Veterinary Ethics Research Articles

Veterinary ethics and companion animal euthanasia: what can we learn from critical disability studies?

Within veterinary ethics and practice around companion animal end-of-life and euthanasia, the political and cultural dimensions of death and dying are rarely addressed. This reduces the ability to engage with questions like: what future potential goods (positive affective states, meaning) could an animal experience by continuing to live; what constitutes a life worth living; and how can we make this decision for another being? These are questions that have been subject to extensive dialogue within Critical Disability Studies. The aim of this paper is to provide an analysis of how core considerations from Critical Disability Studies could be useful in veterinary ethics when considering companion animal end of life and euthanasia. First, critiques of the dis/ability binary and associated hierarchies raise questions about how animal disability and illness are understood, and around challenging questions like psychological illness and behavioural euthanasia. Second, nuanced engagements with questions of a life worth living and Quality of Life emphasise the importance of individual animal experiences, personality, and the foregrounding of 'what is important for the animal'. Third, dialogues around choice and agency critique the tendency to focus on owner choice, rather asking what opportunities there are to listen to the preferences of animals themselves. Finally, engaging with care and power highlights the ambivalent nature of caregiving, of euthanasia as a practice of care, and the power intrinsic to making End of Life decisions on behalf of another. Overall, perspectives from Critical Disability Studies allow us to engage with challenging questions of veterinary ethics and end-of-life care in companion animal practice with more nuance and complexity.

A Study on Veterinary Faculty Students' Opinions on Ethics Education and Career Choices: A Case of Ondokuz Mayıs University.

Veterinary ethics is a multifaceted element of the veterinary profession as it deals with various ethical issues related to medical practice, animal welfare, professional behaviour and societal expectations. By focusing on teaching ethics in veterinary medicine education, it will be possible to guide future veterinarians through the ethical dilemmas and conflicts they may encounter in their careers. To evaluate the opinions of the Ondokuz Mayıs University Faculty of Veterinary Medicine intern students about ethics education in veterinary medicine. Evaluation and comparison of the perspective on ethics education and career choice. A cross-sectional descriptive survey design was used to collect data via a questionnaire. Data obtained from 87 out of 119 students in the intern programme were evaluated. Responses were analysed by statistical methods. In the study, it was determined that pet veterinary services (private sector) and government veterinary services (public sector) were the leading career choices of intern veterinary students; female and male students wanted to turn to different fields of work; and the difference in career preferences did not change the views on ethics education. It was observed that students needed applied teaching and measurement-evaluation methods in ethics education and sought role models in developing ethical attitudes and behaviours. In addition to gaining ethical knowledge in veterinary education, it was observed that they attach importance to professional and legal obligations. This study is one of the few studies on veterinary ethics education and career choice in Turkey. The study results provide information to guide the development of veterinary ethics education to prepare future veterinarians for the complex ethical issues they will face in their careers.

Ethical issues concerning UK veterinary surgeons practicing in equine sports medicine.

The ethics of equine sports medicine is a complex subject that is currently understudied. It combines veterinary ethics, sports ethics and associated regulation. Equine sports medicine may raise unique ethical issues and combines common ethical issues in ways distinct from other forms of veterinary medicine. The purpose of this research was to identify and describe ethical issues concerning United Kingdom (UK) veterinary surgeons arising within the practice of equine sports medicine. Survey. An online questionnaire was distributed to UK veterinary surgeons via veterinary organisations and veterinary social media. Responses to questions were collated and descriptive analysis performed. Open ended responses were analysed thematically. Ninety-seven respondents completed the questionnaire. The most commonly identified ethical challenges were the conflicts of interest and the pressures faced by the veterinary surgeon. The primary competing interest was balancing the horse's health and welfare with client wishes for the horse to continue in training and competition. Specific ethical challenges were identified; these related to competition integrity, medication control and prohibited substances, treatment evidence and acceptability, among others. As anticipated with the use of a questionnaire, the responses did not provide in-depth information about an individual veterinary surgeon's experiences, however, it did provide evidence of the extensive range of issues and concerns facing this group. There is also potential for response bias, whereby respondents may have provided answers they perceived were ethically desirable. This is the first empirical study that explores the ethical issues faced by equine sports medicine veterinary surgeons and has identified wide ranging concerns that demand further study. Areas which may pose reputational risk to equestrian sport, or the veterinary profession were identified. Governing bodies should consider how to improve support for veterinary surgeons facing ethical challenges, as for some, these cause moral distress and may impact retention within the profession.

