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InFocus

Challenges in equine welfare

“While navigating through welfare assessment is challenging, it also brings some of the greatest rewards, not least a sense of pride in advocating for the animal’s well-being above all else”

A few months after graduating I was called to examine a lame steer, but little did I know that I was walking into a Mexican stand-off. I arrived at the farm to find a ring of armed police surrounding three farmers who were standing back-to-back in the centre with their shotguns aimed back at the police. Not your typical James Herriot-style day! My arrival seemed to diffuse the situation somewhat, and I was escorted to the animal in question. It quickly transpired that there were ongoing welfare concerns about the care given to animals under my client’s care, including the lame steer and a recumbent sow. This was my baptism of fire into what is termed “welfare casework”.

The practice had been called by the farmer on the insistence of what was then the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF), now DEFRA. Even as a very new graduate, it didn’t take me long to ascertain that the needs of these two animals had clearly not been met. During the following months, I worked to gather evidence with MAFF and Trading Standards and gave evidence in court for the successful animal cruelty prosecution.

With no prior knowledge of this type of clinical work and no support from my then employers, but thankfully a whole heap of support from the MAFF and Trading Standards officials alongside my naïve enthusiasm, I found the process exhilarating and rewarding. Somehow, this case consolidated what the oath I had only recently sworn to uphold when joining the RCVS was really about.

I promise above all that I will pursue the work of my profession with uprightness of conduct and that my constant endeavour will be to ensure the welfare of the animals committed to my care. RCVS Oath

Luckily for me and the officials involved, and somewhat unfortunately for the clients, my instinct to protect the animal’s welfare above all else allowed me to both support prosecution and navigate through the moral dilemmas and conflicts without too much trouble. In hindsight, some 25 years later, I recognise just how lucky I was to experience this case so early on in my clinical career.

Exploring the owner’s understanding of the presenting concerns along with any management solutions, treatments, help or support they may have tried is an essential part of information gathering

The greatest lesson this provided was in understanding my duty as a vet – to ensure the welfare of the animals committed to my care. Every day, every case presents the opportunity to advocate for our patient’s well-being. Yet with this responsibility come significant challenges, not least that it is imperative to try to see both sides of the story and understand the how and why of the circumstances. Communication strategies, such as motivational interviewing, can be incredibly valuable in exploring the owner’s position to ensure the case is evaluated in context. Exploring the owner’s understanding of the presenting concerns along with any management solutions, treatments, help or support they may have tried is an essential part of information gathering. Objective communication is important in such cases, to find the most appropriate evidence-based, welfare-led solution.

The key equine welfare challenges

The first challenge is defining what constitutes a “welfare case”. One proposed definition is an assessment into primary concerns about the animal’s welfare. Vets regularly take welfare considerations into account; just some examples are selecting appropriate restraint methods, advising on managing weight, and pain management and end-of-life consultations. Despite this, clinicians continue to feel underskilled and underprepared, resulting in a reluctance to engage with welfare cases.

Another challenge is defining welfare itself. Welfare can be thought of as a concept to describe how well an animal is coping. This allows us to explore both negative and positive welfare states, describing an animal as coping poorly or well. In order to differentiate acceptable from non-acceptable welfare states, thorough health and welfare assessments must be made.

As vets, we are comfortable identifying health problems; however, health is just one aspect in which welfare may be compromised

A significant barrier is a lack of familiarity with welfare assessment strategies. Poor health indicators are commonly recognised in welfare cases: perhaps presenting with an inadequately treated wound or unhealthy body condition score (emaciated or obese). As vets, we are comfortable identifying health problems; however, health is just one aspect in which welfare may be compromised. Broadly speaking, a health and welfare assessment is consideration of whether the five needs, as set out in the Animal Welfare Act 2006, have been met:

  • The need for a suitable environment
  • The need for a suitable diet
  • The need to be able to exhibit normal behaviour patterns
  • The need to be housed with, or apart from, other animals
  • The need to be protected from pain, suffering, injury and disease

Where any failures to meet these needs are identified, the animal’s lived experience must be considered to understand any impact of the failures on the animal’s welfare. The five domains model links physical states and animal behaviours to their experience (affective state), enabling an objective welfare assessment to be made (Mellor et al., 2020).

