1 July 2022
Ethicists’ commentary on nutritional neglect
Ethical question of the month, April 2022
A colleague refers an 11-year-old German shepherd dog to you for a cardiac ultrasound examination. The dog has a history of ascites and elevated resting respiratory rate. The dog’s owner is a vegan and has insisted on feeding a homemade plant-based diet, despite the concerns of the referring regular veterinarian regarding dietary balance. Your diagnosis is diet-associated dilated cardiomyopathy. Given the dog is entirely reliant on the owner for nutrition, should you contact the appropriate animal protection agency for neglect?
Clare Palmer, Peter Sandøe, & Dan Weary comment on this dilemma and you can read it here: Ethicists’ commentary on nutritional neglect (pdf)