Survey of Awareness of and Experience in Forensic Veterinary Medicine

Abstract

An online survey was conducted to assess veterinary students and professionals' awareness of forensic veterinary medicine in Japan and the related experiences of veterinary professionals. The survey revealed that 58.9％ of veterinary students were aware of the existence of forensic veterinary medicine, while 34.8％ of clinical veterinarians reported being familiar with it. When questioned about the 2019 amendment to the Act on Welfare and Management of Animals, which requires that veterinarians report animal abuse, 70.6％ of veterinary students answered that they were aware of the law, compared to 51.3％ of clinical veterinarians. 13.9％ of clinical veterinarians had experience treating abused animals and 36.1％ had experience treating animals where it was suspected they had been abused. The survey results revealed that forensic veterinary medicine is of greater interest to veterinary students than to clinical veterinarians. However, half of the clinical veterinarians reported having experience treating animals that had been abused or it was suspected they had been abused, highlighting the importance of forensic veterinary medicine in clinical practice.