How can you support animal welfare casework?

It is essential to understand whether the client is the owner or a third party, as the vet’s role varies accordingly. The situation is likely to be highly emotionally charged, presenting significant communication challenges, and finding strategies to manage our own emotional responses to these situations is important. It is essential to gather evidence in a professional, non-judgemental way, yet retain the need to critically assess all information given in light of the animal’s condition.

Contemporaneous notes including accurate animal identification and clinical pathology samples (blood, faeces, etc), as well as photos or videos demonstrating the welfare concern, are valuable evidence and need diligent acquisition

For example, consider whether the owner’s anamnesis providing details of ad-lib feeding fits accurately when faced with a hungry, emaciated animal in an environment without physical evidence of supplementary nutritional support. Adopting a thorough, methodical approach ensures impartial and balanced case management. External pressure can deviate the process, so using a checklist to stay on track is useful. Contemporaneous notes including accurate animal identification and clinical pathology samples (blood, faeces, etc), as well as photos or videos demonstrating the welfare concern, are valuable evidence and need diligent acquisition.

It can be incredibly challenging to remain neutral given the extent of welfare compromise in some cases; however, an adversarial attitude creates conflict between parties and must be avoided. It is vital to remember veterinary judgement is limited to interpreting the welfare situation. Consultation with the inspector should provide clear guidance on proportionate interventions, including advice linked to your evidence, requirements for improvement, specific actions needed, expected outcomes and a realistic, fair timeline, as well as follow-up recommendations. This input influences the decisions made, but vets are not unilaterally responsible within the process. Veterinary evidence is part of the puzzle used to fully evaluate the case, and the owner’s level of responsibility for any welfare compromise is for the court to decide.

Rewardingly there is increasing support and guidance for vets undertaking this type of work, which is still considered “niche”. Lectures on how to approach welfare cases are more regularly included as part of undergraduate education and graduate support is increasingly available via the veterinary member organisations, such as BEVA’s welfare toolkit, and from many welfare charities including World Horse Welfare and the RSPCA. Building familiarity with relevant documentation and regional legislation is time well spent.

Final thoughts

While navigating through welfare assessment is challenging, it also brings some of the greatest rewards, not least a sense of pride in advocating for the animal’s well-being above all else

Perhaps the greatest challenge of all is identifying the welfare compromise in the everyday and recognising our role within it. Is it always advocating for the animal’s well-being, or are we complicit? BEVA is committed to supporting members navigating some of the challenges in the typical “welfare case” and also to optimising the welfare of patients under our everyday care. Guidance for euthanasia of animals with unknown ownership status, remote chemical restraint resources and a “coping with confinement” toolkit are projects currently underway.

We share a duty to ensure the welfare of animals under our care. These expectations are not onerous or outside our scope. While navigating through welfare assessment is challenging, it also brings some of the greatest rewards, not least a sense of pride in advocating for the animal’s well-being above all else.

References

Mellor, D. J., Beausoleil, N. J., Littlewood, K. E., McLean, A., McGreevy, P. D., Jones, B. and Wilkins, C.

2020

The 2020 five domains model: including human-animal interactions in assessments of animal welfare. Animals, 10, 1870

Imogen Burrows

Imogen graduated from the RVC, London in 2000 and was awarded RCVS equine medicine advanced practitioner status in 2014. She gained her postgraduate certificate in veterinary professional studies and stud medicine certificate in 2023. While working full-time in first opinion equine practice, she undertakes several other roles: VetGDP advisor, veterinary undergraduate teaching and examining and RCVS advanced practitioner assessor. Imogen is BEVA president elect, chair of the ethics and welfare committee and member of the education committee. She is passionate about both education and improving standards of both clinical care and welfare in practice.


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