The practicing veterinarian and animal welfare as a human endeavour

Abstract

Animal welfare is a human responsibility and an ethical matter which is decided by people concerned about animals. The human factor in practice could thus play an important part in the way veterinarians are involved in animal welfare issues in their practices. In order to understand the human side of practice, it could be analyzed as a social system, operating in larger systems. The basic system consists of three parts, which are connected with other subsystems. The three parts are the minimum requirements for creating a veterinary consultation situation, namely the veterinarian, animal patient and human client. These parts do not interact in a closed system, but every part could be influenced by factors outside the consultation situation, namely: the veterinarian by a family, administration, staff, colleagues, professional societies and the community; the client by a family, the specific human–animal interaction, socio-economical background and emotional mood; the patient by its breed, gender, age, socialization and training. These factors influencing the patient during a consultation could be determined by the owner's choice. Of all these 18 parts, only one deals directly with the animal's problem and the other 17 parts deal with human factors. By recognizing these parts and understanding their interactions and influences, the veterinarian can manage the practice more successfully. The veterinarian is expected to keep these parts in balance via typical cybernetic principles in order to optimize output and profit. This, however, is only possible if the human aspect of veterinary practice is fully realized, including people's concern about animal welfare and well-being.