Surgery or euthanasia – about dealing with stressed horse owners in a sensitive way – while considering animal welfare

Abstract

The motives for animal welfare, including the so-called altruistic ones, are affected by the compromise between use and protection of animals. They culminate in the current discussion whether to attribute a ``dignity{''} to animals, similar to human dignity, regulated by law. Based on the animal protection law, the so-called ``reasonable cause{''} justifies infliction of substantial, long-lasting pain, and killing of vertebrates. The Veterinary Association's Professional Code of Conduct appoints the veterinarians to prevent suffering and illness in animals and to alleviate and cure their diseases. Horses can be classified as food animals, in which case pharmaceutical legislation applies, but often they are classified as companion animals. A certain ethical classification is not possible. Horse owners and especially the professionally competent veterinarians are obligated to end incurable suffering of an animal. Whenever owner consent or official support are unavailable, the veterinarian has to take responsibility. The decision is less difficult in cases with very poor prognosis as opposed to borderline cases. This also accounts for horses with severe colic, when there initially is no permission for surgical intervention and the chances of survival are between 50-70\%. A (nearly) definitive diagnosis is the basis for the decision between surgery, medical management (as long as possible) and euthanasia. Whether financial limitations justify euthanasia, is not clarified. The necessity for a decision is more and more often demanded by the veterinarian in the home barn, and otherwise this will be the case after referral to a clinic. Statistics on permission or decline of surgical intervention are not available. Random estimates resulted in about 30-50\%, lately increasing from the South to the North. With a survival rate of 70\% of the cases admitted and asked for permission for surgery, 30\% of the cases would be potential for conflict, because death would occur eventually. The question is when and how, depending on certainty of the diagnosis, the owner's request and financial concerns on one hand, and animal welfare on the other hand. Apart from economical considerations, there are horse owners with strong emotional bonds, either with or without a secure financial background, who have very high expectations towards the veterinary services. Nowadays, cremation and funeral are available options for animal owners to deal with grief and the mourning process in the case of their animal's inevitable death. The veterinarians have a central task in this question, which requires a high degree of medical, social and also economical competency.