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EVERYDAY ETHICS

Vaccinations and
the Animal Welfare Act
Articles in this series give readers the opportunity to consider and contribute to
discussion of some of the ethical dilemmas that can arise in veterinary practice. Each
month, a case scenario is presented, followed by discussion of some of the issues
involved. In addition, a possible way forward is suggested; however, there is rarely a
cut-and-dried answer in such cases, and readers may wish to suggest an alternative
approach. This month’s dilemma, ‘Vaccinations and the Animal Welfare Act’, is
presented and discussed by Martin Whiting. Readers with comments to contribute are
invited to send them as soon as possible, so that they can be considered for publication
in the next issue. Discussion of the dilemma ‘A corneal cat-astrophe?’, which was
published in the January issue of In Practice, appears on page 103.
The series is being coordinated by Siobhan Mullan, of the University of Bristol. It is
hoped it will provide a framework that will help practices find solutions when facing
similar dilemmas.

Martin Whiting graduated from lowed when making a decision.

the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) You advise a local cat shelter on veterinary policies and have been With regards to protecting
in 2006. He also holds a degree in encouraging routine vaccination. Yet, frustratingly, you keep meeting an animal from pain, suffering,
philosophy and an MA in medical with resistance to vaccinating all cats against feline leukaemia virus (FeLV) injury and disease, the code only
because of the financial implications – despite the duty of care that the
law and ethics from King’s College, outlines ways to detect if a cat
Animal Welfare Act 2006 imposes on cat owners. What are owners’
London. Having spent time in may be experiencing any of these
legal and ethical obligations to helping their animals avoid contracting
general practice and studying for afflictions, then it simply advises
preventable diseases?
an internship, he returned to the owners to seek veterinary atten-
RVC to teach ethics and law. He tion. It does not provide a list of
is currently undertaking a PhD in It is important to remember diseases cats are susceptible to
Issues to consider
veterinary ethics and law. that legislation such as the Animal and the ways in which these could
The Animal Welfare Act 2006
imposed a new duty of care on Welfare Act 2006 is written in be prevented.
owners of certain animals. Section an open-ended way. The broad Therefore, the only words
9 of the Act outlines the offence of meaning is stated, but the specific relating to vaccination in the code
a person who does not take ‘such details are not. It is then left to are, ‘[cats] need protection from
steps as are reasonable in all the the courts to decide upon what serious infectious diseases, which
circumstances to ensure that the actions are reasonable, after con- can be provided by vaccination’
needs of an animal for which sidering the circumstances of the (Defra 2009). Yet, there are, of
he is responsible are met to the situation, and to what extent the course, other ways in which cats
extent required by good practice’. needs of the animal have not been can be protected from infectious
The five ‘needs’ of the animal are met. So how far does one’s duty disease. So while the Act does
listed in the next subsection and to protect an animal from disease impose a duty of care on own-
it is the final one of these which extend? Does it include vaccina- ers towards their animals, which
could potentially apply in this tions? What exactly does the Act includes protection from disease
scenario: ‘its need to be protected mean by good practice? (and this applies to owners of cat
from pain, suffering, injury and shelters as much as it does to indi-
disease’. Possible way forward vidual pet cat owners), neither
While there are several clauses To assist court decisions and to the Act nor the relevant code of
in the statement of offence and all guide the animal owners, Defra practice stipulates that vaccina-
have to be met, in essence the per- has produced a series of ‘Codes tions are mandatory, or that fail-
son must have acted (or failed to of Practice’, covering different ing to vaccinate animals leaves an
act) in a way that has directly led animals’ under the Act. However, owner liable to having committed
to the suffering of the protected these codes are not prescriptive, an offence.
animal. Moreover, the steps to since, for example, there can be no As veterinarians bound by
preventing the animal’s suffering ‘perfect’ way to look after a cat. A the RCVS Code of Professional
would have been reasonable, con- breach of the code of practice does Conduct, we should be doing our
sidering all of the circumstances. not constitute an offense, but the best to provide evidence-based
Additionally there is a reference to courts will refer to the Code and veterinary medicine to the ani-
what is ‘good practice’. decide whether it has been fol- mals under our care. This means

102 In Practice  February 2013 | Volume 35 | 102–103

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advising clients to use vaccinations
of an efficacious nature on their
animals when appropriate, to min-
imise the potential of each animal
contracting a particular disease.
Additionally, we should be giving
advice on husbandry management
that can also reduce the likelihood
of animals contracting infectious
disease. For instance, educating
owners about preventing roaming
and fighting or biosecurity.
In this scenario, the veteri-
narian is probably appropriately
recommending the use of the vac-
cines but, as vaccination is not
mandatory and the finances of
the charity are limited, they could
redirect their advice to prevent cat
to cat transmission within the
shelter. Then they could give the
advice of vaccination or other
methods of preventing transmis-
sion to the cats’ new owners,
EVERYDAY ETHICS
where the chance of contracting
the disease may be increased due
to its meeting other cats.
Reference
DEFRA (2009). Code of Practice for
the Welfare of Cats. www.defra.gov.
uk/publications/files/pb13332-cop-
cats-091204.pdf. Accessed January 8,
2013
doi:10.1136/inp.f172
In Practice  February 2013 | Volume 35 | 102–103 103
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Vaccinations and the Animal Welfare Act

Martin Whiting

In Practice 2013 35: 102-103

doi: 10.1136/inp.f172

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