Abstract

Background:
Animal welfare has become an increasingly important social and veterinary issue regarding companion animals. However, the existing literature on the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of pet owners in Vietnam related to animal welfare is limited.

Aim:
This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of pet owners regarding animal welfare and how these factors relate to one another within the Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices framework.

Methods:
A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 297 pet owners using a structured questionnaire with a five-point Likert scale.

Results:
The mean scores for knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to animal welfare were moderate (3.11–3.19). Knowledge was moderately correlated with attitudes (r = 0.509, p < 0.01), whereas attitudes were strongly correlated with practices (r = 0.645, p < 0.01). Regression analysis identified knowledge as a positive predictor of attitudes (β = 0.509, p < 0.001) and practices (β = 0.407, p < 0.001). When attitudes were included in the model, they emerged as the strongest predictor of practices (β = 0.590, p < 0.001), whereas the direct effect of knowledge on practices decreased but remained statistically significant (β = 0.107, p = 0.039). Mediation analysis indicated that attitudes partially mediated the relationship between knowledge and practices (indirect effect = 0.301; 95% CI: 0.226–0.378).

Conclusion:
The largest share of the work in animal welfare improvement rests on the education of their owners in a veterinary practice environment. There is a need to improve knowledge and attitudes to encourage sustainable and responsible animal care.

Key words: Animal welfare; Attitude; Knowledge; Pet owners; Vietnam.