Striving for the gold standard in animal welfare

摘要

During the 2019 CVMA Convention I hosted the Annual Summit, whose theme was Veterinarians are constantly faced with ethical situations pertaining to animal welfare. Providing the “gold standard” of care for our patients can be challenging at times, whether it be due to owner compliance (financial or otherwise) or because veterinarians may not be able to provide the gold standard, or ideal care, depending on the resources and expertise available. One summit speaker, of the University of Edinburgh, highlighted a study in which 52% of veterinary respondents in the United States experienced an ethical dilemma regarding their patients and/or clients at least weekly ( ). That’s a staggering percentage, although not surprising.