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 story 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.
Part I: Introduction 1. Veterinary controversies and ethical dilemmas: an introduction 2. Veterinary killing: history and ethics 3. The law, animals, and veterinarians 4. Sentient beings: our duty of care. Who are our patients? 5. Let’s all march for (veterinary) science: veterinary science in a post truth society Part II: Some Ethical Challenges Facing The Veterinary Profession Too much veterinary medicine 6. Just because we can doesn’t mean we should 7. Overdiagnosis 8. Do you want bloods with that? 9. Oncology and ethics 10. Small animal overtreatment: intensive care Research on companion animals 11. Innovation versus experiment: experiments on pets? 12. Veterinary ethical review. a multitude of questions 13. Can considering laboratory animal legislation improve animal welfare in innovative veterinary practice? Evidence-free veterinary medicine 14. Why believe in magic? The use of ineffective therapies has animal welfare and ethical implications 15. Should complementary and alternative veterinary medicine be considered malpractice? An ethical-legal analysis 16. Pointless supplements and ‘therapeutic’ pet foods Exotic animal medicine 17. Zoo vet dilemmas. a personal perspective 18. The value of mice Part III: why are these controversies arising? Through changes at numerous levels of the veterinary-client-patient relationship The animal population 19. Problems with pedigrees: righteous rage and the need for nuance 20. Ageing pets and physical rehabilitation The veterinary profession 21. Veterinary education and the changing profession 22. The art of veterinary science 23. Veterinary academia, specialization, and animal welfare 24. What are general practitioners good for? 25. Do vets need to love animals? 26. It is time to ditch the gold standard 27. Informed consent. in whose interests? 28. The death of veterinary euthanasia 29. Moral stress, emotional labour and mental health in the veterinary profession Veterinary practice 30. The customer isn’t always right: why business ethics is not professional ethics 31. Corporatisation: do shareholders care about animal welfare? 32. Costs of veterinary services as an animal welfare issue Veterinary clients 33. Anthropomorphism in veterinary practice 34. Going to extremes: high financial cost, overtreatment and palliative care 35. Give the dog a bone Vets in society 36. Is the veterinary profession encouraging exploitation of horses in sport? 37. Vets speaking up for animal welfare38. An approach to ethical conflicts in practice
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