Poster 17

There are differing opinions as to whether or not owners should visit their hospitalized pets. Some veterinarians believe that the pets become upset and stressed by the visits and that this may have a negative effect on clinical recovery. Others believe that owners' visits are beneficial for the pet and the owner.

The purpose of the study was to identify existent policies and procedures for pet owners' visits to pets hospitalized in intensive care. A descriptive survey design using an anonymous, online survey of all veterinary medical teaching hospital emergency/intensive care directors in North America was conducted. Potential participants were identified by reviewing the teaching hospitals' websites. Thirty-one were contacted by email giving them a description of the study, and the secure URL for them to access to complete the anonymous questionnaire.

Seventeen directors responded to the invitation and completed the survey (response rate =55%). In 11 of the ICU's, owner visitation was allowed (65%). The majority of the directors indicated that there were no set visiting hours (n=11, 65%), that someone (most commonly the student working on the case) was required to stay with the owners during visits (n=12, 71%), that there was no age limit on owners who visit (n=16, 94%), and that other animals were not allowed to visit (n=12, 71%). Directors described in some depth problems encountered with and benefits of owner visits. Issues were identified, such as disruption of the flow of care in the ICU, owners becoming upset with what they saw, and difficulty in getting owners to leave. Benefits were perceived, such as comfort to the owner, improved mental status and better appetite in the pet, and building trust between owners and their pet's health-care team. Further detail and breadth of these very interesting responses will be categorized and depicted on the poster.