Beyond Care: Exploring the Human–Animal Relationship in Veterinary Medicine
A special issue of Veterinary Sciences (ISSN 2306-7381). This special issue belongs to the section "Veterinary Education, Veterinary Communication and Animal Behavior".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 October 2025 | Viewed by 685
Special Issue Editors
Interests: human–animal relationship; dog–owner bond; companion animal behaviour; veterinary clinical ethology; companion animal welfare; zoo animal behaviour
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The quality of human–animal relationships is well known to have a profound impact on the psychophysical well-being of all parties involved. Nonetheless, the mechanisms and factors involved in determining the effects of interspecific relationships on animal welfare are still poorly understood. Furthermore, there is still very little clinical attention paid by veterinary practitioners to the effects of the human–animal relationship on the overall welfare of their patients, regardless of the species. Here, we propose a Special Issue aimed at collecting original research studies and scientifically relevant reviews on the topics of human–animal relationships and interactions, with a focus on their positive and negative effects on animal quality of life and welfare, with no restrictions regarding species.
Studies on traditional (dogs and cats) and non-conventional companion animals (reptiles, birds, small mammals, and others) and farm or zoo animals are welcome, as long as they investigate the impact of the human–animal relationship on animals’ physical health and psycho-emotional welfare.
Dr. Giacomo Riggio
Dr. Silvana Diverio
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Veterinary Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2100 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- stress
- pets
- animal behaviour
- animal welfare
- quality of life
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