Using Mobile Polling to Teach Animal Ethics to Large Audiences: A Case Study of First-Year Veterinary Students' Personal Views.

Research has demonstrated that educating veterinary students in animal ethics helps them address moral dilemmas in their later careers. Teaching about animal ethics dilemmas to large student groups is challenging. Therefore, a polling series was created for first-year veterinary students at Ghent University, Belgium. Over the course of three theoretical sessions and during four consecutive academic years, students answered four questions about which animals they have at home, prioritization of animal versus owner interests, motivations for studying veterinary medicine, and eating patterns. Poll results were used to discuss student views in an applied session. The voluntary polls were a success, with more than half of the students taking part and with the participation rate increasing over four years. Findings indicate that animal ethics topics were more likely to elicit a response from students than veterinary ethics topics. This trend persisted in applied sessions, where students found it easier to discuss and substantiate animal ethics dilemmas compared to veterinary ethics dilemmas. In conclusion, discussing polling results on animal ethics dilemmas can help first-year veterinary students develop ethical awareness, personal identity, and decision-making skills.

Evaluation of Cardiac Biomarkers for Early Diagnosis of Dilated Cardiomyopathy in Dogs

Cardiac biomarkers play a crucial role in diagnosing heart disease in veterinary medicine. This collaborative study, involving 2497 dogs of various breeds, ages, and genders, was conducted collaboratively at the Department of Veterinary Clinical Medicine, College of Veterinary and Animal Science, RAJUVAS, Bikaner, and the Chandrika Chimanlal Doshi Cardiovascular Unit for Animals, Department of Veterinary Clinical Medicine, Ethics, and Jurisprudence, Bombay Veterinary College, Parel, Mumbai-12.Through meticulous examination, including historical analysis, clinical evaluation, and advanced diagnostic techniques like echocardiography, researchers conclusively diagnosed 29 cases of Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM). Canine-specific cardiac Troponin I (cTnI) levels were measured, showing significant differences between healthy and DCM-affected dogs. Among DCM cases, bilaterally affected dogs exhibited the highest cTnI levels. Similarly, B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) analysis revealed significant differences between healthy and DCM-affected dogs, with notably elevated levels in bilaterally affected dogs. N-Terminal-pro-BNP analysis also indicated significant differences between healthy and DCM-affected dogs. However, atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) analysis showed no significant differences between healthy and DCM-affected dogs, except for lower levels observed in right DCM cases. Endothelin 1 analysis showed non-significant differences between healthy and DCM-affected dogs, except for higher levels in bilateral DCM cases. While these biomarkers offer promising diagnostic insights, they have limitations. Proper sample handling, longer turnaround times, and the necessity for concurrent analysis of renal and hepatic function are crucial considerations. Additionally, these biomarkers complement but do not replace other diagnostic methods such as radiography and echocardiography. Further research in larger dog populations is warranted to validate and refine these findings.

APPLICATION OF VETERINARY ETHICS IN INDONESIA

This article was written to find out the application of veterinary ethics in the work environment in Indonesia. The method used is the method of literature. In Indonesia, the Indonesian Veterinary Association (PDHI) has agreed that what is used as a guideline is the Indonesian Veterinary Professional Code of Ethics. This code of ethics provides guidelines for veterinarians in carrying out their practice according to professional and moral standards. The application of veterinary ethics in veterinary practice in Indonesia involves various aspects that need attention, namely animal welfare, transparency and communication, independence and avoiding conflict, and professional development and continuing education. The challenges faced by veterinarians include malpractice, violations of the code of ethics, zoonotic disease issues, limited facilities and infrastructure, and the obligation to always maintain the good name of veterinarians as a noble profession. The application of veterinary ethics is a strong foundation in the professional development of veterinarians in Indonesia. While some barriers may be encountered, continued efforts to improve education, access to resources, and support from relevant institutions and stakeholders can help overcome these obstacles. In addition, Indonesian veterinarians must not only improve their hard skills, but also improve their soft skills, in order to become successful and moral veterinarians.

