In the previous Vet Ethics column, I raised the issue of whether veterinarians should be held legally liable to pay emotional damages in civil suits to bereaved clients for medical or surgical malpractice. This is a debate being had in Animal Law circles, particularly in the US. One reason for considering this issue is that […]
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I recently attended the annual AVA conference in Melbourne. In one of the talks, Chris Johnson, a Professor of Wildlife Conservation at the University of Tasmania, discussed the use of so-called guardian dogs to protect livestock on Australian farms. This idea involves a new approach to a longstanding animal welfare and farming problem. Livestock such […]
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Veterinarians are among the highest trained, most skilled professionals across Australia. Their work demands a high level of training, and a commitment to improving the health of animals. While the public is well aware of the vital work carried out by veterinarians every day, the profession currently faces an uphill battle to to be recognised […]
Continue ReadingThe International Conference on Animal Health Surveillance (ICAHS) comes to New Zealand in early May this year. This is a triennial event, and this is the third such event, so well done to everyone involved in getting us to host it. Not the least of the roadblocks must have been the huge slab of irony […]
Continue ReadingA new book by an American author poses some troubling questions for veterinarians and our profession. The book is called Run, Spot, Run: The Ethics of Keeping Pets (University of Chicago Press). Its author is Jessica Pierce, a bioethicist and writer on animal topics. For example, in Wild Justice: The Moral Lives of Animals, co-written […]
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