ETHICS IN VETERINARY MEDICINE


tion, their membership may be revoked by the AAEP. Such disciplinary action is intended to pro- tect those professionals who act with conscience to practice from being undermined commercially by those who have fewer ethical qualms. Unfortu- nately, in cases in which professional bodies regu- late their own ethics, there are opportunities for such bodies to become self-serving and to fail to follow their own ethical code when dealing with ren- egade members and in responses to societal pres- sures. If professional bodies fail to regulate their own ethics, it can cast an entire profession into disrepute and lead to onerous external regulation. Thus, it is as important for professional organiza- tions to act as ethically and responsibly as it is for its individual members.


Ethical Responsibilities to the Client


Veterinary medicine differs from most of human medicine in that the client and the patient are not the same individual (or species). As such, the vet- erinarian’s role with the client and his or her equine patient is most closely akin to the role of the pedia- trician, whose patient is the child, but who has to deal with the parent concerning matters of treat- ment as well as payment for services rendered. Although many clients want only what is best for


their animals, others—particularly in performance horse disciplines—may have other, competing inter- ests. For example, the goal of getting to the next show, the next race, or the next event may be more important to a client than the health of the horse. Some clients may even be willing to risk injury to the animal in the pursuit of short-term gain. Fur- ther, clients can sometimes stand in the way of effective treatment for their horses, however much they “love” them. It is not the ethical responsibility of the veterinarian to simply accede to a client’s demands. The veterinarian’s ethical responsibility to self, as well as the responsibility to the horse, supersedes such demands. Veterinarians who act at the whim of a client also put themselves in a vulnerable position, should a procedure go wrong; the defense, “I was just doing what the client wanted,” is not tenable, should an adverse reaction occur, and the procedure is not justifiable medically. The law generally assumes that the veterinarian’s primary duty is to the animal and not to the client.3 Still, in the eyes of the law, owners also have virtually complete control over their animals, with the exception of the laws barring overt cruelty and neglect. Owners may choose not to treat sick ani- mals, may choose to euthanize a sick animal, or, on the other hand, may demand some therapy to “im- prove performance” that may not be in accordance with industry standards, or even law. This state of affairs can create a major problem for veterinarians who, embracing the pediatrician model, want to act only in the interest of the horse. The veterinary clinician does not have the power of law behind him or her to force the owner to take (or prevent) action.


Thus, although some veterinarians may see their role as analogous to pediatricians, society (ie, the legal system) has not yet caught up with the ethics underlying that view, even though many members of society would probably agree with it. Aesculapian authority, the traditional “godlike”


place of honor given to physicians in society and referring to Aesculapius, the Greek and Roman god of medicine and healing, is probably the veterinari- an’s most powerful tool for getting clients to act in the best interest of the animal.4 However, this au- thority can easily fail if a veterinarian fails to fulfill his ethical responsibilities. For example, a veteri- narian could advocate for an unproven therapy without disclosing the fact that the therapy was unproven, causing the client to waste time and money, with no benefit for the animal. This action would be clearly unethical, lacking both honesty and transparency. If such action were discovered, the discovery probably would reflect poorly on the vet- erinarian as well as the veterinary profession in general.


Societal Obligations to Horses and Owners


Whereas veterinarians may have ethical obligations to society, society has essentially no ethical obliga- tions to veterinarians, or to horse owners. Societal concerns—undoubtedly expressed by the majority of the population that does not own horses—are simply for the perceived welfare of horses. In general, so- cietal concern for animal welfare is increasing. For example, society regulates how owners can


keep horses, with laws on the books pertaining to horse welfare and abuse. As such, horse owners cannot care for their horses in any manner that they choose, even if those owners proclaim themselves to be horse care “experts.” Owners who fail to care for their horses in accordance with societal standards can have their horses taken away from them; indi- viduals who treat their animals in a particular fash- ion can be fined or jailed. There are numerous examples of society’s interest


in the ethical treatment of horses. The failure of the Tennessee Walking Horse industry to protect horse welfare has led to Federal legislation banning the practice of “soring.”5 Even though those with “expertise” in that industry may feel that they should be able to use whatever means necessary to get their horses to move in a certain fashion, clearly, society feels differently, and has regulated accord- ingly. Numerous other examples of societal regu- lations in the horse world—made with or in spite of advice from the veterinary community—exist, including:


(1) Federal legislation banning horse slaughter has been proposed and introduced in the United States Congress several times (The Equine Prevention of Cruelty Act6). Al- though the act has not been passed, these proposed laws were introduced over the ob-


AAEP PROCEEDINGS  Vol. 59  2013 3


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