HEalth And Dementia outcomes following Traumatic Brain Injury (HEAD-TBI): protocol for a retrospective cohort study

BackgroundIt is estimated that by 2050 the global incidence of dementia will have exceeded 152 million. At present, there are no effective therapies for dementia, with a focus in research...

A Mixed-Methods Survey of Veterinary Ethics Teaching in Turkey.

With the growth of interest in veterinary ethics, the teaching of ethics to veterinary students has become more important. This study collects comprehensive data about ethics education at veterinary faculties in Turkey to contribute to the international literature. A cross-sectional descriptive survey design is used to collect data via questionnaire. Of the 31 faculty members actively teaching ethics at 24 of the 29 veterinary faculties in Turkey (as of the end of 2021), 30 responded to the survey. By the end of 2021, ethics courses in 24 veterinary faculties in Turkey were conducted between the 7th and 10th semesters with similar content across the examined institutions. Of the 31 faculty members responsible for ethics education, 22 were ethicists. Theoretical lectures and multiple-choice tests were the most preferred methods for teaching and assessment. The most preferred learning outcome to be gained by students was ethical awareness. Integrity by ethicists and morality by faculty members from other departments were considered the most important virtues. The collected qualitative data regarding the strengths of ethics education and areas for improvement were varied and controversial. Ethics training should be an ongoing process throughout veterinary education. Applied ethics education should be comprehensively included in the curricula and carried out with the cooperation of faculty members working in clinical fields.

Ethics in practice: Schwartz rounds and veterinary clinical ethics committees

Structured approaches to emotional and moral distress, such as Schwartz rounds and clinical ethical committees, are common in human medicine, but less so in veterinary medicine. Although different in their goals, they are both ways to provide organisational structures that support moral resilience. It is possible that, by creating a sense of moral agency and community, these interventions could also help to mitigate moral distress in staff members. Veterinary nurses have an important role to play in developing forums for ethical discussion within practice and the profession. This article discusses the structure and function of both approaches, and looks at what roles veterinary nurses can play in their development and management.

"What If It Was Your Dog?" Resource Shortages and Decision-Making in Veterinary Medicine-A Vignette Study with German Veterinary Students.

The here presented vignette study was part of a survey on ethical judgement skills among advanced veterinary students at the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation. The vignette describes a fictitious dilemma in veterinary practice due to medication supply shortages. First, the students should make an ethically justified decision: who of the two patients in the waiting room gets the last dosage of a medication. Important factors were the animal patients' characteristics (age, state of health, life expectancy), the patient owners' wellbeing, and context-related criteria. Second, the students were asked for decisional changes if one of the patients was their own dog. They reacted in four different ways: (1) for a professional, this should not make a difference; (2) most likely being "egoistic" and preferring their own dog; (3) giving the medication to the other dog; and (4) avoiding a decision. Finally, the students judged a list of possible solutions to the dilemma on a 9-point scale. They preferred patient-related criteria to patient-owner-related criteria in this task. In the overall results, it became obvious that no "gold standard" or guidelines for situations of medication shortages exist, yet, which presents an important subject for future research and veterinary ethics teaching.

Ethics in practice: Schwartz rounds and veterinary clinical ethics committees

Structured approaches to emotional and moral distress, such as Schwartz rounds and clinical ethical committees, are common in human medicine, but less so in veterinary medicine. Although different in their goals, they are both ways to provide organisational structures that support moral resilience. It is possible that, by creating a sense of moral agency and community, these interventions could also help to mitigate moral distress in staff members. Veterinary nurses have an important role to play in developing forums for ethical discussion within practice and the profession. This article discusses the structure and function of both approaches, and looks at what roles veterinary nurses can play in their development and management.

