Veterinary Controversies and Ethical Dilemmas. Provocative Reflections on Clinical Practice

Foreword Julian Kupfer

Preface

PART I: INTRODUCTION

Chapter 1 – Veterinary controversies and ethical dilemmas: an introduction

Eddie Clutton                                                                

Chapter 2 – Veterinary killing: history and ethics                                                                                              

Andrew Gardiner

Chapter 3 – The law, animals, and veterinarians                                                                                               

Peter Fordyce

Chapter 4 – Sentient beings: our duty of care. Who are our patients?                                                                                              

John Webster

Chapter 5 – Let’s all march for (veterinary) science: veterinary science in a post truth society                                                                                             

Tanya Stephens

PART II: SOME ETHICAL CHALLENGES FACING THE VETERINARY PROFESSION

Too much veterinary medicine

Chapter 6 – Just because we can doesn’t mean we should                                                                                             

Polly Taylor

Chapter 7 – Overdiagnosis                                                                                             

Brennen McKenzie

Chapter 8 – Do you want bloods with that?                                                                                             

Tanya Stephens

Chapter 9 – Oncology and ethics                                                                                             

Tanya Stephens

Chapter 10 – Small animal overtreatment: intensive care                                                                                           

Peter Fordyce

Research on companion animals

Chapter 11 – Innovation versus experiment: experiments on pets?                                                                                             

Polly Taylor

Chapter 12 – Veterinary ethical review – a multitude of questions                                                                                             

Stephen Greenhalgh

Chapter 13 – Can considering laboratory animal legislation improve animal welfare in innovative veterinary practice?                                                                                         

Ngaire Dennison

Evidence-free veterinary medicine

Chapter 14 – Why believe in magic? The use of ineffective therapies has animal welfare and ethical implications                                                                                           

Tanya Stephens

Chapter 15 – Should complementary and alternative veterinary medicine be considered malpractice? An ethical-legal analysis                                                                                           

Manuel Magalhães Sant’Ana and Alexandre Azevedo

Chapter 16 – Pointless supplements and ‘therapeutic’ pet foods                                                                                       

Andrea Tarr

Exotic animal medicine

Chapter 17 – Zoo vet dilemmas – a personal perspective                                                                                          

Andrew Routh

Chapter 18 – The value of mice                                                                                            

Eddie Clutton and Amanda Novak

PART III: WHY ARE THESE CONTROVERSIES ARISING? THROUGH CHANGES AT NUMEROUS LEVELS OF THE VETERINARY-CLIENT-PATIENT RELATIONSHIP

The animal population

Chapter 19 – Problems with pedigrees: righteous rage and the need for nuance                                                                                            

Alison Skipper

Chapter 20 – Ageing pets and physical rehabilitation                                                                                        

Mary Ellen Goldberg, Sheilah Robertson, and Polly Taylor

The veterinary profession

Chapter 21 – Veterinary education and the changing profession                                                                                        

Sarah Wolfensohn

Chapter 22 – The art of veterinary science                                                                                        

Kendal Shepherd

Chapter 23 – Veterinary academia, specialization, and animal welfare                                                                                        

Eddie Clutton

Chapter 24 – What are general practitioners good for?                                                                                        

Brennen McKenzie

Chapter 25 – Do vets need to love animals?                                                                                        

Kathy Murphy

Chapter 26 – It is time to ditch the gold standard                                                                                       

Tanya Stephens

Chapter 27 – Informed consent – in whose interests?                                                                                     

Carol Gray

Chapter 28 – The death of veterinary euthanasia                                                                                      

Eddie Clutton

Chapter 29 – Moral stress, emotional labour and mental health in the veterinary profession                                                                                        

Vanessa Ashall

Veterinary practice

Chapter 30 – The customer isn’t always right: why business ethics is not professional ethics                                                                                     

Tanya Stephens

Chapter 31 – Corporatisation: do shareholders care about animal welfare?                                                                             

John Innes

Chapter 32 – Costs of veterinary services as an animal welfare issue                                                                                 

Nigel Taylor

Veterinary clients

Chapter 33 – Anthropomorphism in veterinary practice                                                                                     

Eddie Clutton

Chapter 34 – Going to extremes: high financial cost, overtreatment and palliative care                                                                                 

Polly Taylor

Chapter 35 – Give the dog a bone                                                                                     

Tanya Stephens

Vets in society

Chapter 36 – Is the veterinary profession encouraging exploitation of horses in sport?                                                                                  

Sue Dyson

Chapter 37 – Vets speaking up for animal welfare                                                                                     

Sean Wensley

Chapter 38 – An approach to ethical conflicts in practice                                                                                  

Brennen McKenzie

Descripción

This book identifies increasing concerns with the veterinary profession and confronts them provocatively, with a view to stimulating positive change. A central theme is the emergence of the profitable ‘fur baby’ which is being propagated through encouraged anthropomorphism, a limited evidence base, overdiagnosis, overtreatment, and practice corporatisation. Richly accompanied with thoughts on veterinary celebrity, the misrepresentation of veterinary 'success', research using client-owned animals, unregulated treatments and end-of-life decision-making, the book represents a small room full of large elephants. With experienced contributors from around the world, each chapter combines personal stories with evidence-based reflections.

While many of the subjects presented will have undergone some degree of ethical analysis, the book itself does not intend to teach veterinary ethics; instead, its role is to identify key concerns with the profession’s current trajectory and to present them with candour, from the perspective of concerned veterinary professionals.

Ideal for use within the veterinary curriculum to stimulate undergraduate thought and discussion, this book will also be a valuable reference for practitioners as the veterinary profession comes to terms with life in a post-truth era.