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that they preferred to assume a more positive scenario. One respondent noted that a patient presented with a painful, bruised abdomen and the owner ' s partner was timid and also appeared to be experiencing abdominal pain. Other respondents stated that partners of clients had booked an appointment to have a young, healthy animal euthanised during the process of divorce. Of the respondents, 12.4 % noted an increase in the number of patients presenting with non-accidental injuries during the recent( at the time of the survey) national lockdown for the Covid-19 pandemic.
Most( 73.9 %) survey participants were not aware of pet fostering organisations to which clients with pets who are escaping an abusive relationship could be referred.
Opinions regarding reporting and barriers to reporting
More than half( 52.8 %) of the respondents did not believe that a perpetrator of animal abuse would seek veterinary care for the animal and bring it to a veterinary practice to be seen. In the free-text box associated with this question, respondents noted that if perpetrators did bring the animal to a practice, it would be with a falsified history.
Of the participants, 44.7 % indicated that they do not report every case of non-accidental injury or neglect to the relevant authorities, while 63.4 % stated that they were not aware of cross-reporting cases of abuse between multiple safeguarding agencies and authorities.
Across both questions, respondents noted:
• Support and guidelines for reporting these cases were inadequate
• Senior members of their practice did not support reporting
• A general lack of confidence for the outcomes of reporting cases to animal welfare organisations
• A reluctance to report unless they were absolutely certain that abuse had occurred
• Uncertainty regarding General Data Protection Regulation( GDPR) requirements
• Uncertainty regarding the organisations to which they should report.
When questioned about whether reporting cases of abuse constitutes a moral or legal obligation, the majority of respondents regarded it as both. A smaller proportion viewed it solely as a moral responsibility, and a very small minority did not consider reporting to be either a moral or legal obligation. In free text, one participant commented:“ We are the voice for those who cannot speak.”
Respondents could select multiple factors regarding barriers to reporting abuse. Lack of evidence was the most frequently cited barrier( Figure 3).
Figure 3. Barriers to reporting abuse.
Volume 41( 5) • October 2026
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