# Pet, Pest, Profit: Patient! How Attitudes Toward Animals Among Veterinary Students in the Netherlands Differ According to Animal Categories and Student-Related Variables

## TL;DR

Veterinary students in the Netherlands show varying levels of empathy for different animal categories, with the highest for pets and the lowest for profit animals, which could impact animal welfare.

## Contribution

This study reveals how empathy among veterinary students varies by animal category and student-related factors, emphasizing the need for targeted education.

## Key findings

- Students showed highest empathy for pets, followed by pests, and lowest for profit animals.
- Empathy levels were influenced by career choice, background, and diet.
- Low empathy for profit and pest animals may lead to overlooked welfare issues.

## Abstract

Veterinarians are health professionals with a key role in protecting animal welfare. To ensure the well-being of animals, they need to be able to understand and connect with the animals’ emotional states. This animal-directed empathy can be influenced by animal categories—pet, pest, or profit (used for economic purposes)—by culture, by personal background and by animal traits. Our survey of veterinary students in the Netherlands showed they have the highest levels of empathy for pets, the second-highest levels for pest animals, and the lowest levels for profit animals. Empathy levels also vary according to factors such as career choice, student background, and diet. Less empathy can lead to welfare issues being overlooked, and it can affect decisions about treatment and euthanasia. Increasing animal-directed empathy in veterinary training, especially for pest and profit animals, can better prepare students for their responsibilities as veterinary professionals. This is essential to ensure the welfare of all types of animals—pet, pest, or profit.

Veterinarians are not just animal health professionals; they are also considered animal welfare experts. Animal-directed empathy, the ability to understand and match an animal’s emotional state, is essential for recognizing animal welfare issues. It is therefore a vital competency for veterinarians. The factors that play a role in shaping this empathy are animal, personal, and cultural influences, as well as the categorization of animals based on their benefit or harm to people: pet, pest or profit (used for economic purposes). We conducted a survey among veterinary students in the Netherlands to assess their levels of animal-directed empathy by scoring their attitude toward animals with the “Pet, Pest, Profit Scale”. Analysis of 321 completed surveys revealed that students showed the highest empathy for pets, the second-highest levels for pest animals, and the lowest levels for profit animals. Empathy levels also differed depending on career choice, background, and diet. These findings indicate that categorizing animals influences veterinary students’ empathy levels, which can lead to unrecognized welfare issues, especially for pest and profit animals. It is important to enhance empathy for these categories through targeted educational interventions to help prepare veterinary students for their responsibility as veterinarians, ensuring the welfare of all animals, whether pet, pest or profit.