Veterinarian as an expert advisor: improving the quality of veterinary services and scientific research

Veterinary surgeons often provide professional veterinary advice to both their colleagues, scientists, and lay clients. A number of them give advice unwittingly, and are unaware of the legal consequences of their actions. This analysis investigates veterinary advisorship from a comparative perspective. Ethical and legal analysis, and interpretation is performed. Essential types of veterinary counseling are indicated: advice provided by a veterinarian to another veterinarian, and provided by a veterinarian to a lay client. Veterinary advice in scientific research is a mixed type. Legal and deontological relevant factors of counseling, and consultants’ liability are identified. The wide range of responsibility, and liability of veterinary consultants is demonstrated. A veterinary counselor may be subject to various types of civil liability in relation to the person seeking advice, as well as to third parties. It is argued that an explicit, or implicit advisory clause in a contract, or an independent consulting agreement may be concluded, with the special regime of liability for veterinary advisorship. The conclusion is that – despite the fact that scope and liability differ in the discussed types of advisorship – the connecting factors are: specialist knowledge, which as advice or information is provided by a specialist in relation to a non-specialist, as well as the obligation to respect professional veterinary ethics.

Protocol for the development of SPIRIT and CONSORT extensions for randomised controlled trials with surrogate primary endpoints: SPIRIT-SURROGATE and CONSORT-SURROGATE

IntroductionRandomised controlled trials (RCTs) may use surrogate endpoints as substitutes and predictors of patient-relevant/participant-relevant final outcomes (eg, survival, health-related quality of life). Translation of effects measured on a surrogate endpoint...

The autonomy principle in companion veterinary medicine: A critique.

Following developments in human medical ethics, veterinary ethics has similarly shifted from a historic paternalistic approach, toward greater respect for autonomy. Veterinarians operate within a tripartite system where there is separation of doctor/patient dyad by animal owners. As such there are fundamental differences between veterinary and human medical sectors regarding application of the autonomy principle—specifically, to whom is autonomy afforded? This paper argues that the accepted transference of autonomy to owners constitutes a corruption of the principle. Privileges owners exercise over animal treatment decisions relate to their rights over property use, rather than application of self-rule over one's own person as described in bioethics literature. To highlight issues with the status quo, this paper outlines the negative consequences of “owner autonomy” on animal (patient) welfare, integrity of the veterinary profession's social contract and professional autonomy. A way forward is proposed that places greater emphasis on animal (patient) welfare being explicitly at the center of veterinary treatment decision-making via recognition that all such decisions are made by a proxy, and therefore more appropriate frameworks ought to be engaged, such as a best interests paradigm.

199. A novel and scalable antimicrobial surface modification technology to prevent and mitigate implant related surgical site infections: an in-vivo safety and efficacy study

