Abstract
India has a large, free-roaming dog population, encompassing both owned and stray dogs. Canine surgical neutering is often a central component of dog population management and rabies control initiatives. The provision of practical, surgical training opportunities remains a major challenge for veterinary educational establishments worldwide to ensure competency in this routine procedure. A 12-day educational programme, focusing on surgical neutering skills, was developed to address this need. A questionnaire comprising 26 questions covering surgical and clinical topics, and a self-assessment of confidence in undertaking five common surgical procedures, was completed immediately before and after finishing the programme. A total of 296 participants attended, with 228 achieving the inclusion criteria for the study. Total knowledge scores increased significantly after the training programme (mean score pre-18.94, 95% CI 18.13-19.74; post-28.11, 95% CI 27.44-28.77, p < 0.05) with improvements seen in all categories (surgical principles, anaesthesia, antibiotic use and wound management). After accounting for other participants' characteristics, scores increased, on average, by 9 points after training. Being female was associated with significantly higher overall scores, while compared to younger and older age groups, those aged 25-34 were associated with lower overall scores. Amongst those with post-graduate qualifications, overall scores increased with age. Furthermore, there was an increase in self-rated confidence by participants in undertaking all five procedures. This study demonstrates that a targeted training programme can improve veterinary participants' knowledge and confidence in canine surgical neutering and may provide an effective way to develop surgical expertise amongst veterinarians engaged in dog population management initiatives.