Veterinary Ethics and the Use of Animals in Research: Are They Compatible?

摘要

Veterinarians have an ethical responsibility to use their professional skills to improve welfare and alleviate suffering of animals, irrespective of the context of their lives. Laboratory animals are bred and reared for clearly defined purposes, someof which may result in harm. Balanced against these harms are potential benefits that may accrue to medicine (including veterinary medicine), fundamental scientific knowledge or other purposes deemed to be justifiable. While this situation exists, the active involvement of the veterinary profession is essential to provide clinical care for intercurrent diseases of laboratory animals, to assist in the management of any harms resulting from experiments and to advise on matters such as animal husbandry andstaff training. In addition, veterinarians should apply their expertise in contributing to the detailed ethical debates that determine whether or not, and how, experiments may be conducted.