Abordajes y tratamientos de la agresividad en perros en clínicas veterinarias de Montevideo (Uruguay)
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Abstract
Consultation for behavioral problems due to canine aggression represents a high percentage of clinical attention in veterinarians. In this work, we conducted a survey of veterinarians from 100 veterinary clinics in Montevideo (Uruguay) with the objective of knowing how they handle their patients aggressive dogs in consultation, and which are the main therapeutic indications suggested. The results showed that a fifth of the dogs are aggressive with the veterinarian. The veterinarians of Montevideo mainly resort to the use of muzzle and pharmacological treatment to be able to take care of the aggressive dogs, besides a correct evaluation of risk of aggression. In cases of canine aggression, the treatments most indicated by veterinarians are obedience training (91%), prescribing psychopharmaceuticals (47%), indicating euthanasia (28%) or implementing the surgical procedure of castration (7%). In case of canine aggressiveness, 50% of veterinarians choose to refer the patient to a trainer and only 14% request collateral exams. In conclusion, veterinarians in Montevideo correctly perceive the indicators and signs of canine aggression and perform approaches and management of aggressive dogs as recommended in the literature, including physical methods of restraint. The low percentage of veterinarians who use collateral exams to rule out or confirm diagnoses of canine aggression, the limited use of the variety of psychotropic drugs to be used and the predominant role of the use of euthanasia is noteworthy.
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