Would You Know When to Call the Vet? What 1,772 UK Owners Got Wrong
In a UK study, owners judged a vet visit less urgent than vets did in 28.4% of cases. Ear infections, fleas and anal gland problems were often downplayed.
Written by thecanineledger
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If you’re unsure whether your dog needs to be seen, call your vet practice and ask. This study found owners who would contact their practice were less likely to underestimate urgency.
Our note: This advice is ours. The study supports contacting the practice, but it doesn’t give owner guidance.
In a UK survey, dog owners judged a vet visit to be less urgent than vets did in 28.4% of responses (Farrow et al., PLoS One 2026 ⚠️ survey). Each owner read three short case descriptions based on real UK vet records.
While owners were good at naming some conditions, knowing the name didn’t help them judge urgency. The authors found “no correlation” between the two.
→ Is This an Emergency? A Plain Guide to Your Dog’s Symptoms
1. The study
The owners. 1,772 UK dog owners answered 5,316 case descriptions, picked at random from 30 common conditions. Experienced vets had rated how urgently each case needed care.
Who took part. Most owners were women, about half were aged 45 to 64, and most had owned dogs for over 16 years. That may not reflect all owners.
Funding. The authors, from the Royal Veterinary College, received no specific funding and declare no competing interests.
2. Which conditions owners downplayed
Most often downplayed. Ear infections had the biggest gap. 56.5% of owners rated them less urgent than vets did.
Also often downplayed. Compared with cataracts, owners had much higher odds of underrating fleas, anal gland infections, corneal ulcers and cut paw pads.
Least often downplayed. Cataracts. Only 2.2% of owners underrated the urgency.
Named correctly, still downplayed. Owners usually named kennel cough correctly, yet had about 10 times the odds of underrating its urgency compared with cataracts.
Our note: The paper doesn’t explain why vets rated ear infections and corneal ulcers as more urgent than owners did, or how quickly each should be seen.
→ Ear Infections: Why They Keep Coming Back · → Kennel Cough: When to Wait, When to Worry, and the 2023 Outbreak
3. What owners found hard to name
Owners named epilepsy, fleas, kennel cough and arthritis most accurately. They struggled with a swallowed object stuck in the gut, glaucoma, dry eye, mast cell tumours and heart failure.
The authors say owners were best with conditions that have clear outward signs. For vaguer signs, they were “often highly inaccurate”.
→ Glaucoma: The Red, Painful Eye That Can’t Wait
4. Where owners got their information
Own knowledge first. Most owners relied on their own experience, then their vet practice, then internet searches.
What helped. Owners who used online dog health groups, or would contact their vet practice, were less likely to underrate urgency. Owners who used internet searches named conditions slightly more accurately.
What didn’t. Owners who usually used general online dog groups were more likely to underrate urgency.
Our note: The paper separates dog health groups from general dog groups online, but doesn’t name or rate them.
5. What the study can’t tell you
Hypothetical cases. Owners read short descriptions, not real dogs. The authors say these gave “only a limited context for each case.”
Self-reported sources. Owners said which sources they used. That may not be accurate.
Before AI tools. The data were collected before public AI chat tools were widely used.
Some figures don’t match. The text says 94.3% of owners were female, but the table labels that row “Male”. The text gives reputation as 6.8%, but the table gives 66.8%.
Our note: We report these as errors in the paper. Check the published version if you need the exact figures.
6. What we could not verify
| Commonly said | What we found |
|---|---|
| “If you know what it is, you know how urgent it is” | No. Naming and urgency weren’t linked. |
| “Experienced owners can judge when to go” | Not shown. Most owners were experienced, and 28.4% of responses still underrated urgency. |
| “Ear infections can wait” | Vets disagreed in more than half of owner responses. |
Sources
- Farrow M, O’Neill DG, Packer RMA. To see or not to see the vet: a vignette-based study of decision-making by UK dog owners regarding seeking veterinary care. PLoS One 2026 ⚠️ survey: 1,772 owners, 5,316 responses. No specific funding
Always confirm with your vet before acting on anything on this page.