<h3>BACKGROUND CONTEXT</h3> Despite significant technological advancements in material science, a high level of hand-hygiene and systematic use of antiseptics and antibiotics, surgical site infections (SSI) are still to date the number one complication seen after surgery in the United States. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is the largest purveyor of health care-acquired infections (HCAI) and is responsible for significant morbidity and mortality. <h3>PURPOSE</h3> This study aimed to demonstrate the in-vivo safety and antibacterial efficacy of non-eluting titanium implants covalently bound with a novel broad-spectrum biocidal quaternary ammonium compound (DBG21) against MRSA biofilm. <h3>STUDY DESIGN/SETTING</h3> Subcutaneous MRSA infection mouse model comparing the antimicrobial efficacy of untreatedversusDBG21-treated titanium alloy discs. A separate comparative safety study was performed in the absence of infection. <h3>PATIENT SAMPLE</h3> Sixty-five 11-week-old balb/c mice. <h3>OUTCOME MEASURES</h3> Efficacy study: Number of adherent bacteria on implants (CFU) and in the surrounding tissue (CFU/g) at days 7 and 14. Safety study: systemic and subacute toxicity (clinical tolerance, blood tests and histology). <h3>METHODS</h3> Efficacy Study: TiAl6V4 discs, 6mm ø, 0.5 mm thick, were activated, dip-coated in a polymer solution, and baked to produce covalently bound DBG21-treated discs. Untreated TiAl6V4 discs were used as controls. All discs underwent subsequent sterilization by 25kGy gamma-irradiation, were implanted either untreated for control mice or DBG21-treated for treated mice, and were challenged with a high-bacterial inoculum of MRSA (ATCC43300) in a well-established subcutaneous infection mouse model (11-week-old balb/c) in the absence of antibiotics. A veterinary ethics committee validated the protocol. Sixty-five mice (33 controls, 32 treated) were included in an antibacterial efficacy study. After implantation of one disc in a posterior subcutaneous pocket and closure of the skin for each mouse, 7 log10CFU (colony forming units) of MRSA were injected through a catheter into the operating site. Mice were sacrificed after either 7 days (18 treated, 18 controls) or 14 days (15 controls, 14 treated) to determine the number of adherent bacteria (biofilm) on implants and in the peri-implant surrounding tissues. Results were expressed respectively as median log10CFU reduction on implants and median log10CFU/g reduction in tissue compared with untreated control mice. The statistical significance (p) was determined using Mann-Whitney tests. Safety Study: Ten mice implanted with either control (5 mice) or DBG-21 treated (5 mice) discs were assessed in a safety study in the absence of infection (ISO 10993-11:2017 for systemic and subacute toxicity including clinical tolerance, blood tests and local histology). <h3>RESULTS</h3> Efficacy Study: At both 7 and 14 days, DBG21-treated implants yielded a significant decrease in MRSA biofilm (respectively 3.6 median log10CFU (99.97%) reduction (p < 0.001) and 1.9 median log10CFU (98.7%) reduction (p = 0.037)) and peri-implant surrounding tissues (respectively 2.7 median log10CFU/g (99.8%) reduction (p < 0.001) and 5.6 median log10CFU/g (99.9997%) reduction (p < 0.001)). At day 7, three treated mice (16.6%) were completely sterilized on both tissue and implant. At day 14, 10 treated mice (71.4%) had sterile peri-implant tissue. Safety Study: There were no significant differences between control and treated mice in terms of clinical scores, blood tests and local histology after up to 11 days from implantation. <h3>CONCLUSIONS</h3> Preventing biofilm formation has been recognized as a key element of SSI prevention. Yet, no biofilm-resistant titanium implants are available in clinical practice to prevent and mitigate the burden of SSIs. This small animal safety and efficacy trial suggests that DBG-21 is a promising candidate for antimicrobial surface modification of titanium implants. <h3>FDA DEVICE/DRUG STATUS</h3> DBG21 antimicrobial surface modification (Not approved for this indication).

The Rise of Veterinary Ethics

Abstract Bernard Rollin taught the first class in veterinary ethics in modern veterinary history at Colorado State University in the late 1970’s as a result of his outrage at the behavior of a CSU surgeon who gave him only one option for his dog, when others were less invasive. The course, which became part of the veterinary curriculum at CSU, began with a history of the evolution of thought and attitudes toward animals from early Greek philosophy and Oriental religion, and followed it to modern times. He used the concept of telos, or nature of an animal, to develop his theory of why animals should be treated as moral objects with rights, and over the period of 40 years taught, wrote books and articles, lectured all over the world, and influenced legislation protecting animals.

About the Authors

About the Authors

A Feminist Ethic of Care for the Veterinary Profession.

I can still see the dog's face as its eyes connected with mine, framed by the black bin bag it had been carried in. I can still hear the clicking sound, louder than the animal's shrill cries, made by a mass of maggots moving against one another beneath the dogs matted fur, moistened by fluids leaking from its damaged flesh. My hands were shaking with panic and rage and I could hardly draw up the euthatal into the syringe quickly enough. I wanted to put an end to this, immediately. As the lethal fluid flowed into the tiny vein the dog's body finally relaxed. At my hand, like so many others, she had ceased to exist. Through the window I could see her owners waiting outside in the sunshine to pay me and I thought about the silky feel of the fur which covered an expensively shaped head. I knew this dog was loved once.This paper develops two neglected areas of veterinary thought; anthropological studies of the veterinary profession and feminist care approaches in veterinary ethics. I argue that the development of veterinary anthropology is crucial to advancing our understanding of veterinary lived experiences, through highlighting the previously under acknowledged emotional, relational and contextual realities of veterinary practice. I further propose that an ethic of care for the veterinary profession, which meaningfully connects with veterinary lived experiences, may provide a valuable approach through which to further develop veterinary ethical thinking. I share an autoethnographic account of a difficult veterinary encounter, which I then analyse using a novel feminist care approach. Through analyses centered on both emotional and relational aspects of veterinary care, I challenge the boundaries of traditional veterinary ethical approaches in terms of the scope, scale and complexity of veterinary ethical decision making. I describe the concept of emotional sponge work in veterinary practice and outline its potential impact for advancing understanding of both veterinary well-being and the profession's societal role. Finally, I propose that a feminist ethic of care might provide a framework for redefining the focus of veterinary professional responsibility, beyond animal health and toward the maintenance of healthy relationships between humans and animals.

