Visiting animal hospitals can induce significant stress in dogs, potentially adversely affecting their long-term health and behavior. This study systematically analyzed stress responses in dogs during veterinary visits and identified effective mitigation strategies through a comprehensive literature review. We selected using the keywords ‘animal hospital’, ‘veterinary examination’, ‘stress’, ‘handling’, ‘low stress’ and ‘dog’ from the PubMed database, during June 1 to July 31, 2024. A total of 19 studies were included and analyzed. An analysis of the literature showed that the presence of an owner played an important role in alleviating stress levels in dogs. Moreover, the owner's active participation in the inspection process was associated with a significant reduction in the stress response, especially during routine procedures that can cause anxiety. In addition, the implementation of low-stress processing techniques is recommended in order to minimize unnecessary stress, and these tools promote a more positive experience for the dog during the veterinary visit. Thus, the administration of pharmacological interventions such as trazodone and gabapentin prior to veterinary visits was shown to effectively reduce anxiety and stress, contributing to a more favorable overall experience for the animals. The results suggested that the importance of owner involvement, the systematic application of low-stress handling techniques, and careful use of pharmacological agents. Through this study, we believe that veterinary practices can develop a positive relationship with the clinical environment, which can ultimately improve health outcomes and increase well-being for canine patients.

Nursing research in veterinary hospitals is critical to the work of veterinary nursing and is necessary for continued advancements that promote optimal nursing care. Since the work of veterinary nursing involves animals with whom communication is difficult, the level of work performance can vary greatly depending on the experience, knowledge, and abilities of each animal nurse. In addition, veterinary nursing might establish a successful work environment through collaboration with veterinarians, and smooth work cooperation and communication among hospital members are direct factors in improving the work performance of animal hospitals. Because the work of nursing shows significant differences in performance depending on the individual, much research is being conducted to develop tools to measure work performance in the veterinary nursing field of medical assistants. In the present study, we attempted to develop a work performance measurement tool that is useful and suitable for veterinary nursing using the Delphi method. As a result of this study, an 18-item questionnaire was developed to measure the work performance of veterinary nursing, and these evaluation items were found to have excellent suitability in terms of content and construct validity. The evaluation scale of work performance of animal nurses developed through this study is believed to be useful in evaluating work performance in terms of work performance ability, attitude, and work performance relationship. Additionally, it is considered that the results of this study can be actively used to understand and develop the work relationships of veterinary nursing.

In this study, we evaluated wound healing following the use of 3% topical povidone ointment in dogs with minor wounds and evaluated it as a new wound treatment applicable to veterinary medicine. Twenty-six dogs that had suffered minor wounds such as abrasions, punctures, and incised wound within 8 hours were recruited, and all treatments were performed with the consent of their owners. Vitality, behavioral symptoms, and dermal symptoms due to wounds were evaluated between the povidone ointment group (n=18) and the control group (chlorhexidine group, n=8). As a result of evaluating changes in vitality and behavior, the povidone ointment group showed improvement to 1.94 (±2.53), 0.61 (±1.34), and 0.39 (±1.24) while the chlorhexidine group showed improvement to 2.00 (±1.6), 0.87 (±0.99), and 0.86 (±0.99) on days 0, 3, and 7 respectively, showing similar improvement in symptoms between the two groups (p>0.05). When observing wound symptoms, most of the swelling and inflammation improved within 3 days. The averages for the chlorhexidine group on days 0, 3, and 7 were 4.88 (±2.85), 2.88 (±2.64), and 2.38 (±2.39), and for the povidone ointment group, 5.55 (±3.22), 3.83 (±3.07), and 1.38 (±1.61), respectively. The wound healing effect of the povidone ointment group was similar to that of the chlorhexidine group (p>0.05). Through this study, we believe that topical povidone ointment can be applied to various wounds by replacing chlorhexidine.