaviour
nutrition
owner attitudes to pets
rabbits
welfare
Journal
Veterinary record open
ISSN: 2052-6113
Titre abrégé: Vet Rec Open
Pays: United States
ID NLM: 101653671
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
2019
2019
Historique:
received:
26
06
2019
revised:
21
10
2019
accepted:
23
10
2019
entrez:
7
1
2020
pubmed:
7
1
2020
medline:
7
1
2020
Statut:
epublish
Résumé
Rabbits are the third most popular pet in the UK, but little research into their welfare needs has been conducted. A modified Delphi method was used to generate expert consensus on the most important welfare issues for rabbits in the UK. The study involved 11 experts, recruited from a range of disciplines. The experts generated an initial broad list of welfare issues via an online discussion board. Two rounds of online surveys were conducted to prioritise these issues. The final round was a workshop with a subsection of experts. The experts decided that welfare issues should be ranked considering: (1) severity, (2) duration, and (3) prevalence. Experts considered that rabbits were often kept in inadequate housing, were not handled or socialised properly, were fed inappropriate diets and owners failed to vaccinate their rabbits against preventable diseases. Rabbits were thought to experience a reduced life expectancy. Lack of owner knowledge of rabbit husbandry and behaviour and, in some cases, also lack of veterinary knowledge, contributed to poor rabbit welfare. The Delphi process resulted in consensus on the most significant welfare challenges faced by rabbits and can help guide future research and education priority decisions.
Sections du résumé
BACKGROUND
BACKGROUND
Rabbits are the third most popular pet in the UK, but little research into their welfare needs has been conducted.
METHODS
METHODS
A modified Delphi method was used to generate expert consensus on the most important welfare issues for rabbits in the UK. The study involved 11 experts, recruited from a range of disciplines. The experts generated an initial broad list of welfare issues via an online discussion board. Two rounds of online surveys were conducted to prioritise these issues. The final round was a workshop with a subsection of experts. The experts decided that welfare issues should be ranked considering: (1) severity, (2) duration, and (3) prevalence.
RESULTS
RESULTS
Experts considered that rabbits were often kept in inadequate housing, were not handled or socialised properly, were fed inappropriate diets and owners failed to vaccinate their rabbits against preventable diseases. Rabbits were thought to experience a reduced life expectancy. Lack of owner knowledge of rabbit husbandry and behaviour and, in some cases, also lack of veterinary knowledge, contributed to poor rabbit welfare.
CONCLUSIONS
CONCLUSIONS
The Delphi process resulted in consensus on the most significant welfare challenges faced by rabbits and can help guide future research and education priority decisions.
Identifiants
pubmed: 31903189
doi: 10.1136/vetreco-2019-000363
pii: vetreco-2019-000363
pmc: PMC6924855
doi:
Types de publication
Journal Article
Langues
eng
Pagination
e000363Informations de copyright
© British Veterinary Association 2019. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. Published by BMJ.
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