THE PERCENTAGE OF FELINE, CANINE, AVIAN AND EXOTIC ANIMAL CONSULTATIONS IN VETERINARY PRACTICE IN THE NETHERLANDS IN 1994 AND SUGGESTED CONSEQUENCES FOR THE VETERINARY CURRICULUM AND RESIDENCY PROGRAMS

The percentage of feline, canine, avian and exotic animal consultation s in 1994 was established by means of a survey among veterinary practi tioners in the Netherlands, The results from the response to a questio nnaire which was sent to companion animal practitioners were compared with those of an at random telephone survey and tested for reliability , Results showed that the cat tended to be the most frequently present ed species in companion animal practice in the Netherlands in 1994 (46 %), followed by dogs (44%) and birds and exotic animals (10%). In mixe d practices these percentages were 40%, 51%, and 9% respectively, From the 'avian and exotic animal' group the following species or orders w ere the most important: rabbits (32%), rodents (26%), parrots (12%), p igeons (9%), songbirds (9%), ferrets (4%), others (8%). It is conclude d that the veterinary curriculum should be adapted to prepare veterina ry students to deal with this greater variety in pet animals species a nd related problems. The need to include exotic animal medicine in res ident training programmes is emphasized.