For them to make sound decisions they need the correct perspective. You must have the ability to justify your decision using logic. All relevant facts should be considered, as well as any consequences that may arise for others and stakeholders. Emotional responses to ethical communication are often a problem. Koehn (94) says that ethics is the acceptance of beliefs and principles used to distinguish right and wrong within personal, professional, and interpersonal circles. Professional ethics is based on the obligation to keep all promises and oaths. A veterinarian’s practice entails many obligations. These include those to patients, colleagues, clients and the general public. Concerning the maintenance and care of animals’ health, there are ethical concerns that can arise. Dilemmas may arise when there’s a conflict between animal owners and the veterinarian’s view of what is best for the animal. The interests of both clients and patients can sometimes be conflicting. Moral dilemmas arise such that there’s equal moral weight between conflicting obligations and responsibilities. Carruthers, 1992. Deep debate ensues over how to give moral weight to responsibilities.
There are many differences in veterinarian medicine regarding the issue of animal value. Which moral weight does the animal’s interest have? These are closely linked to the human interest. The anthropocentric perspective on the subject makes animal interests either morally meaningless or very minimal. This view holds that animals only have importance if they make a difference to people. If they’re used as companions, such as therapy dogs or companion animals, then companion animals are not of moral importance. There is no moral reason for a veterinarian to kill an animal that has lost its utility. Vets should deal with clients who are anthropocentric and willing to kill healthy pets. Biocentrism is a view that differs from anthropocentrism and can be used against it. This belief holds that all living things have moral value, independent from human considerations. Biocentrists give significant moral weight to biocentrists because they are sentient beings (Singer 1975). This view considers every aspect of an animal’s interests, such as its happiness, nutrition and shelter. People have different interests, but they are related to each other. It is possible that vets and patients will be on opposite sides of anthropocentrism and biocentrism and may have different opinions about moral priority. These views inform the weight veterinarians and clients place on their personal interests’ vis-à-vis the interest of the animal in terms of time and money. How much moral significance a veterinarian attaches to a Hamster, in contrast to, say, a dog or cat, is what directs its attention. Conflict, confusion or ethical dilemmas can be caused by differences in the values of vets and their clients.
A structured approach allows you to take ethical decisions in your role as veterinarian. First, the veterinarian needs to establish facts. First, the vet must determine the facts. Swanson, 1999. Normative myopia is the inability of recognizing and/or ignoring the ethical elements of decisions. Thirdly, vets must consider the potential consequences of decisions for all affected parties. Ethical decision-making can be complicated by many interests and perspectives. Every stakeholder will have to pay for the alternative. When making decisions about veterinary medicine, it is important to consider all options.
You must carefully examine all possible options before making a choice about ethical alternatives. Moral imagination constitutes expanding and questioning the veterinarian’s mental framework to discover all possibilities surrounding the issue (Werhane, 1999). It requires moral reasoning that accounts for all moral values, principles, and norms. This allows you to view all outcomes, as well as both the positive and negative consequences. The next step in systemic decision making is to evaluate and compare alternative options, based on the anticipated consequences for stakeholders and the implications on the integrity and character of the veterinarian. Once all options have been considered, the next step can be taken. The final step in this process is to evaluate the implications of your choice.
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