Companion Animal Ethics

"This book provides ample food for thought for anyone involved in the animal sector to engage in reflection of their views by clearly working through important ethical questions commonly encountered in companion animal interaction and medicine in particular. It would make a valuable contribution to any practising veterinarian's library, and I would even suggest it to be essential reading for many." (Veterinary Record, 2016)

About the Authors Peter Sande is Professor of Bioethics at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, where he has been teaching animal ethics to veterinary and animal science students for nearly two decades. He is co-author of Ethics of Animal Use (Wiley Blackwell, 2008) and co-editor of Dilemmas in Animal Welfare (CABI, 2014). Sandra Corr is Clinical Reader in Small Animal Surgery, at the School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham, UK. She is a European Specialist in Small Animal Surgery, who spends her time teaching veterinary students, and working in referral practice. She has published widely in veterinary and comparative journals. Clare Palmer is Professor of Philosophy at Texas A & M University, USA. She is the author of Animal Ethics in Context (Columbia University Press, 2010), the editor of Animal Rights in the Ashgate International Library of Essays on Rights (2008) and co-editor of Killing Animals (Illinois University Press 2006).

Foreword vii Acknowledgements ix Introduction 1 1 History of Companion Animals and the Companion Animal Sector 8 2 The Development and Role of the Veterinary and Other Professions in Relation to Companion Animals 24 3 Human Attachment to Companion Animals 41 4 Companion Animal Welfare 58 5 Theories of Companion Animal Ethics 73 6 Breeding and Acquiring Companion Animals 89 7 Selective Breeding 103 8 Feeding and the Problem of Obesity 117 9 Companion Animal Training and Behavioural Problems 132 10 Routine Neutering of Companion Animals 150 11 Performing Convenience Surgery: Tail Docking, Ear Cropping, Debarking and Declawing 169 12 Treating Sick Animals and End-of-Life Issues 186 13 Unwanted and Unowned Companion Animals 201 14 Ethics and Broader Impacts of Companion Animals 217 15 Other Companions 235 16 Companion Animals and the Future 252 Index 269