The use of animals in sport has become a matter of significant public interest. In large parts of the world, a narrative within which there is an implicit acceptance that there is something ethically distinct about animals being used in sport rather than for any other human purpose has developed unchallenged, at veterinary conferences and in the public media. The consequence has been an uninformed, rights-based focus on banning the use of animals in various sports which is entirely incoherent when considered alongside societal attitudes towards the human use of animals more generally, and which does nothing to improve the welfare of animals.
Simultaneously, the role of veterinarians who treat animals used in sport has become increasingly controversial. Some members of the public and indeed of the veterinary profession accuse such veterinarians of playing a ‘facilitatory’ role in ‘keeping competition animals on the road’ to their detriment. Again, such arguments are incoherent if considered alongside roles played, for example, by small animal vets facilitating the breeding of brachycephalic dogs, and anyway fail to consider other possible outcomes.
This presentation will first consider the role of veterinarians in acting as educators to help stakeholders including Boards, legislators and the public to understand the ethical justifications of using animals in sport, using an applied approach based in generalisable welfare considerations and aimed at providing ‘good lives’ for animal athletes. Then, it will go on to explore how veterinarians’ own decision making, both around preventative measures and treatment options, can be aided by the application of the three ‘central tenets:
Case examples will be used to support the arguments made throughout the presentation.