Veterinarians’ course of treatment based on financial concerns
Ethical question of the month, August 2021
You are an employee of a veterinary hospital with strict billing protocols. If a treatment is deemed necessary to avoid unnecessary suffering or death then an estimate is provided, a 50% deposit required, and the balance is payable upon completion. If a client is unable to afford the treatment either surrender or euthanasia is recommended. Your client is an elderly gentleman with a 10-year-old toy poodle, his only companion. The dog presents with recent anorexia. You diagnose severe dental disease with no suspicion of any other issues. Given the breed, the dog could live for several more years after the necessary dental surgery.
The estimate is several thousand dollars. Your client is unable to afford treatment and leaves. He obtains a lower priced palliative care option at another facility and later advises you of his action and that the dog is “doing well.” If you believe the care to be substandard, should you report it and to whom?
Clare Palmer, Peter Sandøe, & Dan Weary comment on this dilemma and you can read it here: Ethicists’ commentary on veterinarians’ course of treatment based on financial concerns (pdf)