Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2018 Jan 27;8(2):19.
doi: 10.3390/ani8020019.

Exploring the Gaps in Practical Ethical Guidance for Animal Welfare Considerations of Field Interventions and Innovations Targeting Dogs and Cats

Louisa Tasker  1 , Susan F Getty  2 , Joyce R Briggs  3 , Valerie A W Benka  4
Affiliations

Exploring the Gaps in Practical Ethical Guidance for Animal Welfare Considerations of Field Interventions and Innovations Targeting Dogs and Cats

Louisa Tasker et al. Animals (Basel). .

Abstract

Domestic dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) and cats (Felis silvestris catus) are common species targeted by nongovernmental or intergovernmental organizations, veterinarians and government agencies worldwide, for field interventions (e.g., population management, rabies vaccination programs) or innovations (e.g., development of technologies or pharmaceuticals to improve animal welfare). We have a moral responsibility to ensure that the conduct of this work is humane for dogs or cats, and to consider the human communities in which the animals live. Ethical review is widely accepted as being integral to responsible practice, and it is fundamental to good science that underpins innovation. Despite the necessity of field interventions or innovations to advance the welfare of individuals or populations of animals, we found a lack of specific guidance and review processes to help navigate ethical dilemmas surrounding the conduct of such work. This can be detrimental to the wellbeing of animals and their human communities. Here we identify the gaps in existing ethical frameworks (specifically application of Reduction and Refinement principles, challenges of obtaining meaningful informed consent with variations in the quality of human-animal relationships, and limited resources regarding considerations of local stakeholders), and outline the need for additional tools to promote ethical conduct in the field.

Keywords: animal welfare; domestic cat; domestic dog; ethical decision-making; ethical review; field intervention; innovation; practical guidance.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funding sponsors had no role in the inception of the literature review, in the writing of the manuscript or in the decision to publish the results.

References

    1. Ferreira J.P., Leitão I., Santos-Reis M., Revilla E. Human-related factors regulate the spatial ecology of domestic cats in sensitive areas for conservation. PLoS ONE. 2011;6:e25970. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0025970. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Hughes J., Macdonald D.W. A review of the interactions between free-roaming domestic dogs and wildlife. Biol. Conserv. 2013;157:341–351. doi: 10.1016/j.biocon.2012.07.005. - DOI
    1. International Companion Animal Management Coalition . International Companion Animal Management Coalition; Yarmouth Port, MA, USA: 2011. [(accessed on 20 September 2017)]. Humane Cat Population Management Guidance. Available online: http://icam-coalition.org/downloads/ICAM-Humane%20cat%20population.PDF.
    1. Boitani L., Francisci F., Ciucci P., Andreoli G. The ecology and behavior of feral dogs: A case study from central Italy. In: Serpell J., editor. The Domestic Dog Its Evolution, Behavior and Interaction with People. 2nd ed. Cambridge University Press; Cambridge, UK: 2017. pp. 342–368.
    1. Macpherson C.N.L., Meslin F.-X., Wandeler A.I. Preface to the 2nd edition. In: Macpherson C.N.L., Meslin F.-X., Wandeler A.I., editors. Dogs, Zoonoses and Public Health. 2nd ed. CABI; Oxford, UK: 2013. pp. ix–x.

LinkOut - more resources