Assessing Moral Judgements in Veterinary Students: An Exploratory Mixed-Methods Study from Germany.

Simple SummaryOn the one hand, veterinary ethics is a required part of veterinary education. On the other hand, the success of ethics teaching and the students’ skills concerning judgements in morally demanding situations are hardly evaluated systematically. This article presents an innovative tool to evaluate those skills in veterinary students in a first case of application. One group of students in this case had taken ethics classes, the other had not. The participants were asked to fill in a questionnaire with different scenarios from veterinary practice and answer additional free-text questions. Students who had taken ethics classes did not answer generally different from those students who had not taken ethics classes. However, there were many overall differences between the students’ answers, decisions, attitudes, and explanations. The tool is therefore suggested for further evaluations of ethics teaching and moral judgement skills in veterinary students.Although veterinary ethics is required in veterinary curricula and part of the competencies expected of a trained veterinary surgeon according to the European Association of Establishments for Veterinary Education (EAEVE), knowledge concerning the effects of ethics teaching and tools evaluating moral judgement are scarce. To address this lack of tools with a mixed-methods approach, a questionnaire with three case scenarios presenting typical ethical conflicts of veterinary practice was administered to two groups of veterinary students (one had taken ethics classes, one did not). The questionnaire contained both open-ended and closed questions and was analysed qualitatively and quantitatively. The qualitative part aimed at revealing different argumentation patterns between the two groups, whereas the quantitative part focused on the students’ approval of different roles and attitudes possibly relating to veterinarians. The results showed no major differences between both groups. However, answering patterns suggest a clear diversity among the students in their perception of morally relevant factors and the veterinary profession. Awareness of morally challenging elements of their profession was presented by students of both groups. With this exploratory study, the application of an innovative mixed-methods tool for evaluating the moral judgement of veterinary medical students is demonstrated.

On Farm Emergency Slaughter and Emergency Killing of Acutely Injured Cattle: Analysis of Guidelines From Five Jurisdictions.

BackgroundIn July 2009, the Farm Animal Welfare Advisory Council (FAWAC) in the Republic of Ireland published Animal Welfare Guidelines for the Management of Acutely Injured Animals on Farm in support of a new Irish regulation designed to permit on-farm emergency slaughter (OFES) of cattle. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the FAWAC guidelines, to determine if they remain fit for purpose by comparing them with five guidelines on the management of acutely injured cattle from four jurisdictions purposively selected because of their relevance to OFES, and to represent geographical and organisational diversity; The United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and British Columbia/Canada.MethodologyContent and Thematic Analysis were used to compare the incidence and frequency of themes in the six guidelines using NVIVO 12.ResultsHumane killing and slaughter of animals and the prevention of unnecessary suffering at time of killing were emphasised in all guidelines. Thematic Analysis identified seven primary themes (“parent nodes”): animal welfare; decision tree; certification; legislation; stakeholders; transport and; veterinary ethics. Parent nodes encompassed 26 secondary themes (“child nodes”) including casualty slaughter, on-farm emergency slaughter, euthanasia, unnecessary suffering, animal owner, private veterinary practitioner, official veterinarian and fitness for transport. Guidelines outlined stakeholders' roles in relation to all aspects of managing acutely injured cattle. Results showed similarities between FAWAC, the British Cattle Veterinary Association and the British Columbian/Canadian guidelines in relation to OFES as a method to address acutely injured cattle. OFES is not allowed in Australia or New Zealand as a method of managing acutely injured cattle.ConclusionsAnimal welfare guidelines play a pivotal role in informing all stakeholders involved in the management of acutely injured cattle. Guidelines vary from prescriptive standard operating procedures on actions that should be undertaken for food safety reasons, to descriptive guidance upholding practicalities in relation to equipment and methods to be used in managing acutely injured cattle not meant for human consumption. The FAWAC guidelines remain substantially relevant today and consistent with other welfare guidelines published in the jurisdictions that formed part of the study. However, they need to be reviewed to align with current regulations.