Animal welfare education and perception of Filipino veterinary medicine students towards animal welfare / by Raymund J. Caballero.

Thesis (Doctor of Veterinary Medicine) Cavite State University

Includes bibliographical references.

College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (VETMET)

CABALLERO, RAYMUND J. Animal Welfare Education and Perceptions of Filipino Veterinary Medicine Students Towards Animal Welfare. Undergraduate thesis. Doctor of Veterinary Medicine. Cavite State University, Indang Cavite, April 2008. Adviser: Dr. Alvin William A Alvarez.

This research investigated the animal welfare education and perceptions of veterinary medicine students towards animal welfare. Specifically, it aimed to identify the demographic profile of the veterinary medicine students in terms of age, gender,
monthly family income, pet ownership and religion; to determine the perception of veterinary medicine students towards animals and their welfare in terms of animal confinement, animal health and management, animal handling, transport processing and production and surgical and experimental use of animals; to determine the significant relationship between demographic profile and perception of veterinary medicine students towards animals and their welfare in terms of animal confinement, animal health and management, animal handling, transport processing and production and surgical and experimental use of animals and to determine the difference in perception of veterinary medicine students towards animals and their welfare between those students who have taken up animal welfare subject or related subjects and those who are not in terms of animal confinement, animal health and management, animal handling, transport processing and production and surgical and experimental use of animals. This research was conducted in schools within the Philippines that offers veterinary medicine course in December 2007 to February 2008. The respondents were veterinary medicine students that are currently enrolled on schools that offers veterinary medicine course within the Philippines. The researcher used Descriptive Correlation
Design. There were 951 respondents in this study; eighty nine (89) students from Benguet State University, sixty four (64) students from Cagayan State University, sixty (60) students from Camarines Sur State Agricultural College, fifty five (55) students from Cavite State University, seventy (70) students from Central Luzon State University, seventy two (72) students from Central Mindanao University, eighty five (85) students from De La Salle Araneta University, fourty-four (44) students from Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University, seventy one (71) students from Visayas State University, fifty (50) students from Pampanga Agricultural College, forty-eight (48) students from Tarlac College of Agriculture, fourty six (46) students from Virgen Milagrosa University Foundation, fifty (50) students from University of Eastern Philippines, seventy two (72) students from University of the Philippines Los Banos and sixty-eight (68) students from University of Southern Mindanao. Simple Random Sampling by means of fishbowl technique was used. Slovins’ formula was used to arrive at the number of respondents. The researcher used a combination of Likert Scale (strongly disagree to strongly agree) to rank the concern of veterinary medicine students towards animal welfare issues. The questionnaire that is used in this study was adopted from the questionnaire of Dr. Camie R. Heleski et al. The questionnaire that was used in this study was pre-tested and modified by the researcher to be applicable in this study.

The results of the study reveal that most of respondents were age 18 and 19years. There were more males than females students that responded to the survey. Most respondents had Php 10,000 to 19,999 monthly incomes. Sixty nine percent (69%) of the respondents were pet owners. The demographic profile in terms of gender and pet ownership has a significant relationship with the perception towards animals and their welfare. In the aspect of the surgical and experimental use of animals, the perception of veterinary medicine students is influenced by the religion of the students. Christians had a high perception toward animals and their welfare. While on monthly family income, perception of veterinary medicine students is influenced in the aspect of animal handling, transport, processing and production. Also, it reveals that whether the students had taken up, not yet taken up, or currently enrolled to animal welfare subject or related courses, the results were the same. Hence, there is no significant relationship between those who have taken up/not yet taken up and currently enrolled students and perception of students towards animals and their welfare.

Submitted to the University Library 04-03-2008 T-3726